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• Childcare Sufficiency Assessments: Guidance for Local Authorities

Childcare sufficiency assessments guidance

Section 11 of the Childcare Act requires LAs to carry out an assessment of the sufficiency of childcare within their area as a first step to securing sufficient childcare. This process will give LAs the evidence and information they need, working in partnership with childcare providers and others, to facilitate and shape a childcare market that contains childcare which is sufficient, flexible, sustainable and responsive to parent’s needs.

The childcare sufficiency assessments guidance sets the framework for the assessment, clarifying what is required to fulfil this duty. The guidance details how the assessment duty fits with existing legislation; who is to be consulted; what it is to be considered within the assessment; and how the finished document is to be publicised and reviewed. Also contained within the guidance are examples of ‘best practice’, suggestions about possible methods and formats, and links to useful sources of information.

Regulations

The regulations set out the key outcomes that LAs will need to produce when conducting their childcare sufficiency assessment and should be read in conjunction with the guidance document, Childcare sufficiency assessments. They are presented here in draft form.

The final statutory regulations will be published once they have received Parliamentary approval on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website www.opsi.gov.uk.

Toolkit

A key element of the childcare sufficiency assessment will be the use of robust surveys to collect data on the demand for, and supply of childcare. The Surveys toolkit offers LAs advice on how to construct surveys and provides links to useful resources. The toolkit outlines the main research issues that will need to be considered when carry out a survey – whether the research is carried out in-house or commissioned out to external consultants.

The toolkit includes information on sampling, strategies for data collection, research design, analysis and interpretation, writing research reports and ethics.

Download the guidance, draft regulations and toolkit.

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Last updated on 13/04/2009