Contact: Catriona Cleugh/Tracey Sanders 01962 813887

1 Summary

1.2 The following decision is sought:

That The Early Education and Childcare Unit (EECU) are given Single Tender Approval to contract for a transitional period of 1 year with two voluntary organisations, National Childminding Association (NCMA) and Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA) to support the work of the EECU in meeting the aims and objectives of the Early Years Education and Childcare Strategic plan 06-08.

2 Reason(s)

2.1 These two organisations have received a grant from Hampshire County Council for over 25 years. To allow a transitional period through a single tender agreement would be consistent with the requirements of Hampshire's One Compact. It would enable continuity of work within the Early Years Education and Childcare 06-08 strategic plan. It would maintain the confidence of providers and provide stability at a time where there are many national changes in the delivery of early years education and childcare provision. It would enable issues that arose during the transitional period from working through a grant arrangement to a more formal contractual arrangement to be resolved with organisations where there is already an existing positive working relationship.

2.2 The Pre-School Learning Alliance and the National Childminding Association make a vital contribution to the sufficiency of early years education and childcare and the quality of provision within the 660 private, voluntary and independent providers of pre-school education and 42,000 childcare places in Hampshire. As well as representing the interest of childminders, pre-schools,
out-of-school clubs and day nurseries in the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.

2.3 This work links to the following Hampshire County Council Aims:

Aim 1: maximising life opportunities for young children and their families.

Aim 2: achieving economic prosperity by providing early education, childcare and play work 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.

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

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

· Be Safe - providing advice to practitioners 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 regarding quality play, care and education

· Make a Positive Contribution - providing advice to practitioners 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.

2.5 The work of the NCMA and PLA in Hampshire was reviewed by an independent consultant in the autumn 05 and the report concluded that these national voluntary organisations are currently best placed to deliver the required cross county service and consequently the two organisations were awarded grants totalling £1.1 million for 06-07.

3. Proposal

3.1 That single tender contract be awarded to National Childminding Association to the value of approximately £600,000 to allow the unit to contract with them to provide the following service

· Attend meetings as required by the Local Development Team and implement agreed action/development plans

· Provide an induction programme for childminders including Childminder Briefing and Initial Childminding Practice to meet the requirements of the National Standards

· Advise and support all childminders on ways of ensuring quality of provision from Birth, so that outcomes for children are improved

· Monitor outcomes for children receiving childcare through childminders and provide support to those identified as inadequate

· Provide initial and on going training in negotiation with Senior Development Officer (Training)

· 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

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

· Support the awareness and implementation of the common assessment framework and information sharing and assessment systems

· Develop relationships between childminders and children's centres

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

· Extend opportunities for good practice between childminders

· Attend training, which promotes shared working practices

· Help childminders to meet changes in entitlements for nursery education

· Encourage recruitment into childminding

· Be aware of, and support, implementation of new legislation

· Encourage childminders to work with parents and nurseries/pre-schools to plan children's experiences across the whole day, continuing themes where appropriate in which children have become interested and involved

· Support the recruitment of new childminders through the support childminders scheme and through the management and administration of start up grants

· Provide advice and support to ensure quality and sustainability of provision in partnership with Hampshire County Childminding Association through

support childminding networks, including community childminding

· Support the development of integrated provision, in partnership with children centres.

4 That a single tender contract be awarded to Pre-School Learning Alliance to the value of approximately £650,000 to allow the unit to contract with them to provide the following service

· Attend meetings as required by the Local Development Team (LDT) and implement agreed action/development plans

· Monitor and report on outcomes of support to settings to the LDT

· Gather and collate information required to implement both the County and local strategic plans

· Develop Early Years Education and Childcare provision from identification of potential providers in response to local need including children's centres and extended schools

· Help settings to implement the Code of Practice and meet the changes in nursery education entitlement

· Advise and support all settings, including Parent and Toddler groups on ways of ensuring quality of provision from Birth, so that outcomes for children are improved

· Engage with the private providers to advise and support them to meet the requirements of the National Standards (EYFS from September 08)

· Implement the EECU strategy to support entry into childcare workforce

· Support the awareness and implementation of the common assessment framework and information sharing and assessment systems. Keep up to date with Common Assessment Framework (CAF) developments through attending training. Support and advice settings on CAF procedures and developments. Advise on the appropriateness of completing a CAF where necessary. Advise on when, and how, to share information in line with the government guidance on sharing information

· Liaise closely with the local development team to identify settings requiring additional support and share information

· Encourage pre-schools/nurseries to work with parents, childminders and other providers to plan children's experiences across the whole day, continuing "themes" where appropriate in which children have become interested and involved

· Attend training, which promotes shared working practices.

5 Other Options considered and rejected:

5.1 To continue to offer a grant to the two organisations

· This would be in breach of HCC standing orders regulations

5.2 Competitive Tender -

· To move directly to a competitive tender would not allow for a transitional period from a grant to a more contractual relationship

· A transitional period with the organisations that are already working in partnership with children's services would be advantageous because it would facilitate the identification and resolution of issues with organisations where there were positive working relationships already established

· The PLA and NCMA are recognised as the main national providers for this type of service that would be required under tender and it is unlikely that any other provider would be able to offer the necessary scope and scale of services

· The work of the two providers has already begun in relation to the 06-08 early years strategic plan and to change organisations responsible for different elements of the plan would jeopardise reaching targets within the plan

· A change in provider would cause disruption for both childcare providers and current voluntary organisations at a time where there are a number of national changes being required of early years education and childcare providers. It is possible that a change in provider would jeopardise the good will of the private, voluntary and independent providers upon whom we rely upon to provide early years education and childcare in Hampshire.

6 Legal Implications

· This complies with the current criteria for approving single tenders whereby it will enable a service, particularly where it has the confidence of users to become properly established as a contract. It is also in line with Hampshire Standing Orders and Hampshire's One Compact.

7 Financial Implications

Single Tender Contract awarded to PLA for £650,000 and NCMA for £600,000.

8 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted

Not applicable

9 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

Not applicable

10 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

Not applicable

Approved by: Date:

Councillor Felicity Hindson MBE

Executive Lead Member for Children Services