Childcare Sufficiency

The Childcare Act (2006) requires local authorities to take reasonable steps to ensure sufficient childcare so that families can work or train. To understand how well childcare matches families needs, a Childcare Sufficiency Assessment process is undertaken by the local authority. This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology; request an accessible format.

A Childcare Sufficiency Assessment is shared annually with council members. It should be noted that the early years and childcare market is dynamic, and changes can happen over a short period of time. The report presents a snapshot in time and as more data and information becomes available the picture of how well childcare matches families’ needs develops. This process involves consulting parents about their childcare needs and comparing this to termly occupancy and vacancy data gathered from providers.

Facilitating the Childcare Market in York

There are a number of ways that City of York Council works to meet gaps in childcare demand, including, but not limited to:

• market forces where early years and childcare providers are active themselves in identifying demand and seek to set up new provision
• supporting early years and childcare providers to remain financially viable so that they remain open
• direct stimulus where there is active encouragement of new providers to the market in targeted areas and this can include recruitment of childminders

Therefore in most cases additional capacity is created through a combination of commercial market forces and stimulation and support led by City of York Council, which can sometimes involve a commissioning process for the delivery of new childcare. The constant changing level, nature and quality of provision in the city means it is often a difficult market to predict in terms of gaps and over-provision; the picture can look very different within a few short months.

York’s award winning Shared Foundation Partnerships support ensuring Childcare Sufficiency across the city by local partnership working. This ensures a more accurate local picture of the childcare market and responses that are community led.

For further information on Childcare Sufficiency in York, email: [email protected].