A dialogue with employers that informs and
stimulates demand for daycare services in the
Hampshire County Council area
4Children Fast Track
report by
Ann Munday
October 2007
1
Acknowledgements
4Children would like to thank the following for their help in preparing
this report:
Hampshire County Council
Tracey Messer
Strategic Manager, Childcare Development and
Business Support
Mary Hogg
Senior Development Officer North
Mandy Prentice
Senior Development Officer North East
Regina AnsahSenior Development Officer South East
Boateng
Lindsay Osman
Senior Development Officer South West
Debra Mc Andrew
Senior Development Officer Central
Marina Stafford
Development Officer Childcare
Carey Owen
Senior Development Officer Parent Information
Heather Bevis
Admin Support Officer
Francis Stoke
Development Officer Economic Development
John Yarrien
Information Analyst
Karen Narkiewicz
Policy, Funding and Research Manager
Employers
Dave Stott
Aimee Reeves
Staff Support Officer. British Army, Aldershot
Garrison
Community Support Officer. British Army, Aldershot
Garrison
Childcare and carer co-ordinator Hampshire
Partnership Trust
Childcare and carer co-ordinator Portsmouth PCT
Ben Hughes
Workforce Analyst Portsmouth City PCT
Julie Fisher
Family Care and Diversity Officer Hampshire Police
Linda Rickman
Recruitment manager Asda Eastleigh
Employer Support
Gareth Pew
Advisor Business Link
Jill Mc Donagh
Chamber of Commerce North Hampshire
Susie Pipe
Job Centre Plus
Martin French
Rosie Wilcox
2
Summary
Hampshire County Council (HCC) is reviewing methods of employer
engagement, in line with the requirements of the Childcare Act 2006, to
evaluate the nature and extent of the need for childcare for working parents in
each local area.
HCC has surveyed local employer staff childcare support and childcare
needs, and investigated employer support by other organisations. In doing so
they have found that there does not appear to be a consistent approach
across Hampshire to engaging employers or other employer supported
organisations, e.g. Business Link, Planning Department, Economic
Development office. Local employers were mainly unaware of the services of
the Early Years and Childcare Department, but did, to some extent, know
about the Children’s Information Services.
In order to engage local employers more effectively, it is recommended that
HCC consider:















