Are you a childcare provider? The government wants your views

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We've been contacted by the Cabinet Office, which is coordinating a 'Cutting Red Tape' review of childcare regulation. They've asked if we could let you know about it so we've pasted in their explanation and details below.

Please note that we (MNHQ) will not be actively passing on the views expressed on this thread - so if you definitely want your views heard, please go via this link or email [email protected]. (Sorry about this, but we're a bit low on womanpower for the next couple of weeks and won't have the time to go through the responses and send them on in the way we normally would.)

More details below for those who are interested - thank you.

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"The Government has begun a call for evidence for a new Cutting Red Tape review of childcare regulation."

"We want to understand where there are regulatory burdens that are unnecessarily holding back childcare providers – whether because of the underlying legislation or in the way the law and its requirements is delivered by Government or regulators. The review is an important part of helping Government fully understand the impact of regulations in the sector, not least ahead of the introduction of the new free childcare commitment, and what more could be done to ease unintended and unnecessary burdens so that providers can focus on getting on with their role of caring for children."

"We’d be particularly interested to hear about ways in which regulations or their delivery might be acting as a barrier to new entrants to the sector, preventing existing providers expanding their business, unnecessarily diverting providers from spending the majority of their time caring for children, or contributing to existing providers leaving the sector. The review is committed to safeguarding essential protections that ensure that children are safe and well cared for. We are seeking evidence about where Government requirements and their delivery by regulators could be more effective and efficient."

"If you have any evidence or views that you’d like to share with us, we would be delighted to hear from you. We’d be interested to learn of your experiences –whether of regulation that works well, or where it could be better. This might include for example, the way the Government or regulators help you understand legal requirements; your experiences of inspections and guidance; whether local and national regulators coordinate well, and so on. We will share relevant evidence with colleagues across Government, but will ensure that individual’s identities are kept anonymous if requested. You can also submit evidence to the review, or find out more information about the scope of the review, via the Cutting Red Tape website bit.ly/1RrYEd0. Alternatively, you can also email submissions, questions or comments to [email protected]."

"The review will be open for comment until 20 May 2016."

I would say that if the government want affordable childcare to be offered, they either scrap the 30 hours free childcare or pay a reasonable rate to providers as the rate that is currently paid to providers is no where near the right amount. If this rate continues to be paid and they have to give 30 hours free childcare, then parents that pay (so all the parents of children under 3) will be paying the difference and subsidising the free places, which will increase fees.

As to the point regarding barriers to spending time with the children...OFSTED need to cut back on the amount of paperwork that they expect settings to complete on children, it's a ridiculous amount and it is not needed. Practitioners learn more about the children's development by sitting and playing also the children than by ticking boxes about them!

They sent me a questionnaire and have telephoned me no less than 21 times for the answers. I refuse to spend 20 minutes minimum talking to a government bod when I am supposed to be looking after the children, a job I am being paid to do by the parents.

I am opting out of 30 hours free child care as it is not sustainable, I will lose nearly £8000 a year by doing so. I already make a loss on 15 hours so seldom offer it.

I have just received my third Oustanding grading but reduced all my paperwork to the minimum, no planning, topics, etc, just concentrating on what it is like to be a child in my setting, letting them have a childhood, play, play, play, that is what it matters to me.

That's interesting Alibubbles. I have warned my parents I may not be doing the 30 hours.

"The review will not consider issues related to providers registered on the General Childcare Register, children looked after in their family home or Looked-after Children." - Yet the registration guidance documents have been merged together, making it harder for new providers to register. I may be Out Of Scope but did still respond as the General Childcare register is also part of the Red Tape which needs simplifying so that there can be more providers ready for when TFC starts next year.