Archived decisions

Contact: Tracey Sanders, Acting Head of Corporate Unit, Early Education and Childcare Unit, Extn 3872

1 Summary

1.1 This report proposes the level of grant allocations for 2006-2007 to voluntary organisations within the early years, childcare and family support sectors, funded through the Education Department's budgets via the Early Education and Childcare Unit. These voluntary organisations work in partnership with the Early Education and Childcare Unit, and through the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, work to the aims and objectives of the EECU Strategic Plan for 2006-2008. These commissioned services all have grant agreements, which set out the specification for the service they provide.

2 Strategic implications

2.1 The Sure Start Grant Guidance for 2006-2008 requires local authorities to work in partnership with a variety of organisations, but particularly children, parents, communities and the voluntary sector, to ensure that early education and childcare is part of the wider consideration about children's services and the local economy.

2.2 The voluntary sector has a vital contribution to make in providing services as well as representing interest groups such as childminders, pre-schools, out of school clubs and day nurseries.

2.3 The Grant Guidance asked that local authorities find creative ways of involving families in their work, both providing feedback and early participation in setting up new services. Children, young people, their parents and carers and local communities are all vital partners for Sure Start. Their involvement at all stages in planning and delivering services is crucial if outcomes are to be achieved.

2.4 The work of the voluntary organisations links to the following corporate aims:

· Aim 1 - maximising life opportunities for young children and their families

· Aim 2 - achieving economic prosperity by providing early education, childcare and playwork career and training opportunities for local communities, while supporting the development of new, small businesses offering early education and childcare

· Aim 3 - building strong and safe communities through the early preventative work, which takes place with children and young people in early education and out of school childcare settings

· Aim 4 - improving services, particularly the development of integrated services for young children and their families

· Aim 5 - developing councillors and staff through the many opportunities to be involved with training, networking and planning provided by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and the Early Education and Childcare Unit.

· The work of the voluntary organisations also helps children achieve the five outcomes by

· Stay Healthy - providing advice to practitioners and parents regarding healthy eating, exercise and relevant aspects of Birth to Three matters and the Foundation Stage Curriculum guidance.

· Be Safe - providing advice to practitioners and parents regarding safe environments, safeguarding children and relevant aspects of Birth to Three matters and the Foundation Stage Curriculum guidance.

· Enjoy and Achieve -providing advice to practitioners and parents regarding quality play, care and education.

· Make a Positive Contribution -providing advice to practitioners and parents regarding children's social and emotional development and promoting inclusive, participative practice .They also provide advice and guidance on relevant aspects of Birth to Three matters and the Foundation Stage Curriculum guidance

· Achieve Economic Well Being - helping practitioners with recruitment, training and business support. They also contribute to strategies which help parents into work.

2 Background

3.1 In the past, the Children's Services Committees made provision for grants to a wide range of voluntary organisations, including those serving the needs of voluntary organisations, which serve the needs of children in the early years and within the extended field of childcare. The corporate Early Education and Childcare Unit now holds and administers this budget for early years and childcare.

3.2 Approval of County Council grants in excess of £5000 in respect of children under eight is a decision of the Executive Member for Education and proposals are included for approval in this report.

3.3 The amounts and on going nature of these strategically important grants make it necessary to have grant agreements with clear service specifications, a schedule of quarterly reporting, robust monitoring and a system for remedial action should targets not be met. Monitoring arrangements include mechanisms to identify how the voluntary organisations contribute to outcomes for children. Such investment in key services within the voluntary sector is seen to be in line with the principles of best value and public private partnership.

2.4 The allocations proposed reflect the work scheduled during the first year of the EECU Strategic Plan for 2006-2008. They are considered in liaison with the Children's Services Grants Officer and planned with reference to grant requests to other departments.

2.5 The Grants have previously been funded through a combination of monies from the HCC Grants to voluntary organisations budget and the General Sure Start Grant. It is proposed that this continue and that the grants for this year are as per last year plus inflation

4 Proposed grants to voluntary organisations 2006-2007

4.1 Hampshire Pre-school Learning Alliance

The grant will enable the Pre-school Learning Alliance to work with the Early Education and Childcare Unit and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships Board to enhance the development and educational attainment of young children by supporting community groups and day nurseries to provide high quality care and education.

This is to be achieved by:

· Development of provision in relation to children's centres and extended schools provision based upon community need in liaison with Senior Development Officers (Childcare).

· Promote quality of parent and toddler sessions so that outcomes for children are improved.

· Monitor and report outcomes of support to parent and toddler groups.

· Implement the EECU strategy to support entry into childcare workforce, through parent and toddler sessions.

· Monitor and report on the effectiveness of this strategy.

· To support the awareness and implementation of the common assessment framework and information sharing and assessment systems.

· Join development team meetings as required and implement agreed action/development plans

· Attend training which promotes shared working practices.