An employer childcare needs strategy
A strategic action plan for employer engagement to cover the whole
area, with individual action plans incorporated within it to reflect the
needs of each geographical area.
Service Level Agreements with borough planning departments and the
Economic Development Office
A comprehensive reporting system between HCC and Job Centre Plus
on barriers to work
Use of a common framework and regular discussion within the Early
Years Team, to help overcome the challenges of working across 11
boroughs and the diversification of their internal structures
A dedicated, experienced worker to work proactively with employers is
essential to the success of the project
A rigorous monitoring system to log all enquiries and contacts with
employers and mechanisms to report and analyse the need for
employee childcare
Case studies and good practice examples to demonstrate the impact to
other employers
Introduction of an “award scheme” for family friendly employers
An Information Strategy
Service Level Agreements with the council call centre
Training for call centre staff
Comprehensive information on which daycare providers, including
childminders, offer flexible hours, days and emergency cover
A publicity strategy for all early years information to reach employers,
including information about the role of the development teams and the
extended schools offer
Enhanced promotion of Working Tax Credits, salary sacrifice and
childcare vouchers to employers and employees.
3
Contents
Acknowledgements
Summary and recommendations
Background
1
The Brief
2
Method
3
Background to Hampshire County Council
3.1
Population
3.2
Population Projections to 2026
3.3
Ethnic Origins
3.4
Employers
3.5
Unemployment
3.6
Working Tax Credit
4
Summary of Employer Initial Questionnaires
4.1
Summary
4.2
Action Points
5
Employer Support Agencies
5.1
Business Link
5.2
Chamber of Commerce
5.3
Job Centre Plus
5.4
Economic Development Office
6
Hampshire Children’s Information Service
6.1
The Childcare Act 2006
6.2
Information on services for disabled children
7
Hampshire Early Years
8
Good Practice from Other Local Authorities
8.1
Rochdale
8.1.1 Employer Link Co-ordinator
8.1.2 Systems Needed
8.1.3 Learning Points
8.2
Sheffield County Council
8.2.1 The CMB Project
8.2.2 Systems Needed
8.2.3 Learning Points
9
Funding Models
9.1
Salary Sacrifice
9.2
Childcare Vouchers
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
4
Page
2
3
5
6
6
7
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
11
11
12
12
12
12
13
14
14
15
16
18
18
18
19
19
19
19
20
21
21
21
21
23
25
Background
Hampshire County Council is undertaking an assessment of the nature and
extent of the need for, and supply of, childcare within each local area, in line
with the requirements of the Childcare Act 2006.
The Childcare Act places duties on English local authorities to improve
outcomes for young children and reduce inequalities between them, to secure
sufficient childcare to enable parents to work; and to provide information to
parents about childcare for children and young people aged 0-19 years and a
wide range of other services that may be of benefit to them.
The Act expands and clarifies in legislation the role local authorities play as
strategic leaders of childcare locally, first laid out in the Children Act 2004.
Section 6 of the Act gives local authorities a new duty of securing as far as is
reasonably practicable, sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working
parents and parents making the transition to work in the local authority area.
Section 11 of the Act places a duty on local authorities to carry out an
assessment of the sufficiency of childcare within their area as a first step to
securing sufficient childcare. The aim of this process is to give local
authorities the evidence and information they will need, working in partnership
with childcare providers and others, to facilitate and shape a childcare market
that is sufficient, flexible, sustainable and responsive to parents needs.
Sufficient childcare, in Section 6 of the 2006 Childcare Act, is defined as
‘sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in [the local authority’s] area
who require childcare in order to enable them to take up, or remain in, work or
to undertake education or training which could reasonably be expected to
assist them to obtain work.
In determining whether provision of childcare is sufficient a local authority
must have regard to the needs of parents in their area for the provision of
childcare in respect of which the childcare element of the working tax credit is
payable, and the provision of childcare which is suitable for disabled children’.
DCSF Guidance for Childcare Sufficiency Assessments requires the local
authority to be proactive in seeking the views of parents, employers, providers
and the wider community. Local authorities are advised to take account of the
views of employers, through surveys or group discussions, to obtain a better
understanding of employment patterns, which will affect demand for childcare.
In addition, the Guidance suggests that local authorities might find it helpful to
engage in a dialogue with employers about how employer-provided childcare
support, encouragement of the take-up of tax credits, more flexible working
patterns, and assistance for employees with the costs of childcare through
allowances or vouchers could help with recruitment, retention and motivation
5
1.
Brief
Hampshire County Council commissioned consultancy support through the
DCSF funded Fast Track programme to




2.
Review methods of employer engagement that were already underway
in Hampshire
Pilot a questionnaire for employers
Reference examples of successful practice from other local authorities.
Contact Business Link, other relevant employer organisations, a small
number of key employers (e.g. NHS), and the local authority Senior
Development Officers (Childcare) in Hampshire
Method
Phase one

The 4Children consultant contacted Business Link, the CIS and 5 key
employers in Hampshire to collate information about employer
childcare support and staff needs.

The consultant brought together information about employer childcare
support and methods of employer engagement used by the
development teams within each locality and borough, to establish a
clear picture of the current situation.

4Children designed a questionnaire for employers and piloted this with
five HR Directors in Hampshire, to establish levels of childcare support
for staff (e.g. childcare vouchers, nurseries), and understanding of staff
childcare needs and other sources of support (e.g. childcare element of
Working Tax Credit and Children’s Information Service).
Phase two

4Children reviewed the findings of the employer questionnaire pilot,
and revised accordingly

The 4Children consultant referenced examples of successful practice
from other local authorities (e.g. Rochdale) and identified how these
could be applied in the Hampshire context to form a ‘Hampshire model’
for involving and consulting employers that could be used by the
development teams.
Phase three

