Doncaster Early Years and Childcare Service is responsible for delivering the Government's 10 Year Childcare Strategy as well as meeting the duties under the new Childcare Act 2006.
The main Service priorities are to:
Extend the number of children's centres from 14 to 22 to deliver integrated early childhood services and develop a performance monitoring system to demonstrate outcomes.
Ensure the creation and development of sustainable and quality childcare provision and support the existing childcare providers to meet the standards and improve the quality of the provision.
Extend the range of information, advice and assistance to parents and prospective parents and carry out a childcare sufficiency assessment to ensure that the range of childcare provision meets the needs of parents.
See the 'More Information' section on the left-hand side for further useful links to the areas covered within the Early Years and Childcare Service.
The Childcare Act 2006 states that from April 2008 local authorities will have a duty to secure sufficient childcare for parents in their area to enable them to take-up, or remain in work, or undertake education or training. A copy of the full guidance is available at http://www.surestart.gov.uk/improvingquality/guidance/childcaresufficiency/
In preparation for the duty, Doncaster Early Years and Childcare Service has carried out a detailed assessment of the supply and demand for childcare in the area. This will help the Service to identify any gaps in the childcare market and plan the steps to securing sufficiency.
As part of the sufficiency assessment process consultation took place with parents and carers, employers and childcare providers through telephone surveys and focus groups. The draft summary was placed on the website to give the wider community the opportunity to provide any feedback or highlight any issues or concerns. We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who took part in the consultation.
Doncaster's Childcare Sufficiency Assessment Summary is now available below along with the five key area reports. A copy of the full report is available by contacting the number at the top of this page.
The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis and the Service will conduct a new assessment with the latest consultation every three years.
To view the summary and the five area reports please use the links below:
