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SCHOOL'S OUT: Framework for the Development of Out-of-School Care

Section 14
Conclusions, priorities for action and recommendations

Conclusions

There has been a considerable increase in the number of OSC places available in recent years, and in the overall quality of provision. Since 1997, the number of OSC services has doubled to 1,140. There are places in OSC for around 1 in 9 primary-school children. The New Opportunities Fund has funded over 2,300 places in OSC for children in need, including for children with disabilities. OSC has been transformed so that clubs provide better quality childcare for children and are no longer 'babysitting' services.

The increase in provision has generated more employment opportunities for people wishing to work directly with children, including those living in disadvantaged areas.

However, there remain some challenges. Some clubs face real issues about sustainability and are struggling with the risk of closure. There is limited provision for children in early secondary school. Many clubs do not cater well for children in need or for children with additional support needs. It is clear, however, that children and parents value OSC, and that good-quality OSC services are important for children, parents and for the wider community.

Vision for the future

In the light of these conclusions, our vision for the future is:

Priorities for Action

In order to achieve this vision, policy makers, service planners and service providers will need to focus on 3 priority areas identified in this report as follows.

• sustainability;
• services for older children and young people; and
• places for children in need and for children with additional support needs.

We must strengthen fragile provision by developing quality and financial sustainability. We need to ensure that the right types of service are available for the parents whose children need them, in the right numbers, of the right quality, and at the times they are needed. Subject to local demand, this may include setting up suitable clubs for older children and young people, including services linked to study support. It will also involve providing OSC places for children in need, including children from vulnerable families and children with additional support needs.

This will require an increase in provision, and, in some areas, a more active role for local authorities and others in the planning, delivery and support of OSC. We have provided extra resources for the childcare strategy to local authorities, as set out in the table in Section 3. We expect some of this to be used to promote the development of OSC, as proposed in this document. The New Opportunities Fund also has funding available (set out in section 11 and in Appendix 3). Appendix 3 provides a summary of other sources of funding, including the Rural Challenge Fund.

The funding can be used to make progress with the three priorities for action we have identified. These priorities are all discussed in separate sections in School's Out. They are also closely connected with the future challenges and underpin our recommendations. In taking forward these priorities, we will be helping to make our vision a reality.

Objectives

Local Authorities and childcare partnerships will need to work together to expand provision. We are setting two challenging objectives for them to achieve by 2006:

• to make a significant increase in high quality, sustainable OSC provision; and
• to ensure that there is provision throughout each childcare partnership area, ideally within every club, for children with disabilities and other needs.

We will monitor progress towards achieving these objectives.

Recommendations

We recommend the following actions. There is also a list of more detailed 'issues for consideration' in the consultants' report on OSC Management Models and Business Planning, which local authorities and childcare partnerships will wish to consider.

We will work with local authorities and childcare partnerships to agree the way forward for recommendations 1 - 3. We will work with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local enterprise companies in taking forward recommendation 4.

Local authorities and childcare partnerships can only assess progress if they have robust data in place to see what the 'baseline' position is - what exists now in local areas. We will work with local authorities and childcare partnerships to ensure this information is available, locally and nationally.

Recommendation 1

As a first step in deciding the way forward at local level, local authorities with childcare partnerships need to assess the nature of the OSC provision that exists. They then need to examine to what extent it is meeting need in terms of its availability to children and parents, sustainability and quality.

The review will take account of the priorities for action, and should provide detailed baseline data to identify what further service development may be required locally. Each local authority and childcare partnership should then establish a target, to be agreed with the Scottish Executive, intended to meet identified shortfalls in local OSC provision by 2006.

Each local authority will need to decide with its planning partners the format of their review, but in general we expect these will include:

• a demand assessment to highlight gaps in provision (including for older children and young people and children in need);
• an assessment of the sustainability of different models for delivering OSC;
• an assessment of the sustainability of each existing club.
• a consideration of workforce training to ensure staff can work confidently and effectively with children with special needs or with additional support needs.
• an examination of the quality of provision, taking into account, for example, the range of activities provided, the range and type of facilities such as equipment and open space, the experience and skills of staff, and flexibility and reliability of the service. The overriding principles, set out in the national care standards, are dignity, choice, safety, realising potential and equality and diversity.

Progress by spring 2004

The reviews should be completed by the spring of 2004. Where the reviews show a need for further services suitable for older children and young people in their areas, we would like to see clear action to set these services up. We would also like to see progress with making more OSC places available to children in need or with additional support needs. We want local authorities to set their own targets for local OSC expansion by 2006 with childcare partnerships, in the light of the findings of their own review. These targets should be agreed with the Scottish Executive and reflected in Children's Services Plans for 2005-2008.

