Decision details

The Childcare Act 2006 Regulations places a duty on Local Authorities to “prepare and publish assessments of the sufficiency of the provision of childcare in its area”.

The Childcare Sufficiency Assessments (CSA) “must be prepared and published at five yearly intervals”, however, following the Covid-19 pandemic, the new full CSA must be submitted to the Welsh Government by 30th June 2022.

The legislation and accompanying guidance states that the key tasks that the Local Authority is required to undertake to assess the supply of childcare are:

•       to identify the demand for childcare

•       to analyse if gaps exist and to develop an action plan to deliver the Local Authority duty to secure, “so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient childcare to meet local needs of parents, (albeit for working parents or parents undertaking education or training) to assist them to obtain work.”

Regards must be given to families wishing to access childcare:

•       through the medium of Welsh.

•       for children with a disability or additional need.

•       for those wishing to access childcare, funded via Flying Start, the Childcare Offer, employer supported vouchers or tax-free childcare, and lower income families.

Childcare: statutory guidance for local authorities (gov.wales) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2016/88/made

Legislation requires the draft CSA to be published bilingually on the Council’s website for consultation and stakeholder feedback for a period of 28 days, and the local authority “must amend the draft assessment in such way as they consider appropriate in response to any comments received.”

Approval is sought for the draft Cardiff CSA to be translated and hosted on Cardiff Council website for the statutory 28-day consultation period

Approval is sought for delegated officer powers to sign-off the post-consultation version for subsequent submission to Welsh Government by June 2022

RESOLVED: that

1.            Approval be given to the publication of the draft Childcare Sufficiency Statement on the Cardiff Council website for public consultation.

2.            Authority be delegated to the Director for Adults, Housing and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Families, to approve the final version of the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment having taken into account the results of the consultation.