A brief report
6
3. Hampshire County Council
3.1 Population
In population terms Hampshire is the third largest shire county in England, with a
2003 Mid Year Estimate population (produced by the Office for National statistics) of
1,251,000.1
Age Profiles, 2003
00-04 05-15 16-29 30-44 45-64 65-74 75-84
Hampshire
5.5
14.1
15.6
22.5
85+ Populati
on
(000's)
2.0 1251.0
25.7
8.6
5.9
Basingstoke &
6.3 14.5 16.5 24.9 25.1
Deane
East Hampshire
5.5 14.6 14.9 21.7 27.0
Eastleigh
5.4 14.7 16.1 23.1 25.5
Fareham
5.3 13.7 14.1 22.6 26.4
Gosport
5.8 13.9 18.3 22.7 22.8
Hart
6.1 14.2 16.0 24.4 26.3
Havant
5.2 14.1 14.7 20.3 26.2
New Forest
4.7 13.0 12.5 19.6 27.2
Rushmoor
6.3 14.4 20.8 25.6 21.2
Test Valley
5.6 14.9 14.3 23.4 26.5
Winchester
5.1 13.6 17.1 21.3 25.8
The data are percentages of the total
population
Source: Office for National Statistics, 2003 Mid-Year
Estimates
7.1
4.3
1.4
154.4
8.4
7.9
9.6
8.7
7.4
10.4
11.2
6.2
8.2
8.6
5.7
5.5
6.2
5.8
4.3
7.0
8.7
4.2
5.4
6.2
2.1
1.7
2.0
1.9
1.4
2.1
3.2
1.3
1.9
2.4
110.2
115.9
109.0
77.4
85.7
116.3
171.2
90.0
111.3
109.6
3.2 Population Projections to 2026
The increase in population across the whole county for the period is expected to be
around 105,000 people, or 8.4%, but there are wide percentage differences when
looking at different age groups and individual districts.
One Hampshire district is expected to have lost population by 2026 compared to
2001 - Havant. This loss is expected to be 3,200 persons, or 2.8%. The range of
increase throughout the other ten county authorities is from less than 1% in New
Forest through to 21.2% in Basingstoke and Deane. The other authorities with
expected large gains, all above 10%, are Test Valley, Winchester, Gosport and Hart.
The largest increases are expected to be in the older age groups, particularly the
groups starting at 65 year olds. The largest percentage increase, by 2026, is
projected to be in the 85 years and over group which is expected to have more than
doubled its number since 2001, going from 25,300 to 51,000 persons.
1
A Profile of Hampshire 4th Edition 2005
7
In contrast, the population of school age is forecast to decline by 12.5 per cent. The
population aged 30 to 44 years is also expected to decline between 2001 and 2026,
by 7.8 per cent.
Households occupied by couples with dependent children account for every fourth
household in Hampshire, which is in excess of 2% higher than the England and
Wales figure. Within the county the proportions vary from New Forest (21.1%)
through to Hart (28.1%). 2
3.3 Ethnic Origin
Hampshire has a much smaller proportion of its population within ethnic minority
population groups than England (7% less) and also has a lower rate than the South
East Region (2.7% less). The proportion of Hampshire’s population within ethnic
minority groups is uniformly low across the whole county, with only Rushmoor
having more than four percent ethnic minority population. 3
3.4 Employment
In 2003, the latest data available, there were just under 800 firms in Hampshire
employing 100 or more people, representing 1.5% of all firms but providing work for
39% of all employees in the county. Nationally the equivalent figures are 1.7% of all
firms and 42% of all employees.
The districts with the highest proportions of large firms (those with 100 or more
employees) are Rushmoor with 2.4% and Basingstoke and Deane with 1.9%. The
highest proportions of employees in large firms were also found in these two
districts, 49% and 45% respectively, together with Winchester at 47%. By contrast
the districts with lowest proportions of large firms are New Forest with 1.0% and
East Hampshire with 0.7%. These two districts also have the smallest proportion of
employees working for large firms, both with 28%. The contrast between the lower
and upper end of this range is stark with East Hampshire and New Forest’s 28% of
employees in large firms being less than three-fifths of Rushmoor’s 49%.
The district distribution of very small firms, those with less than five employees, is
almost a mirror image of the large firm distribution although there are some
differences. Hart has the highest proportion of very small firms in the local economy
(79%), followed by East Hampshire (78%). East Hampshire has the highest
proportion of employees in very small firms, with almost 20%, and Rushmoor the
lowest with less than 9%; a factor of two separates the upper and lower end of this
range. Gosport and Rushmoor both have the lowest proportion of very small firms,
with 67%. 4
2
A Profile of Hampshire 4th Edition 2005
A Profile of Hampshire 4th Edition 2005
4
A Profile of Hampshire 4th Edition 2005
3
8
3.5 Unemployment
Hampshire has an unemployment rate of just 1.0%, which compares favourably with
both the South East Region (1.5%) and UK (2.6%). The lowest unemployment rate
among the districts is that for Hart (0.6%) and the highest rate is for Havant (2.0%). 5
3.6 Working Tax Credit
Parents in work but with low household income can apply for Working Tax Credit
(WTC) to top up their earnings. This can be claimed if they are employed or selfemployed, a one or two parent family or same sex partners. The childcare element
of Working Tax Credit is available if a parent:
 is responsible for one or more children or young people
 pays for childcare
Parents can claim the childcare element for the costs of any 'registered' or
'approved' childcare that they pay for. Parents can only claim for the amounts they
actually pay out.
The childcare element can help with 80% of eligible childcare costs up to a
maximum of:
 £175 a week for one child

