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Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

Published: 15/07/2014

The range of childcare on offer in Flintshire could be widened once councillors have considered an assessment report at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (15 July). Local Authorities in Wales are responsible for making sufficient, appropriate childcare available to meet the requirements of parents who require childcare in order to train, to work, or to prepare for work. The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment and Audit report is an on-going evaluation into the existing services accessible to parents and carers in Flintshire. Information has been obtained from parents and carers, childcare providers, children, young people and employers by electronic survey, face-to-face consultation and using feedback from people who access assistance with the costs of childcare. The assessment shows the childcare market meets the needs of most working parents in the County. Formal childcare is used by 50 per cent of parents in Flintshire and overall, 92 per cent of parents surveyed said that they were satisfied with their current childcare arrangements. Where the survey has identified gaps in the service, the authority will begin addressing any issues to meet the demands of working parents and also to break down the barriers to work or training that a lack of childcare creates for families not in work. Councillor Christine Jones, Cabinet Member for Social Services said: “The report takes a good look at childcare provision in Flintshire, something which is a concern for every working parent or carer in the area. Most satisfied were parents using childminders, day nurseries and out of school clubs where there was over 90% satisfaction. “The Council is committed to giving everyone equal access to childcare provision and part of this survey is to work out whether our services meet the needs of parents. Once we have looked in detail at the audit report we can assess whether we need to begin offering extra services.”