ITEM CA9
CABINET – 16 SEPTEMBER 2008
EARLY YEARS CAPITAL PLAN 2008-2011
Report by Director for Children. Young People & Families
Introduction
1. New capital funding has been made available by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to secure significant investment in early years provision. The funding will be used to support the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) with these aims:
· to enable early years providers to deliver the extension (to 15 hours per week) of the free entitlement for 3 and 4 year old children (and to do so more flexibly) – duty on local authorities under section 7 of the Childcare Act 2006 · to improve the quality of the indoor and outdoor learning environment in early years provision · to ensure that all children, including disabled children, are able to access early years provision
2. Most of the investment will be in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, though expenditure in the maintained sector is not precluded.
3. The Oxfordshire Early Years Capital Plan 2008-2011 (Annex 1) (download as .doc file) sets out the Council’s approach to using the funding in Oxfordshire. It includes our aims, the current context, investment priorities, criteria for allocating funding and timescales.
4. CYP&F members received the draft EY Capital Plan at their briefing meeting on 30 May 2008 and considered its contents. Particular reference was made to the need to target grants appropriately and link with quality improvement. It was agreed that:
· the draft plan should go out for consultation and that the consultation response should be considered at the September Cabinet meeting · a briefing should go to all members along with a list of early years settings in their division (this has been done) · the Grants Panel should incorporate the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and a parent from the Sounding Board (this has been done).
Feedback from the Consultation
5. A summary of the findings of the consultation is given at Annex 2 (download as .doc file). The EY Capital Plan has been amended to reflect the feedback including views of the Early Years Capital Planning Group and CYP&F members. The main amendments are:
· adding the need for consultation with local providers where there are plans for increasing early years provision on school sites · adding the Oxfordshire aim that all the funding is to benefit children in the Private, Voluntary and Independent sectors, though that may mean investment on school sites (e.g. where a pre-school is leasing accommodation) · broadening the membership of the Grants Panel · clarifying the phases and timescales for allocating funding. In particular, adding a “preliminary” phase which will fund “showcase” projects that demonstrate links to quality improvement. These projects will enable fuller guidance to be developed for subsequent phases and the sharing of best practice. · asserting and clarifying that the main investment priority will be to ensure that the Council’s duty under section 7 of the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient early years provision continues to be met as the extension (to 15 hours per week) of the free entitlement becomes available to parents from September 2009.
Corporate Policies and Priorities
6. The EY Capital Plan has been drawn up according to guidance from DCSF. It follows, where appropriate, the format and priorities of the Primary Capital Strategy. It has been developed in close liaison with the Children’s Centres Capital Programme. It is consistent with, and takes forward, the aims of the Children and Young People’s Plan.
Legal Implications
7. The disbursement of capital grants to private, voluntary and independent organisations involves the preparation of a funding agreement template. Legal Services has been commissioned to draw this up.
Equality and Inclusion Implications
8. The EY Capital Plan will have a positive impact on Equality and Inclusion as one of the investment priorities is to ensure that all young children, including disabled children, are able to access indoor and outdoor early years provision.
Risk Management
9. The main risk is that the DCSF reserves the right to claw back capital funding where an asset is no longer used for young children or disposed of in any other way. Legal Services has been commissioned to include a claw back clause in the funding agreement template for small projects (under £10,000). For large projects (in excess of £10,000) an approach to risk management is being developed by Legal Services and the Finance team in conjunction with the Children’s Centres Capital Programme.
Financial and Staff Implications
10. The Council’s Capital Forward Plan has been updated to include the forecast expenditure of £7.8 million (2008-2011) for Early Years Capital and expenditure will be monitored and reported on.
11. Because nearly all of the expenditure is expected to be in the form of capital grants to the private, voluntary and independent sectors, the Council will not incur significant future maintenance responsibilities or future revenue liabilities.
12. The staffing resource needed to administer the grants has been identified from the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant. Staff have been redeployed for this work and there is a net gain of one new post.
13. Finance managers have been consulted on the appropriate scheme of delegation to be applied for capital grants disbursement.
RECOMMENDATION
1. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) approve the Oxfordshire Early Years Capital Plan 2008 – 2011; and
(b) draw the report and decision to the attention of full Council.
JANET TOMLINSON Director for Children, Young People & Families
Background papers: Nil
Contact Officer: Marion Evans, Early Education Development Manager, Children & Families Tel: 01865 815115
September 2008
|