Agenda and minutes
PDF 188 KBContact: Fiona Rae, Acting Committees Manager 3541, Email: fiona.rae@haringey.gov.uk
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Apologies for absence To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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Declarations of interest A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:
(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and (ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.
A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.
Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children, and Families considered the report which noted that the Childcare Act 2006, and Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance, gave local authorities a duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, childcare provision for children aged 0-14 and up to 18 for disabled children. The provision should be sufficient to meet the requirements of parents/carers to enable them to work or undertake education or training leading to work, and for their child to access their free entitlement place.
It was also noted that section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006 and statutory guidance stated that there should be an annual report ‘to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare and make this report available and accessible to parents’. The Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report had been prepared to support this duty.
The report outlined childcare supply and demand progress since 2020, identifies key findings relating to childcare sufficiency during 2021 and provides key challenges and improvement actions for 2022.
In response to a question from the Cabinet Member, it was explained that childcare provision had remained reasonably resilient throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. It was noted that only three settings had closed in 2020 and, as this had occurred quite early in 2020, it was not clear that this had happened as a result of the pandemic.
In relation to the figures for the take up of places for early education and childcare, it was clarified that this related to the number of available places that were used rather than the total number of children who were taking up places. It was agreed that a briefing note would be provided to the Cabinet Member outlining comparative data and observations between 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.
The Cabinet Member RESOLVED
To approve the Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report 2020-2021, as set out in Appendix 1, and to agree to its publication on the Council’s website.
Reasons for decision
The reason for the recommendation is that a decision to approve the proposed Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report 2020 (Appendix 1), will ensure that the Council is fulfilling its statutory duty, under the Childcare Act 2006.
In addition, the Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report will provide an updated representation of Haringey’s childcare market, enabling the Council to develop childcare plans to support the market and maximise childcare participation in the future.
Alternative options considered
The requirement to complete an Annual Childcare Sufficiency Report is part of the statutory requirement placed on the Council by the Childcare Act 2006. |