The Childcare Act places a duty on local authorities (LAs) to secure sufficient childcare for their community. In order to understand the needs of their community, LAs must undertake a childcare sufficiency assessment (CSA) every three years. This must be published on the Council website and made publicly available.
A number of provider and parental surveys were carried out towards the end of last year to inform a CSA that we were planning to publish early in the summer term 2023.
The recent Government spring budget announcement (15 March 2023) which included the changes listed below will have a significant impact on the Local Authorities Childcare Sufficiency Assessment
The Governments Office for Budget Responsibility have also estimated that 60,000 parents nationally will enter the workforce as a result of these changes, while many will increase the number of hours they work.
As a result of the above the views of parents and providers that were provided as part of our CSA last year, and place requirement details are likely to have significantly changed. In light of this we are currently considering what information it would be useful to include in any CSA that we publish, and when would be the best time to publish it in order to provide accurate information to providers and parents/carers.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would appreciate your patience whilst we review our position.
The term 'childcare' covers children up to the 1 September after their fourteenth birthday or, if a child has a disability, until they reach the age of twenty-five.
Local authority's duties to secure sufficient childcare for working families, or parents who are studying or training for employment, includes the requirement to assessment the supply and demand in their area. The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) maps the existing childcare provision in the borough and looks to highlight any gaps in the local market.
This final CSA report provides the local authority with clarity on the current offer and recommendations on how to:
If you have any questions regarding the Childcare sufficiency Assessment please contact the Early Years, Childcare & Business Development Service.