£300 a week for two or more children
Take up of the childcare element of the WTC nationally is 16% of those claiming
WTC; in Hampshire the take up of the childcare element of the WTC is 14%.6
4. Summary of Employers Initial Questionnaires
4.1
Summary
Initial contact was made with six local employers: Hampshire NHS, Portsmouth
PCT, Hampshire Police, the British Army, Asda in Eastleigh and Hampshire County
Council, to establish their work life balance practices and recruitment and retention
issues in relation to parents need for childcare.
The initial contact and questionnaire completed was made by phone, the completed
questionnaire(see appendix 2) was then sent back to the employer for verification;
the Army did not return their form. HCC has not fully completed the questionnaire
Questions were then adjusted to form the basis for the Hampshire County Council
Employers questionnaire, to be used by the Early Years team when engaging
employers. See appendix 1
Table 1. Summary of answers
5
6
A Profile of Hampshire 4th Edition 2005
HMRC Website. www.hmrc.gov.uk
9
Employers
Questions
How many staff do
you employ?
Is recruitment and
retention a problem
due to lack of
childcare?
Do you have a low
rate of returners
from maternity
leave?
Staff surveys
Do you conduct exit
interviews asking
whether childcare is
a factor in
resigning?
Do you have an onsite nursery, holiday
playscheme or after
school club
Salary sacrifice
scheme?
Discounts with local
day nurseries or
holiday
playschemes
Links with the
Councils extended
schools service?
Do you have
dedicated childcare
co-ordinator?
Do you have
childcare vouchers?
Do you promote the
Working Tax Credit?
Do you promote
childcare?
Links with the
Hampshire
Children’s
Information Service?
Portsmouth PCT Hampshire NHS Police Army
Asda HCC
1399
16000
6828
13000
1000
37000
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No Stats
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
1 day nursery, 1
holiday
playscheme, 1
after school club
4 day nurseries 1 No
holiday
playscheme
1 day
nursery, 4
preschools, 2
crèche
No
No
Yes
Yes
N/A
No
No
N/A
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
All the employers who took part in this initial survey were helpful and enthusiastic.
Where the employer representative didn’t have the answer, they suggested
someone who could help or called back with the answer.
10
Yes
Overall the largest employers, NHS, Army and Police were very proactive in helping
staff to balance work and life. Each organisation had or had until recently ( see
Portsmouth PCT) a dedicated person to deal with staff childcare concerns.
The NHS and Police have similar problems with needing flexible childcare to meet a
number of different shift patterns. Childcare may only be needed one or two days a
week but the days could be long (e.g. 12 hour shifts with early starts or late
finishes). Flexibility was also needed in finishing times, neither employer could
guarantee their staff would be able to leave exactly on time.
The surveys undertaken by Hampshire NHS showed a need for after school and
holiday care for staff children.
The British Army based at the Aldershot Garrison has the only full time dedicated
staff support officer for parents (in the Army). Childcare, for the under 5’s is provided
by the Army on site. It would be very rare for a serving officer, male or female, to be
posted to Aldershot and childcare not to be available. The garrison has over 300
children aged 11 to 14 years and would benefit from information on the extended
schools programme.
Asda Eastleigh, is in an area recognised as lacking in registered childcare. The
employer offers a range of flexible working patterns, term time only, school hours,
early evening shifts, weekends. Although the employer representative spoken to
was not aware of any childcare policies, the national Wal Mart/Asda web site held
an array of information.
The NHS, Police and the Army had all at sometime had contact with either the
Children’s Information Service, the area development teams or “someone” from the
council. They had all attended meetings at some time but contact had been mainly
sporadic, most did not have any regular contact or a dedicated name and phone
number. Only Asda and Hampshire County Council were not aware of promoting
Working Tax Credits. Asda does not offer childcare vouchers and were not aware of
what they were.
4.2






