Agenda and minutes

The Chairman introduced Steve Chapman, Project Manager, Rotherham Children’s Inclusion and Support Services, representing the Voluntary Sector to his first meeting of this Sub-Group.  

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the above meeting be received and agreed.  

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section, submitted a report detailing how Rotherham was making progress towards the establishment of Children’s Centres by the 31^st March, 2006.

The proposals and details set out in the report covered the following :-

Previous reports have informed members about Rotherham’s Children’s Centres Strategy.Children’s Centres will serve children and families in Rotherham’s most disadvantaged communities across the borough and will provide integrated education and care for young children, health services, and family support. In addition, they will also act as a service hub within the community for parents and providers of childcare services for children of all ages - offering a base for childminder networks and a link to other day care provision, out of school clubs and extended schools. Centres will also have links with local training and education providers, Jobcentre Plus and Children’s Information Services. The centres will bring together locally available services and integrate management and staffing structures but will not necessarily be developed on one site.

Implementation plans were submitted to the Sure Start Unit for Ministerial approval.  Approval has been received for the following areas:-

·        Central – Ferham Primary School and the Ferham Sure Start Centre

• Dinnington - DinningtonCommunity Primary School                                 

·        Dalton - DaltonFoljambe School

• Herringthorpe – Arnold Centre

·        Thrybergh – Thrybergh Primary School

·        Wath – Wath VictoriaPrimary School

• Greasbrough - Rockingham Junior and Infant School.

Approval was awaited for the Maltby proposal to establish a Children’s Centre at the Maltby Sure Start Centre.

Guidance from the Sure Start Unit for approval of Capital Build Projects has been received.   A web-based system will be used to collect data about each capital project.

The role of the Local Authority will involve:-

• Active project management of the capital programme.

• Ensuring advice, guidance and support to individuals, organisations and agencies involved in development of provision – practical support re: buildings, capital and business planning, pre-registration advice.

• Commissioning processes that ensure accountability and delivery across the sectors.

The original purpose of the Children’s Centres Strategic Steering Group to identify proposed projects for Children’s Centres development and support the establishment of local implementation planning groups has been achieved.

The Steering Group membership has been reviewed to establish a Children’s Centres Executive Group which will report directly to the Children and Young People’s Executive.  The first meeting has taken place.

Action Planning sessions have been completed by the individual Children’s Centres and progress will be monitored on a regular basis. A Leadership Programme is being undertaken by Children’s Centres Leaders and key change agents to:

• explore what they want for their communityand how this will be achieved

• facilitate community leadership

• facilitate change in the way services are delivered

This will support the development of Children’s Centres at a local level and ensure local involvement in the planning and delivery of services.

Discussions are taking place with the Council’s Legal Services to develop Partnership Agreements between the Children’s Centres and private or voluntary  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section, submitted a report relating to the Early Years and Childcare Services which were actively supporting the development of new and existing early education and childcare provision to increase the availability of quality, accessible, affordable provision to enable parents and carers to take up employment or training opportunities.

The proposals and details covered the following:-

Rotherham has agreed targets with the Sure Start Unit to create 1676 new childcare places (not including places in Children’s Centres) in the period April, 2004 to March, 2006.  Using local population figures, availability of existing provision and local demand, priority areas have been identified for the development of the new places as set out in the attached template.

Action towards meeting these targets include:-

• Promotion of the benefits of out of school childcare to schools.

• Promotion of the benefits of extended care to existing playgroups.

• Activities e.g. summer fayres, to raise awareness of and stimulate demand for childcare.

• Promotion of tax credits.

• A support package for all new childcare providers including, help to conduct feasibility studies, develop business and financial plans and to complete the Ofsted registration process.

• Kid’s United  - a network to support the out of school clubs in Rotherham has been developed. They were constituted in March, 2004 and 5 clubs are currently represented on the network.

• Rotherham Childminding Association was launched in January, 2004 and currently has 12 childminders on the Board.

• Support for local childminder networks across the borough.

• Access to training courses to support professional development of early education and childcare workers.

• Promotion and support for childcare providers to undertake quality assurance schemes.

Particular reference was made to the fact that Brinsworth, Catcliffe and Treeton did not feature in the template submitted and it was confirmed that Catcliffe had been identified as a pocket and supported funding was being explored

Resolved:- (1)  That the report be received.

(2)  That a report on Rotherham’s Quality in Action Launch be submitted to the next meeting of this Sub-Group.

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section, submitted a report relating to the Rotherham Out of School Childcare Strategy.

Rotherham had been allocated £882,423 from the Sure Start Unit to create 1284 new childcare places (not including places to be created by Children’s Centres for the 0 – 5 year olds) within the period April, 2004 to March, 2006.

A further £293,798 had been awarded from the New Opportunities Fund to create 392 additional new places. 

The proposals and details were set out in the report submitted.

The Sub-Group acknowledged the good co-ordinated work being undertaken by officers.

Resolved:- That the report be received.

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section, submitted a report relating to the Government’s Ten Year Childcare Strategy which had been released for consultation on 2^nd December, 2004. 

The strategy sets out a bold vision for flexible, accessible, affordable and high quality childcare for all parents who need it.

In the document, the Government identifies some outstanding challenges around the availability of childcare to fit the needs of parents and children; the affordability and quality of childcare; the need for greater flexibility to allow parents to spend more time with their children; and the use of childcare and family support to tackle poverty and worklessness.

Three principles underpin the strategy:

·        The importance of ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life.

·        The need to respond to changing patterns of employment and ensure that parents, particularly mothers, can work and progress their careers.

·        The legitimate expectations of families that they should be in control of the choices they make in balancing work and family life.

Key Priorities within the strategy include:

·        Extended maternity leave.

·        A Sure Start Children’s Centre in every community by 2010.

·        Childcare for five to fourteen year-olds available based in schools, offering all parents with children aged five to eleven affordable school-based childcare on weekdays between the hours of 8am and 6pm. By 2010 ensuring that secondary schools will be open on weekdays between the hours of 8am to 6pm all year round offering a range of activities, such as music and sport.

·        A new duty on local authorities to secure sufficient provision to meet local childcare needs.

·        A Transformation Fund of £125m a year from April, 2005 to support investment by local authorities in childcare.

·        A strategy to ensure quality through a workforce reform strategy to include plans to ensure that all full daycare settings are led by graduate qualified early years professionals.

·        To increase the maximum eligible childcare costs that the Working Families Tax Credit will cover from April, 2005. 

·        To increase the maximum proportion of childcare costs covered by the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit from April, 2006.

·        To ensure that all three and four-year olds get a full 38 weeks of free early education and childcare from 2006, and to extend this to  fifteen hours for 38 weeks a year for every three and four year-old  by 2010, as a step towards a goal of  twenty hours a week for 38 weeks a year.

Resolved:-  That the report be received.

Resolved:-  That the next meeting of this Sub-Group be held on Tuesday, 19th April, 2005 at 11.00 a.m.