News

Out-of-hours clubs 'help schools'
Child Support Agency facing axe
Childcare Act (2006)
Call for action on child poverty

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26 July 2006 - Out-of-hours clubs 'help schools'

Schools which open late and offer out-of-hours clubs are good for children's self-confidence, a survey by the education watchdog Ofsted suggests.

The government's extended schools programme for England also appears to have improved exam results and parental involvement in education, it adds.

But the survey of 20 schemes in 16 areas found funding was sometimes too short-term to allow effective planning. The government said extended schools were having a "positive impact".

Ministers are putting £680m up to 2008 into the scheme, which involves extending hours until 6pm and encourages bodies such as universities and sports clubs to provide activities.

Parents are also urged to take up courses and involve themselves in their children's education. Ofsted found extended schools had fostered "more positive attitudes" among pupils, who were "keen to remain after school to work and relax".

They had developed a "greater sense of ownership" and were "proud of the school".

One comprehensive had doubled the number of pupils getting five A* to C grades at GCSE within two years of extending hours.

Ofsted found most parents were positive about the changes but that, in some places, it was unclear whether they were "seen as integral to creating services or were simply consumers of them".

Miriam Rosen, Ofsted's director of education said: "Most extended services are meeting the needs of children, young people and the wider community.

"They are giving users more self-confidence, helping them to develop better relationships with family members and peers and raising their aspirations and attitudes to learning."

But inspectors found "very limited spending periods" for some grants, which limited the breadth and depth of services.

Finances were complicated by having to account for each service separately, rather than for the programme as a whole.

Ofsted said local authorities should provide a "strategic overview" to ensure provision "developed coherently".

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said the report highlighted the "positive impact that extended activities have on behaviour, attendance and the attitudes to learning of pupils.

"It has also found that in those schools where it is being monitored there has been a direct impact on raising standards."

She added: "I believe that extended activities and children's centres are central to our wider reforms of children's services and education and this report provides further evidence of their importance."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news

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24 July 2006 - Child Support Agency facing axe

The Child Support Agency (CSA) is being axed, while absent parents face being electronically tagged, under plans to be announced by the government.

Parents will be encouraged to make their own arrangements over child maintenance, with a new agency focusing on parents who refuse to co-operate.

New powers would prevent absent parents from going out after work and allow passports to be confiscated. The plans will be unveiled in response to a review of child support.

The review findings, compiled by Sir David Henshaw, are to be published on Monday afternoon.

The planned reforms, to be announced in the Commons by Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton, are intended to allow parents to keep more of their maintenance allowance before it affects their benefits.

Ahead of the Commons announcement, Lord Hunt, a minister from the department, said he wanted to see more parents resolving issues for themselves without state interference.

But he warned: "It's very important that where parents are not prepared to support their children, there is tough enforcement."

While Lord Hunt said the government had "every right" to get tough with absentee parents, he would not confirm reports of tagging, curfews or passport confiscation.

It is thought that the agency will be given the power to use debt collectors, and a residual agency will be created to deal with the massive backlog which has grown under the CSA.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman David Laws urged the government not to write off the £3.5bn of child maintenance arrears and 330,000 strong backlog of cases.

He said: "The government must not abandon the hundreds of thousands of families failed by 13 years of CSA incompetence.

"The reforms which are being announced must be judged by one test only - will they get more money through to the children living in broken families?"

He said there might be a temptation for ministers to "wash their hands of many of the most difficult cases".

Chris Pond, from the National Council for One Parent Families, was hopeful that the changes would provide a more effective agency.

"It's got to be much tougher in enforcement, it's got to be much more effective in administration, and we're hoping that these changes will bring this about," he said.

The plans are to be put out to consultation over the next few months and it could be 2008 before they take effect, BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue says.

Source:bbc.co.uk/news

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17 July 2006 - Childcare Act (2006)

The Government's flagship Childcare Bill has now received Royal Assent fulfilling commitments to give every child the best start in life and parents greater choice about how to balance work and family.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said:

"We have a real chance here to make a difference to children's lives for generations to come, to work together - all of us - national and local Government, voluntary and private sectors, parents and children - to deliver for the future. It's an opportunity we must all seize.

"This is an historic and radical piece of legislation - the first solely dedicated to early years and childcare - that redraws the boundaries of the welfare state ensuring that early years services are at the heart of what families can expect in their local areas.

"It will transform children's services by requiring local authorities to improve the outcomes for all young children, reduce inequalities, and ensure there is sufficient, high quality early years provision and childcare for parents locally."

The Childcare Act 2006 ensures:

* For all our children under 5 high quality early learning and care and better access to early childhood services

This is achieved by the free offer of care and learning which will increase and become more flexible for parents of 3 and 4 year olds that want it; the new Early Years Foundation Stage which will establish a framework to support children's development and learning from birth to five; and a duty on local authorities to improve the outcomes of young children by providing better joined up and accessible early childhood services through children's centres.