5.
Action Points
Information about which daycare providers, including childminders will offer
flexible hours, days and emergency cover is needed
The need for information about the CIS to be introduced or re-introduced to
local employers
A better awareness of the role of the HCC development teams
Regular and consistent contact with employers
Enhanced knowledge of the Working Tax Credits and childcare vouchers.
This could be via training to the staff of the children’s centres and daycare
providers
A better awareness of the role of the extended schools teams
Employer Support
Business Link
11
Business Link provides the information, advice and support needed to start,
maintain and grow a business. The Business Link service is a crucial part of the
governments campaign to promote enterprise. Business Link has devised a range
of services - all free of charge - to help employers overcome issues, assess
readiness to start a business and make the most of available opportunities.
Business Link can help provide the skills and knowledge needed to maximise the
potential of a business through advice, training and comprehensive information.
Business Link runs regular workshops for local employers, including some
exclusively for women.
Business Link offers on line help and advice including “Coffee Break” on-line advice
sessions. They are designed to last no more than 6 minutes (or the time it takes to
drink a cup of coffee) each briefing focuses on one business subject and highlights
the important issues you need to know about, accompanying notes and downloads
are available.
The Business Link web sites hold a range of information including maternity law and
recruitment but not on retaining staff, childcare vouchers or links to the local
authority or Children’s Information Services.
Gloucester Children’s Information Service have a link from the Business West web
site to childcare information, including the extended schools programme.
www.businesswest.co.uk
5.2
Chamber of Commerce
In Hampshire there are five main branches of the Chamber of Commerce, North and
East Hampshire, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, Fareham and Romsey.
They are independent, not-for-profit, and politically impartial organisations,
comprising of businesses and organisations from all areas of commerce and
industry. They offer business services, run networking events, provide information,
advice and trading knowledge and lobby government on business issues. They are
part of a regional, national and global network. Their web site has links to
Hampshire County Council and the local Borough Councils. They hold a variety of
business events and training opportunities, many of which the CIS attend.
5.3
Job Centre Plus
The Adviser Services Manager at Basingstoke Job Centre Plus(JCP) gave
information on the processes that take place within the JCP service. Links are made
with employers through the vacancies that the JCP data base holds and the regular
contact the advisors have with employers. The JCP offices are regularly used by
employers for interviewing.
Once a job is registered with JCP, an advisor will call the employer and discuss and
promote employment of lone parents, flexible working patterns and childcare needs
of employees. The JCP advisors also work with local recruitment agencies and
promote priority groups.
12
Potential employees have stated to the advisors that childcare at weekends,
evenings or overnight can be a barrier to employment. Cost and a lack of available
places is also a difficulty in the transition to employment.
The advisors are starting to make links with the Children’s Centres and hope to
establish weekly advice sessions at them. They would appreciate more
information and guidance on the “brokerage” offer available to parents having
difficulty finding childcare.
The JCP advisors are able to provide HCC with statistics on barriers to work and
would welcome a systematic way of doing this.
A joint project between Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, Isle of
Wight Council, Hampshire County Council, Sure Start and Job Centre Plus has
produced a comprehensive guide, “Every Family Matters” Signposting Job Centre
Plus, to returning to work and benefits that may help parents. This guide is for use
by professionals and could be used by Children’s Centres and the Children’s
Information Services. 3000 copies have been made available to HCC.
5.4
Economic Development
The Economic Development Office of Hampshire County Council provides a
support service to Hampshire's business community to increase the awareness of
Hampshire as a business-friendly location. They support businesses through advice
and informaton, from initial set up, to running a successful business. The Economic
Development Office can advise on local employee skills, ways to boost business
and house prices for those relocating. They have a business directory listing over
8,000 companies. For information on childcare their web site re-directs enquirers to
the Hampshire Children’s Information Service web site.
The Economic Development Office, along with local employment partners, has
recently published “Prosperity Through Diversity” An Employment Strategy for
