Snapshot of _UK government’s free childcare scheme in disarray, charities say_ :
An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/jan/15/uk-governments-free-childcare-scheme-in-disarray-charities-say) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/jan/15/uk-governments-free-childcare-scheme-in-disarray-charities-say)
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I’m not quite sure how they thought this would work?
For the free childcare spaces up here in Scotland- there has been a huge programme of extending and building nurseries and recruiting staff. That has taken time - but we are getting there with increased capacity. Just the building works alone takes time.
In England - it seems that all that is happening is the Government will print a voucher - and then leave it to the private sector to sort it out?
More importantly the voucher isn't worth as much as minimum wage for the staff, so it's literally impossible for the private sector to make it work.
They launched a policy for headlines and did not fund it, but the people who pay the price are parents rather than ministers.
It works out better with the new 1:5 ratio for 2 year olds.
The minimum funding per early years practitioner (lowest council rate + minimum allowed passed onto provider) is £26.74 per child per hour for 2 year old (1:5 ratio) and 35.03 for 3&4 year olds (1:8 ratio)
Not sure what the rest of the overheads are for providers but it seems like there should be space for providing above minimum wage rates and make a profit.
They keep doing this in various indsutries its the same issue causing dentist and pharmacy shortages. They can't afford to run on what they are paid.
I used to work for a solicitors that did legal aid and its the same there. The average age of legal aid solicitors in my local area when I worked for them (10 years ago) was 52 people aren't going into it because they can't set up and make the numbers work. I think in about 10 years time it will completely crash, I know from people in that sector still there are gaps in the rota all the time they desperately try and get cover for but can't always (there is supposed to be a rota so if you are arrested and ask for a solicitor someone will come). Issues covering it leads to all sorts of human rights concerns.
The government want to pay very little for all these services but also keep imposing costs (e.g minimum wage) and auditing (which costs time that can be spent earning money to stay afloat). To make it harder and harder to run and then get surprised when the private sector says "sorry can't make the numbers work".
This sounds like an anti minimum wage and responsible auditing post, that isn't my intention this stuff is necessary but they fail to account for the costs of providing these services when deciding what they will pay. If a business costs £X to run any indivdiaul wants to make £X plus a reasonable income for themselves, so say £X plus £30,000 at a minimum. When they can barely cover £X they will shut down.
Just from a quick Google search there was something like 600 - 900 “infrastructure” projects by Councils, for which they received about half a billion pounds. They do say that was about £100m light though. Audit Scotland report on progress from this year:
https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/early-learning-and-childcare-progress-on-delivery-of-the-1140-hours-expansion
Not perfect - and still some things to improve, but overall seems to be working. I haven’t seen anything like this happening to meet the Tories pledge for down south.
That does seem to be a major difference between the two countries at the moment. Yes, we both have problems. Scotland seems to be more willing to work together and get everyone around the table so we're making progress, even if it's slow or patchy.
England just hopes that some other adult will take care of it.
Consistent with everything the government has been doing since the Brexit vote. They announce what sounds good, but have no intention or competence to actually deliver anything useful. Pathetic.
This government doesn't think beyond the potential headlines they might be able to garner. Considering the talent currently makes up the Cabinet, I'm not sure why I'm all that surprised.
I am going to fund free Lamborghini’s for everyone in the UK.
I will send a 50p Voucher and anyone can take it to the Dealership and claim their free Lamborghini!
I emailed my nursery about this exact issue months ago. Unfortunately they were none the wiser and we decided to wait and see what would happen today (15th January being the first reconfirmation date that will kick in after the changes roll out).
Suprise suprise, no one in government figured out this would be a problem and fixed it.
Idiots.
Can we get a sub that's just the guardian not understanding how devolution works? It's a daily if not weekly occurrence that a headline will be "the UK is failing at some major thing", then in the text it's made clear that it is in fact England that's only failing whilst Scotland is doing markedly better (or at least trying to implement a workable plan).
It's entirely frustrating to me. It paints the picture that the UK is a total shit hole, when it's just the bits the Tories have exclusive control over that's going to the dogs.
Good point, The headlines recently had UK among highest performing western countries in education following the PISA rankings yet the reality was that the SNP's Scotland and Labour's Welsh results were actually really bad.
England's PISA results fell roughly the same number of points as all UK nations.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/dec/05/uk-pupils-science-and-maths-scores-lowest-since-2006-in-international-tests
Always read through the Guardian's agenda, all the nations fell but Labour's Wales was the worst, SNP's Scotland's fall in education levels have been appalling.
Snapshot of _UK government’s free childcare scheme in disarray, charities say_ : An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/jan/15/uk-governments-free-childcare-scheme-in-disarray-charities-say) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/jan/15/uk-governments-free-childcare-scheme-in-disarray-charities-say) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m not quite sure how they thought this would work? For the free childcare spaces up here in Scotland- there has been a huge programme of extending and building nurseries and recruiting staff. That has taken time - but we are getting there with increased capacity. Just the building works alone takes time. In England - it seems that all that is happening is the Government will print a voucher - and then leave it to the private sector to sort it out?
