Children's Centres: Standards

(asked on 5th March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when a review of the operation of section 5C (Children's centres: advisory boards) Childcare Act 2006 was last undertaken; and if he will publish good practice on the operation of Advisory Boards.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 11th March 2019

The department published statutory guidance in April 2013 that sets out clearly what local authorities must do to meet the legal requirements in section 5 of the Childcare Act (2006), which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sure-start-childrens-centres. This includes guidance on advisory boards and facilitating access to services for young children and their families. It is up to local authorities to decide exactly how to meet these legal requirements depending on local circumstances.

The department is engaging with the sector to find out ‘what works’ and to support local areas to make the right decisions for their communities. We are investing £8.5 million in a local government programme to spread good practice, grow the evidence base and help councils looking to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children and their peers. Good practice from this programme will include, but not be limited to, how children’s centres are being used to deliver effective integrated early childhood services.

We will be spending around £6 billion a year on childcare support in 2019-20 – a record amount. This includes funding for our free early education entitlements, on which we plan to spend around £3.5 billion this year alone.

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