Also importantly in improving outcomes for all, the Act requires local authorities to reduce inequalities between those at risk of the poorest outcomes and the rest.

* For working parents a choice of a wide range of childcare where they can be confident that their children will thrive and be well cared for, enabling them to have greater choices about balancing work and family life

The Act places a duty on local authorities to secure - in partnership with the private and voluntary sector - sufficient childcare for all parents who choose to work or are in training in preparation for work and a duty to provide information and advice to parents on childcare and other services to support parents. It also reforms and simplifies the regulatory arrangements through the creation of two new registers run by Ofsted. These will provide parents with greater confidence about the childcare they choose.

Local authorities will work in partnership with the private and voluntary sector to ensure a diverse and sustained childcare market.

NOTES

1. The Bill was introduced into Parliament in November 2005 following the publication of the Government's ten year childcare strategy in December 2004. The accompanying Work and Families Act received Royal Assent in June has extended statutory maternity pay and allowances to nine months from April 2007 and provide entitlements and flexibilities for fathers.

2. The Childcare Act places duties on English local authorities to improve the outcomes for young children and the reduce the gaps between them; to secure sufficient childcare to enable parents to work; and to provide information to parents about childcare and a wide range of services that may be of benefit to them in bringing up their children.

3. The Act also includes provisions to reform the regulation and inspection regime for childcare in England, meeting a commitment set out in the Government's 10 year strategy for childcare - Choice for parents, the best start for children. The provisions include the establishment of an early years register for childcare for children up to the age of 5 and a register for childcare for children aged 5 and over (the Ofsted Childcare Register).

4. The Act provides for the establishment of a high quality learning and development framework for young children - the Early Years Foundation Stage. All providers registered on the early years register will have to work to this framework which will support the work to improve outcomes for young children. The consultation on the EYFS has been underway since May and closes on 28 July. The full consultation document can also be accessed at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations

5. The Government is now consulting on proposals for the requirements that providers must meet in order to be placed on the Ofsted Childcare Register and the arrangements for checking that they continue to meet those requirements over time. The full consultation document and an executive summary can be accessed at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/. The consultation period ends on 28 September 2006.

6. There will be further public consultation on the regulations and statutory guidance which flow from the Act over the coming months. Choice for parents, the best start for children: making it happen was published on 4 April and set out an action plan for the implementation of the Childcare Act 2006. This is available at http://www.surestart.gov.uk.

Source: DfES

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07 July 2006 - Call for action on child poverty

The government may miss its child poverty target unless it changes its approach to boosting the incomes of the poor, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Targeted benefits and tax credits have helped to lift 700,000 children out of poverty since 1999. But for these tactics to eliminate child poverty by 2020, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said it would cost taxpayers an extra £28bn a year.

A more wide-ranging approach to poverty relief was needed, it said. Since 1999 the number of children living in poverty has fallen by 700,000 due to rising parental employment and the introduction of tax credits.

The Foundation said there now needed to be a greater redistribution of wealth to benefit poorer families combined with policies to help parents into work. Just using tax credits and benefits to alleviate child poverty would become very expensive over the next few years, the report added.

Continuing to follow such a policy would add £28bn to annual government expenditure between 2010 and 2020, an "unlikely scenario" the Foundation said.

In 1999 the government said it wanted to gradually eliminate child poverty. It set itself the goals of reducing child poverty by a quarter by 2005, half by 2010 and altogether by 2020.

In March, the government announced it had narrowly missed its first target, managing to reduce poverty levels by about a fifth rather than a quarter.
The report's author, Donald Hirsch, a special adviser to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said that "bold" action and extra funds were needed to eliminate child poverty.

"A strong commitment needs to be sustained for a long period. Families must be helped to improve their market earnings, at the same time as getting extra assistance if their incomes fall short," Mr Hirsch said.

At present, the government's policy is based around encouraging parents into work and topping-up salaries through the tax credit system.

The report said that in future a more broad-ranging approach was needed, including the following:

Benefits to rise in line with earnings rather than inflation

Reducing underachievement in education to boost the long-term earnings prospects of parents

Addressing the gender pay gap - women earn less than men on average

Better childcare provision and more encouragement of family-friendly employment practices.
Mr Hirsch warned that failing to reduce poverty would have negative long-term consequences for society.

"People who grow up in poverty are increasingly likely to be poor as adults. This causes widespread hardship for individuals and carries costs for all of society," he said.

In response, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said they welcomed "this excellent report."

"We know in order to meet our future child poverty targets there is much more to do.

"That is why we have said we are redoubling our efforts and examining our child poverty strategy in order that we can build on the progress we have made so far," the DWP spokesperson said.

Reference: www.bbc.co.uk/news

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