Issue - meetings

(Report of the Director of the Children and Young People’s Service – To be introduced by the Executive Member for Children and Young People): To seek agreement for changes to fees charged for childcare up to 14 years together with a more transparent, evidence based approach for funding voluntary sector early years services.

We noted that the flat rate of £175 proposed had been determined by the maximum rate for which parents could claim a maximum of 80% Working Tax Credit. We also noted that our Chair and the Executive Member for Children and Young People had raised the issue of the high childcare costs in London with the Minister. 

RESOLVED:

1. That approval be granted to the introduction of a childcare fee as from September 2007 for under fives childcare in Children’s Centres at a rate of £175 a week with an hourly rate for wrap around care commensurate with this weekly rate and with a reduction for each sibling as part of shaping a childcare affordability and sustainability strategy for Haringey. 

2. That the hourly fee rate be recommended to Governing Bodies as part of their extended school services’ policy. 

3. That approval be granted to the new evidence based application process for the Voluntary Sector Early Years funding to ensure better targeting of funding to ensure that the statutory duty to deliver funded Nursery Education places to all      three and four year olds (and two years olds in the future) as set out in paragraphs 8.10 - 8.12 of the interleaved report was achieved.

4. That approval be granted to the provision of places to parents who worked for the Council at the same rate as for Haringey residents, in recognition of the benefits for recruitment and retention and economic benefits for the Borough.

5. That it be noted that a review of the criteria and allocation of funding of places for vulnerable children under five years was underway as set out in paragraph 8.7 of the interleaved report aimed at achieving coherence from different approaches in existence from different services which pre-dated the Children and Young People’s Service.

6.      That the new duties and implications of the Childcare Act 2006 as outlined in paragraphs 7.1 and 7.2 of the interleaved report be    noted.