· Develop early years education provision in response to local need (outside children's centres and extended schools).

· Help settings to meet the changes in nursery education entitlement.

· Support the implementation of updated child protection procedures and ensure settings have policies and procedures in place for safeguarding children.

· Provide advice and support to providers on governance and recruitment and new regulatory framework.

4.2 National Childminding Association

The grant will enable the National Childminding Association to work with the Early Education and Childcare Unit and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership Board to meet the aims and objectives of the Sure Start Strategic Plan for 2004-2006 and in particular to:

· Cascade training on common assessment framework.

· Provide induction programme for childminders to meet the requirements of the national standards.

· Monitor outcomes for children receiving childcare through childminders.

· Promote professional development for childminders in line with individual, county and national initiatives.

· Encourage recruitment into childminding.

· Develop relationship between childminders and children's centres.

· Encourage childminders to secure qualifications on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority framework (eventually leading to the single qualification framework) and attend new courses which meet the requirements of the Children's Workforce Strategy, Children Act and Children's Centre guidance..

· Provide continued professional development advice and guidance to all childminders as required.

· Extend opportunities for good practice between childminders to be shared.

· Offer support and challenge to childminders in relation to the quality of provision.

· Ensure successful transition of children into other provision.

· Liaise with the Senior Development Officers (Childcare) to meet the requirements of local childcare market.

· Help childminders to meet changes in entitlements for nursery education.

· Support childminders awareness of and ability to meet the regulatory requirements.

4.3 Hampshire Children and Families Forum

The grant will enable Hampshire Children and Families Forum to represent the views of Hampshire Children & Families and those that provide for them at all levels of Local Government.

It will also enable them to facilitate a community network for school pyramids or clusters, represent their views at borough, district, and county level, and support their attendance at county events and consultations. They will do this by

· Assess parental preferences for early education and childcare in local areas.

· Supporting parents in understanding what is an appropriate complaint is regarding sufficiency and quality of childcare and how to complain.

· Providing information on parental preference and need specifically in relation to vulnerable children.

· Consulting parents regarding systems for subsidised places.

· Identifying community needs in relation to children's centres.

· Consulting children and young people, parents and carers regarding policy developments that are of relevance to them.

4.4 The Elizabeth Foundation

The Elizabeth Foundation offers support to hearing impaired children. It provides a parent counselling service, a demonstration home, early education and childcare 0-2 years, parental advice, guidance and support and an early detection of deafness centre.

The purpose of this grant is to work in a manner consistent with the aims and objectives of the Sure Start Strategic Plan for 2004-2006 to support the needs of babies and children in the county of Hampshire (of pre-school age 0-4) who are deaf or have hearing impairment, and their parents, carers and families who have chosen to develop oral/aural language and communication skills which will help to maximise the child's future life choices and inclusion into mainstream education.

In particular this grant will contribute towards the provision of:

· an early intervention service for children and their parents. This will include:

- activities for babies and toddlers

- parents counselling service

- parents support group.

· One specialist teacher of the deaf employed by the Foundation.

4.5 KIDS Centre

KIDS Centre is a voluntary initiative jointly funded by KIDS, a national organisation for children with special needs and the King George's Fund for Sailors. It is recognised that such a family centre, providing good quality services to children with special needs, requires grant funding to support its work.

The purpose of this grant is to enable the development of high quality inclusive nursery provision for children with special educational needs and to assist in providing information, training and support to those caring for and working with these children.

The service specification set out that KIDS Family Centre is commissioned to:

· provide inclusive nursery places for 40 children on a part time basis

· seek to enable children with disabilities to develop their skills and abilities and fulfil their potential hopes and aspiration

· provide high quality inclusive educational opportunities within the framework of a broad balanced curriculum to benefit children with a diverse range of needs

· demonstrate that assessment procedures are consistent with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice

· provide training opportunities for staff and volunteers ensuring the highest possible levels of professionalism are maintained. The training will include;

- special needs awareness

- child protection

- communication

- behaviour management

- health and safety (including moving and handling)

- personal care

4.6 Forest Bus

Sustain groups in crisis on a short term basis and provide information and advice for hard to reach families including travellers and those living in isolation by

· Acting as a catalyst for the creation of new early education and childcare provision following assessment of need in partnership with the local development team

· Supporting implementation of the Partnership's rural strategy.

· provide information and advice for hard to reach families including travellers and those living in isolation

· Supporting family learning initiatives

· Supporting the childcare recruitment campaign through links with local parents

Recommendations

That the Executive Member for Children's Services approves the awarding of grants to the voluntary organisations listed above.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1 published works

2 documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

· Sure Start Strategic Grant Guidance 2006-2008

· Grant applications and agreements for:

- Hampshire Pre-school Learning Alliance

- National Childminding Association

- Hampshire Children and Families Forum

- KIDS Centre

- Elizabeth Foundation.

- Forest Bus