Blog: Supporting Registered Childcare

Throughout the past few months, Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs has been listening to the challenges and concerns of the Out of School Childcare Sector.

Initially, many of these were short term and immediate, including sourcing funding, furloughing staff and confusion over guidance and legislation. However, as businesses look to the future and what the remainder of 2020 is going to potentially hold for their services, one of the overriding concerns is that of places take up

The Childcare Sector as a whole, whilst providing essential services to support the recovering economy, faces an anticipated significant drop in take up. A rise in unemployment, affordability issues (particularly with uncertainty over the Childcare Offer), parent/carer fears over sending children back to schools/childcare and more employers considering home working as short (and in some cases longer) term solutions are all likely to have a detrimental effect on our Sector.

Now more than ever, it is essential that we (Welsh Government, Local Authorities, communities, schools) support registered childcare (or childcare working towards registration) over unregulated alternatives. Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) Registered Out of School Childcare Providers have already had to overcome barriers to achieving and sustaining registration. These include employing and retaining suitably qualified staff, accessing registerable venues and encouraging sufficient take up of places to support the expenditure required of adhering to policies, procedures and staffing ratios. Many of these issues have been further amplified by the current pandemic.

An Out of School Childcare Provider could overcome all of this, only to have an unregulated activity club, or a Welsh Government scheme (which may have set priorities but will often be used for childcare purposes) set up within the same venue, or a venue nearby and offer free or significantly cheaper places. This will be the final nail in the coffin of a Sector that is struggling as it is to survive. In one breath we as a Nation are stating the need for registered childcare, reinforcing its importance through financial schemes such as Tax Free Childcare and the Childcare Offer, which are of course welcomed by the sector. However, in the next breath we are appearing to support unregulated competitors – with Local Authorities promoting unregulated clubs/schemes on social media, and with local schools disseminating flyers advertising Holiday Activity Camps. This is creating disillusionment, frustration and a feeling of betrayal for Providers who have passionately worked so hard to put the needs of their community first, often without much in the way of financial incentive to do so.

Prior to the pandemic, our members were already reporting an increasing struggle to compete with these unregulated activities, with some even considering deregistering and running through the Exceptions Order themselves to reduce the need for regulation (and subsequent costs). This would undoubtedly have a significant negative impact on the quality of care being provided and poses a huge Safeguarding risk.

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs continues to welcome the review of the National Minimum Standards (NMS) and Exceptions, as well as encouraging a holistic approach to Welsh Government schemes and priorities to ensure that they do not have a detrimental effect on our foundational sector. To enable our Sector to survive, revive and thrive in the future, there needs to be a clear, consistent and unanimous message that Wales values and prioritises the Early Years, Childcare and Play Sector and the essential role that it will play in the economic recovery following COVID-19.

Naomi Evans
South East Wales Regional Manager