Pre-school Learning Alliance welcomes National Audit Office Review 'Public funding of large national charities'
NEWS RELEASE
8 August 2007
Pre-school Learning Alliance welcomes National Audit Office Review 'Public funding of large national charities'
Commenting on the aforementioned review Steve Alexander, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, the largest voluntary sector provider of childcare in England said,
“The National Audit Office’s report, in which the Alliance participated, further spotlights the difficulties and barriers facing charities delivering essential public services.
The childcare sector is experiencing a period of massive commissioning change and ever expanding expectation. Getting it right is critical if the government is going to deliver affordable, universal childcare.
However, despite having the same share of the nursery market as the maintained sector, voluntary sector groups, which are most often reaching some of the most disadvantaged families, are currently held back by the lack of a level playing field which exists between the voluntary and independent sectors and the maintained sector. With local authorities now obligated to provide sufficient childcare – and guidance stipulating that they should only provide childcare themselves if there is no other provider willing to deliver it — it is critical that they enable the voluntary sector to play its important role in providing childcare.
Voluntary childcare providers face numerous challenges: a wide variation in commissioning performance and interpretation across the county; a myriad of contracts, local authorities wanting to take services in-house rather than maintain service level agreements, and the failure of local authorities to offer full cost recovery.
The Alliance is confident that there is intent and commitment at national and local government level to address the specific funding issues which are preventing successful voluntary sector participation in the Ten Year Strategy.
The Alliance supports all the solutions mentioned in the NAO’s review. In particular we would like to see
- Standardisation of contracts, standardization of payment terms, sanctions for late payment and timely payment
- Financial penalties for local authorities taking services in-house despite government guidance
- The earmarking of a specific amount of funding to be allocated to early years within the Direct Schools Grant which currently received by local authorities from central government
- Better partnership working between charities planning delivering services in the same sector with a greater emphasis on collaboration and greater clarity of communication.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Kate Summerside
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7697 2502
Out of hours press calls: 07956 499621
E: Kate Summerside
Notes for Editors:
- The NAO’s review “Public funding of large national charities” is available at www.nao.org.uk
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest voluntary sector provider of quality affordable childcare and education in England.
- Through direct provision and its membership of 15,000 nurseries, sessional pre-schools and parent and toddler groups, the Alliance supports over 800,000 children and their families in England. The Alliance also develops and runs family learning programmes, offers information and advice, runs acclaimed training and accreditation programmes and campaigns to influence early years policy and practice.
- For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: www.pre-school.org.uk