Hampshire, 2007-2009. The report states:
“Hampshire is, on the whole, an enviable prospering county with low
unemployment and a thriving economy. However, such a position can only be
maintained in a changing global marketplace if drivers of prosperity are
constantly monitored and opportunities or threats are acted upon. One such
opportunity and threat is the challenge of deprivation often masked by
neighbouring prosperity.”7
“Of the 35% of Hampshire children experiencing child poverty, 9% live in
workless families and a further 26% live in families with low wage earners”8
7
8
Prosperity Through Diversity” An Employment Strategy for Hampshire, 2007-2009
Prosperity Through Diversity” An Employment Strategy for Hampshire, 2007-2009
13
6
Hampshire Children’s Information Service
Hampshire CIS is a free, confidential and impartial childcare information service for
parents and carers. It provides information on childcare and related services in
Hampshire for children aged 0 -14 (up to aged 16 for children with special needs).
Their helpline is part of the county council’s call centre service and operates 8:30am
to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 7pm on Sundays. The call centre sends
out the information as requested. Information about the Working Tax Credits
available is only sent out on request. The call centre does not hold statistics on why
parents need childcare information, whether employers have requested information
and they do not gain feedback from enquirers as to whether the information was of
help to them.
Potential daycare providers can access information and training prior to setting up.
Help can be given with advertising for staff, worklife balance issues, Working Tax
Credit, childcare vouchers and in what areas new daycare is needed. The number of
daycare providers who currently take childcare vouchers is low and more
information or training is needed to providers as well as parents.
The CIS has a small outreach team that attends recruitment fairs, Chamber of
Commerce and Business Link events. One example is the planned Job Serve Live
event in October - the CIS will provide a childcare clinic to offer advice, information
and guidance to a diverse spectrum of people, network with the companies
exhibiting and raise the awareness of Hampshire Children’s Information Service with
the local and business community. It is estimated that the CIS has made contact
with over 100 employers in the last year. The CIS has, using the Economic
Development Office business directory, written to the local large employers with
their information and available services.
The CIS will work with the 53 Hampshire Children’s Centres to ensure that accurate
information is available to parents at a local level.
6.1
Information duty in the Childcare Act 2006
Section 12 of the Childcare Act 2006 places a duty on Local Authorities to provide
information, advice and assistance and extends the existing duty to provide
information to parents and prospective parents, so they can access the full range of
information they may need for their children right through to the child’s 20 th birthday.
Local authorities are required to ensure that this service is available to all parents
and that it is pro-active in reaching those parents who might otherwise have difficulty
accessing the information service.
Parents often report that there is a shortage of coherent local information to help
them in their parenting role, for example, surveys show that 75% of parents and
carers say that they feel there are times in their lives, or the lives of their children,
when they need access to additional information or support 9 As a consequence,
9
HMT Poverty Review 2004
14
parents are often unable to make informed choices on childcare and other services
to suit their needs.
The Childcare Act places a legal duty on local authorities to provide information,
advice and assistance on childcare and on other services, facilities or publications
which may be of benefit to parents, prospective parents, children or young people.
The Childcare Act says,
Provision of local information will be:
 User friendly, reflecting parents’ perceptions and needs, rather than
information silos reflecting agency structures
 Accessible via a range of settings, outlets and channels that parents use
(information centres, extended schools, Sure Start Children's Centres, clinics,
libraries, shop fronts, kiosks, via the computer or telephone in their own
home)
 Accessible in a variety of formats where appropriate to comply with equal
opportunity legislation and the Disability Discrimination Act
 Easily understood, factual, not patronising, empowering
 High quality, accurate, up to date
 Targeted to reflect the diversity of the local community (BME communities,
those where English is not the first language, travellers, fathers etc.) including
parents who do not find services fully accessible
 Well publicised to ensure parents know where to go to access the sources of
information
 Well resourced with capacity to deal with local demand, call back and follow
ups, available outside of 'office hours'
 Comprehensive with information on services available locally from statutory
and voluntary sector providers
6.2


