Childcare
Survey
[posted
21/09/2007]
Are
you a parent that could benefit from childcare?
Oxfordshire County Council is undertaking a countywide
childcare assessment of the supply of, and demand
for, childcare. The assessment will identify where
there are gaps in the market and through the views
of parents, providers, communities and employers,
how to address and support childcare provision in
Oxfordshire.
Why?
The Childcare Act 2006 expands and clarifies in legislation
the vital role the local authority will play in facilitating
the childcare market across the county. From April
2008 the local authority has new statutory duties
to secure sufficient childcare. The sufficiency assessment
will help prepare for this new duty. In Oxfordshire,
we already have a diverse childcare market that meets
the needs of many parents. The local authority will
work with private and voluntary providers of childcare,
including childminders to ensure that all parents
have choice and flexibility in balancing family and
work life.
How?
We have quite a lot of information about existing
provision but we do not know much about unmet demand
– for example, information about the barriers
that prevent some parents from being able to access
childcare or where there is insufficient childcare
to meet demand. Oxfordshire County Council has awarded
the contract for this market assessment to Cordis
Bright, an experienced consultancy company, who have
undertaken sufficiency assessments in other authorities.
Cordis Bright will work alongside county council staff
to create and distribute questionnaires to a random
sample of parents and to all childcare providers.
They will also undertake focus groups and community
surveys in order to hear the voices of all members
of the community. We will compare our finding on demand
and supply of childcare. A draft report of the findings
and recommendations will be available for public comment
in January 2008.
Click here
to view the questionnaire or go to www.oxoncis.org.uk
For more information email: childcare.survey@oxfordshire.gov.uk
or phone 01865 815630.