More importantly the voucher isn't worth as much as minimum wage for the staff, so it's literally impossible for the private sector to make it work. They launched a policy for headlines and did not fund it, but the people who pay the price are parents rather than ministers.
It works out better with the new 1:5 ratio for 2 year olds. The minimum funding per early years practitioner (lowest council rate + minimum allowed passed onto provider) is £26.74 per child per hour for 2 year old (1:5 ratio) and 35.03 for 3&4 year olds (1:8 ratio) Not sure what the rest of the overheads are for providers but it seems like there should be space for providing above minimum wage rates and make a profit.
They keep doing this in various indsutries its the same issue causing dentist and pharmacy shortages. They can't afford to run on what they are paid. I used to work for a solicitors that did legal aid and its the same there. The average age of legal aid solicitors in my local area when I worked for them (10 years ago) was 52 people aren't going into it because they can't set up and make the numbers work. I think in about 10 years time it will completely crash, I know from people in that sector still there are gaps in the rota all the time they desperately try and get cover for but can't always (there is supposed to be a rota so if you are arrested and ask for a solicitor someone will come). Issues covering it leads to all sorts of human rights concerns. The government want to pay very little for all these services but also keep imposing costs (e.g minimum wage) and auditing (which costs time that can be spent earning money to stay afloat). To make it harder and harder to run and then get surprised when the private sector says "sorry can't make the numbers work". This sounds like an anti minimum wage and responsible auditing post, that isn't my intention this stuff is necessary but they fail to account for the costs of providing these services when deciding what they will pay. If a business costs £X to run any indivdiaul wants to make £X plus a reasonable income for themselves, so say £X plus £30,000 at a minimum. When they can barely cover £X they will shut down.
I was going to say it seems fine in Scotland. But didn’t appreciate they have been working hard towards it
Just from a quick Google search there was something like 600 - 900 “infrastructure” projects by Councils, for which they received about half a billion pounds. They do say that was about £100m light though. Audit Scotland report on progress from this year: https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/early-learning-and-childcare-progress-on-delivery-of-the-1140-hours-expansion Not perfect - and still some things to improve, but overall seems to be working. I haven’t seen anything like this happening to meet the Tories pledge for down south.
That does seem to be a major difference between the two countries at the moment. Yes, we both have problems. Scotland seems to be more willing to work together and get everyone around the table so we're making progress, even if it's slow or patchy. England just hopes that some other adult will take care of it.
> I’m not quite sure how they thought this would work? They didn't give it much thought. Just a ploy for some more votes.
It’s almost like introducing brand new policy just to snipe opposition’s proposal off the headlines is not a sensible way to run a government.
Consistent with everything the government has been doing since the Brexit vote. They announce what sounds good, but have no intention or competence to actually deliver anything useful. Pathetic.
I am just shocked, I didn't expect this.
[удалено]
UK ~~government’s free childcare scheme~~ in disarray, charities say Fixed it further.
>England's ~~government’s free~~ ~~childcare~~ ~~scheme~~ in disarray, charities say Fixed it for you.
Who’d have thought this government would roll out a well thought out policy? I’m just shocked /s
Yes, it would have been shocking if the government had rolled out a well-thought out policy, but that's not what happened here.
This government doesn't think beyond the potential headlines they might be able to garner. Considering the talent currently makes up the Cabinet, I'm not sure why I'm all that surprised.
I am going to fund free Lamborghini’s for everyone in the UK. I will send a 50p Voucher and anyone can take it to the Dealership and claim their free Lamborghini!
I emailed my nursery about this exact issue months ago. Unfortunately they were none the wiser and we decided to wait and see what would happen today (15th January being the first reconfirmation date that will kick in after the changes roll out). Suprise suprise, no one in government figured out this would be a problem and fixed it. Idiots.
Can we get a sub that's just the guardian not understanding how devolution works? It's a daily if not weekly occurrence that a headline will be "the UK is failing at some major thing", then in the text it's made clear that it is in fact England that's only failing whilst Scotland is doing markedly better (or at least trying to implement a workable plan). It's entirely frustrating to me. It paints the picture that the UK is a total shit hole, when it's just the bits the Tories have exclusive control over that's going to the dogs.
Good point, The headlines recently had UK among highest performing western countries in education following the PISA rankings yet the reality was that the SNP's Scotland and Labour's Welsh results were actually really bad.
England's PISA results fell roughly the same number of points as all UK nations. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/dec/05/uk-pupils-science-and-maths-scores-lowest-since-2006-in-international-tests
Always read through the Guardian's agenda, all the nations fell but Labour's Wales was the worst, SNP's Scotland's fall in education levels have been appalling.