Information on services for disabled children and for children
with special educational needs
Section 12 (3) requires the Secretary of State to have regard to the needs of
the parents of disabled children when prescribing (in regulations) information
which should be provided both in relation to childcare and other services,
facilities or publications.
Part 2 of the regulations requires local authorities to provide information on
“access to services and specialist facilities available within childcare settings”.
Part 3 requires authorities to provide information on:


The availability of specialist medical services
Therapy services
15





7
Support services, including “Early Support” approaches and materials, as set
out in the “National Services Framework for Disabled Children and Young
People, and Those With Complex Health Needs”
Specialist help groups
Tax benefits, financial advice
Relevant voluntary organisations
Details of available short term breaks
Hampshire Early Years
The county council has 11 boroughs and is divided into 5 areas, North, North East,
South East, South West and Central. A senior development officer (SDO)and team
cover each area. One of their roles is to advise, support and guide new and potential
daycare providers in their area.
Each senior development officer was asked to describe the type and range of
support available to new and potential daycare providers. Information was also
asked about the number of providers that have opened in the last two years; some
SDO’s also volunteered information about providers that had closed.
Childcare provision opened in the last two years (figures in red indicate
provision that has closed)
North
Childminders
Day Nurseries
Pre-schools
Holiday Playschemes
After School Clubs
North East South East South West Central
273
200
65
231
16
16
0
24
10
7
0
15
5
3
(3)
11
11 with
ASC
15
9 (2)
11
A total of 22 Holiday Playschemes and After School Clubs have opened in the
central area

SDO’s obtained the information from the internal data base and recognise
that some provision may not be new but a change of management or
ownership. Most of the SDO’s were waiting on the Sufficiency Assessment to
give a clear picture of provision in their area.
Of the daycare providers that have opened recently (last 2 yrs) are they full
 None of the SDO’s knew whether local daycare provision was full or not and
are waiting on the Sufficiency Assessment to give a clearer picture.
Is there a need for more childcare in the area
 Overall many areas were considered to need more childcare. Central and
South West both cited the need for more part time early years education so
parents could access the free nursery education grant. Full time care was
needed in South West and Gosport.
16
If yes, do you actively seek more providers
 Work was underway to engage more childcare providers in the areas of need
and the National Childminding Association (NCMA) was undertaking
promotional work to encourage more parents to go into childminding as a
business. The Pre School Learning Alliance was also engage in helping
create more part time places
What local big employers do you have in your area
 Most of the SDO’s were able to supply a comprehensive lists of local
companies.
Do they contact you?
 It was very rare for employers to contact the SDO’s
Do you contact them?
 None of the SDO’s contacted local employers. Although they did meet them
at recruitment fairs. In the past links had been made with the NHS and the
Army.
Do you promote to the new daycare providers: Working Tax Credit, Childcare
vouchers
 Many of the SDO’s did promote both Working Tax Credits and childcare
vouchers but others only if the subject came up
Do you have links with any of the following:
Economic Development Officer
 This varied from borough to borough within each region
Planning Department
 Two areas, Central and North had strong links with the planning department
and were kept informed of plans to develop or extend childcare provision. In
the North the community team ensured that any community facility
incorporated space for part time childcare if needed. Again within each region
only some boroughs kept the SDO’s informed.
Business Link
 Only one area had contact with Business Link
Chamber of Commerce
 No SDO’s had any contact with the Chamber of Commerce

