A government minister reportedly admitted that the childcare tax credit is failing to help enough of the low-income parents it is aimed at. She said the credit is 'not having the transforming impact that we thought it would have and that it should have', and that the government would be conducting an investigation into the problem.
Source: Comments by Patricia Hewitt MP (Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) reported in The Guardian, 19.12.02
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2002-Dec
A new cross-departmental Sure Start Unit was launched (based in both the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions), together with a new programme. The government said that the new unit would 'transform childcare, early years education and family and health support services', with a budget of over 1.5 billion by 2005-06. All children aged three will get a free nursery education place in their area by April 2004, six months earlier than originally planned.
Source: Press release 11.12.02, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
Campaigners reportedly said that working parents are being denied childcare because of delays in the vetting of new childminders and nurseries carried out by the schools inspectorate.
Source: The Observer, 3.11.02
Links: Observer article
Date: 2002-Nov
A report questioned the government's reliance on the market to deliver childcare for all families, highlighting lessons from private social care for older people.
Source: Hilary Land, Building on Sand?, Policy Paper 4, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Nov
The report of an inter-departmental review of childcare described plans to create at least 250,000 new childcare places by 2005-06, on top of the earlier target of new places for 1.6 million children by 2004; and to establish new children s centres (in deprived areas) to provide childcare, family support and health services in one centre. Campaigners called for universal, rather than targeted, provision - pointing out that two-thirds of children living in poverty do not live in the most disadvantaged areas.
Source: Delivering for Children and Families: The Inter-departmental Childcare Review, Strategy Unit/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1881) | Press release 6.11.02, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Report | DfES press release | Daycare press release | Community Care article | Guardian analysis
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123, paragraph 3.2
Date: 2002-Nov
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that employers may be offered incentives through the tax and national insurance systems to set up more childcare schemes.
Source: Steering a Steady Course - Delivering stability, enterprise and fairness in an uncertain world: Pre-Budget Report November 2002, Cm 5664, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Text of Chancellor's speech
Date: 2002-Nov
The schools inspectorate published a review of the first year of its new responsibilities for the inspection of childcare for the under-eights. It said the most frequent complaints relate to the organisation and safety of the childcare setting; and that it is achieving its target of completing 70 per cent of investigations into complaints within 30 working days.
Source: Early Years: Early Days, HMI 642, Office for Standards in Education (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Oct
Under the 2002 Spending Review, there is a new integrated budget for childcare and early years learning, worth 1.5 billion by 2005-06. Spending on childcare will double in real terms, with an extra 250,000 childcare places.
Source: Opportunity and Security for All: Investing in an Enterprising, Fairer Britain: New Public Spending Plans 2003-2006, White Paper Cm 5570, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: White Paper | Press release | Hansard
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/1, Digest 121, paragraph 3.2
Date: 2002-Jul
The government will fail to meet its targets of enabling 70 per cent of lone parents to be in work and halving child poverty by 2010, unless it invests substantially more in childcare, two leading charities warned.
Source: Lone Parents and Childcare: The Facts, National Council for One Parent Families (0800 018 5026) and Daycare Trust
Links: OPF press release (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/4, Digest 124, paragraph 1.6
Date: 2002-Jul
The Prime Minister announced that responsibility for early years education, childcare and Sure Start will be brought within a single inter-departmental unit based in the Department for Education and Skills, reporting to a cross-departmental ministerial group.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Answers 16.7.02, columns 181W-182W, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123, paragraph 3.2
Date: 2002-Jul
The first national survey of summer holiday childcare found that finding and paying for summer holiday childcare was one of the biggest challenges facing parents.
Source: Press release 22 July 2002, Daycare Trust
Links: Daycare Trust press release
Date: 2002-Jul
A report called for children s centres to be created in every community, bringing together nursery and out of school care with other family support services. The government announced that funding will be given for centres to be established in every disadvantaged area in England.
Source: Time for Children s Centres, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350) | Opportunity and Security for All: Investing in an Enterprising, Fairer Britain: New Public Spending Plans 2003-2006, White Paper Cm 5570, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Summary | White Paper
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 30/4, Digest 120, paragraph 5.2
Date: 2002-Jul
The government said that it is not yet possible to produce reliable estimates of the number of childcare providers in England in 2002, because of the poor quality of data supplied by local authorities.
Source: Children's Day Care Facilities at 31 March 2002 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 17/2002, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR (pdf)
Date: 2002-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals for the approval of limited types of home-based childcarers, in order to improve working parents access to childcare tax credit.
Source: Supporting the Cost of Home-Based Childcare, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/4, Digest 124 (paragraph 7.4)
Date: 2002-Jun
A report warned of a childcare 'postcode lottery', with access to childcare depending on geography, income and employment status.
Source: Raising Expectations: Delivering childcare for all, Daycare Trust (020 7840 3350)
Links: Summary
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123 (paragraph 3.3)
Date: 2002-May
A repeat study found low-income families' use of early years education and other formal childcare increased between 1999 and 2001.
Source: S. Woodland et al., Repeat Study of Parents' Demand for Childcare, Research Report 348, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2002-May