Free childcare warning for parents as councils warn of 'major issues'

Over half of local authorities have expressed doubts about their readiness for the next phase of the childcare rollout in September, potentially leaving parents unable to access free childcare places. A study by the Coram Family and Childcare (CFC) charity indicates that councils are worried there may not be enough workforce to implement the expanded free childcare scheme.

In last year's Budget, the Chancellor announced that by 2025, eligible families with children as young as nine months would be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week. As part of a phased implementation of the policy, working parents of two year olds have been able to avail 15 hours of free childcare from April.

This will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September before the full rollout exactly a year later. Coram stated that local authorities' confidence in their area being ready for the September 2024 expansion has increased since January, from 28% to 41%, but highlighted that this means more than half of local authorities remain less than confident.

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The organisation further noted that confidence in readiness for the expansion by September next year is lower, at only around one in 10 (11%) local authorities. Coram mentioned that its previous research ahead of the April rollout had been fairly accurate, showing councils surveyed "have a good understanding of their local situation and their concerns should be listened to".

The charity has disclosed that a staggering three-quarters of councils pinpoint the local workforce as their top concern in delivering the childcare expansion, a worry that trumps any other by threefold. This highlights the "significant ongoing challenges to recruit and retain staff" and underscores the pressing need for a strategy to address these issues, CFC suggests, reports the Mirror.

Ellen Broome, the managing director of the charity, commented: "While it is encouraging that councils' confidence in having enough places for all families who want one this September has gone up since we last asked them, this figure is still worryingly low considering we are just two months away from this second phase of the childcare expansion."

"Today's follow-up report finds that councils' previous responses about their preparedness for the April 2024 expansion mirrors the proportion of families who have been able to access their place. This shows that they have a good understanding of their local situation and their concerns should be listened to."

Stating concerns about the impending expansion of childcare in September 2025, a representative said: "Given that just 11% of councils are confident about the final phase of the expansion in September 2025, we are concerned there may be further issues not only this September, but further down the line for families in getting the childcare they need. And with three-quarters citing staffing as their number one barrier to delivery of the expansion, our research reiterates the urgent need for a workforce strategy that addresses the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector."

Emphasising the importance of all families being able to access their child's entitlements and calling for government commitment to necessary reforms, they added: "For this policy to be a success, it is essential that all families can take up their entitlements, and the next few months will be a crucial time in making sure they can. No child should miss out on the early years education they need to thrive, and all parents should be able to make meaningful decisions about work and care. We want the next government to commit to the necessary reforms to make this a reality."

The survey-based research was carried out between April and June under the umbrella of CFC's 2024 Holiday Childcare Survey, harvesting responses from 130 of the 153 English local authorities.