Recommendation 2

This will support the delivery of better joined-up services, and ensure that OSC services are given due consideration. As part of the roll-out of the New Community Schools agenda, local authorities will wish to examine the scope for New Community Schools (and associated pre-school centres) to have clubs on their premises. Over the period to 2006, this will result in giving active consideration to having a club in every school, taking account of existing and emerging information about local provision and demand.

In this document we encourage local authorities to communicate the importance of OSC to head teachers and to School Boards.

Having clubs in schools minimises the need for children to travel after school, and helps to develop the schools' wider role. However, where there are existing,
good-quality clubs in other premises, it may well be best to retain the existing arrangements.

Progress by spring 2004

We would like all local authorities through head teachers to have examined the scope for having OSC in school premises, taking into account the benefits and any problems. We also want local authorities and childcare partnerships to have examined the scope for using local authority premises, including schools and community halls, for OSC services. If there is scope to make more use of local authority premises, we suggest that local authorities help clubs use the premises.

Recommendation 3

Many people who spoke to us in the course of preparing this document identified real concerns about the sustainability of some OSC provision, often because of financial problems, or because of pressures on management committees. All local authorities should offer practical support to local OSC providers. This might include:

• the development of local strategies to spread good-practice;
• help for clubs with funding applications;
• financial support to clubs for training initiatives; and
• financial support to local OSC networks which provide essential practical support to clubs.

Some sustainability issues may require longer-term action by local authorities and others. Section 11 of this document and the 2 reports we commissioned from consultants, 'Management Models and Business Planning' and 'Assessment of the Benefits and Costs of Out-of-School Care' provide valuable information on possible ways to tackle sustainability issues in OSC. The consultants' reports will both be on our website. Executive summaries of both are also being made available to local authorities and childcare partnerships.

In tackling sustainability concerns, local authorities and childcare partnerships should do all or some of the following.

• Assess whether individual services are meeting current needs.
• Use different models for delivering OSC, where the parent-led management committee model is not sustainable.
• Bring together a group or cluster of clubs, as do some local authorities,
  to achieve economies of scale in the management, as well as ability to
  cross-subsidise so that the better-off club helps the club that is not so well-off.
• Provide improved business support to the parent-led management committee model or outsource certain functions including the payroll and recruiting staff.
• Provide, or consider subsidising, suitable premises for OSC services.
• Encourage clubs to charge realistic fees and promote benefits such as the childcare tax credit.

We recognise that there are costs associated with some of the long term measures. For example, it may cost more to set up different models for OSC services, (as set out in general terms in the consultants' report) or to provide good business support to the parent-led model. The extra resources for the childcare strategy will help with the costs.

Progress by spring 2006

By the spring of 2006 we want all local authorities and childcare partnerships to provide a range of practical support to clubs in difficult circumstances, so that they do not feel isolated. We also want all local authorities and childcare partnerships to have tackled longer-term sustainability concerns by providing or helping to get stable models of OSC in their areas.

Recommendation 4

We make clear in this document that there is a role for LECs in delivering the childcare strategy, including developing the workforce.

Progress by spring 2006

Active engagement between the enterprise networks and childcare partnerships on the childcare strategy. Commitment by the enterprise networks to taking forward the recommendation to further economic development, social inclusion and regeneration aims. We will be asking for interim report from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in spring 2004.

Scottish Executive's role

Our recommendations are addressed to service providers and those charged with a role in local delivery: the local authorities and childcare partnerships in respect of their planning and service provision roles, and the enterprise networks in relation to their role in supporting businesses. However, we also have a role to play in making our vision for the future of OSC a reality.

We will take action to deal with those issues, sometimes involving other agencies, which are highlighted in School's Out and need to be tackled at a strategic level. These include:

• Working with NOF and other funding agencies to secure the provision of resources to support OSC;
• Continuing to work with the Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), local authorities, the Scottish Out of School Care Network (SOSCN) and others to ensure that high-quality services are provided;
• Working with local authorities, childcare partnerships and other agencies to ensure OSC services can benefit from national initiatives aimed at improving children's health, and physical activity;
• Working with local authorities, the Care Commission and others to ensure that the provision is actively monitored and evaluated.

This will involve:

• monitoring information in Children's Services Plans;
• meeting with local authorities, childcare partnerships and other relevant interests on an ongoing basis;
• meeting with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise about recommendation 4;
• considering how best to evaluate and report on the quality of out-of-school care;
• formally reviewing progress in two years' time, during 2005-2006 and deciding what further action may be required. As part of that review we will seek a progress report from each local authority, providing information about implementation of the recommendations. We will announce further details later.

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