8.
Good practice from other Local Authorities
17
Talking to employers and employees in the workplace can provide useful
information about the patterns and times of childcare that may be needed. Examples
given are taken from the Childcare Implementation Project 2006-07.10
8.1
Rochdale
In Rochdale the local authority is the largest employer in the area with 11,000
employees. They offer a childcare voucher scheme for council employees and are
currently monitoring take-up, effectiveness and barriers within the scheme that affect
the employer, employee and childcare providers.
Rochdale has employed an Employment Link Co-ordinator based within the
Childcare Information & Recruitment Service who has engaged with local
employers. The aim of the employment link scheme is to assess individual employer
staff childcare demands and endeavour to match these with available childcare
places. Information gained from employers can also be used to influence the type
and location of new childcare provision to meet identified childcare needs. The
scheme provides information to employees on available childcare and a guide to
financial help towards childcare costs.
8.1.1 The Employment Link Co-ordinator
The co-ordinator is part of the North West Work Life Balance Network which has
recently produced and launched a North West Work Life Balance toolkit, a step-bystep guide for employers wishing to implement family friendly policies and flexible
working practices. The scheme will aid employers in recruiting and retaining staff by
removing childcare as a barrier to employment by:



The concept of family friendly policies
Providing information on maternity/paternity/adoption rights
Flexible working practices and work life balance
The employment link co-ordinator attends outreach events where local employers
are present, to introduce the service and hand out information. This is followed up
by a telephone call a few days later. Local employers who could benefit from this
service were identified and sent an information pack. Appointments were made to
visit employers at their place of work with information on:





10
Childcare Information & Recruitment Service leaflets on childcare, help
towards childcare costs
Work life balance practices.
Posters, A5 fliers and helpline cards, to distribute to staff.
An employer questionnaire is completed at the initial visit to ascertain the
childcare demands of employees.
The co-ordinator discusses an extensive questionnaire to be carried out with
employees to evaluate childcare demand, in order to identify any gaps in
childcare. Analyses of the questionnaire is fed back to the Childcare
Development Team
Childcare Implementation Project: making and shaping the market. www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
18


The Childcare Information & Recruitment Service launch takes place on the
employer premises where information is given to employees on various types
of childcare and any help towards childcare costs. Future individual or group
sessions on employer premises can be arranged.
Contact is maintained with the employer by sending school holiday posters
with employer logo, details of any changes in current legislation, newsletters,
future events etc.
8.1.2 Systems Needed
 A file is held on each employer containing all correspondence etc.
 An established IT system, which records and cross-references any data
gathered to influence future policies and developments.
 All contact made with employers and all enquiries received from employees
are input onto the system.
8.1.3 Learning Points
The service can be very beneficial to both employer and employee.
 Make it a free service – Rochdale experimented with making a small charge
but this did not attract many employers.
 Mail shots alone do not work., when used, follow up quickly.
 Help lines work but they should be accompanied by the offer of one to one or
group advice sessions for employees.
 Introduce an “award” for family friendly employers. This has been
successfully done in Birmingham. mailto:eycc@birmingham.gov.uk.
 Have a dedicated budget for this area of work which covers marketing and
publicity materials used when engaging employers.
 Establish regular meetings with all engaged employers to share good practice
and update on current information/guidance and initiatives.
8.2. Sheffield City Council
The CMB-SY (Creating More Balance – South Yorkshire) project is managed by the
Children’s Information Service (an independent charity), funded by ESF and
supported in kind by Sheffield City Council. The main aim of the project was to
provide information, advice, guidance and implementation mechanisms for
employers to engage on a range of work life balance options including flexible
working and childcare. For many parents the affordability of childcare is a major
barrier to remaining in work or the transition from benefits into work. Building
awareness of work-life balance and childcare initiatives to employers is not an easy
option, as employers need to appreciate the business benefits through changing the
culture of their organisation
8.2.1 The CMB Project
The work of the CMB project is to:
 Encourage employer supported childcare to assist with affordability.
 Promote the working tax credits
 Encourage employers to provide a childcare subsidy for working parents.
19

The CBM team is pro-active in reaching employers by
 Telephone and email enquiries
 Seminars and workshops for both employers and childcare employers on a
range of topics disseminating the information of the CMB tool kits
 Publicity and marketing
 Regular attendance at Business Clubs with presentation when appropriate
 Links to other networks and events run by other groups
 Facilitation of a quarterly CMB-SY employer focus group on a variety of
topics and issues on work-life balance
 Work with individual childcare providers to disseminate information to parents
on the affordability of provision

Work with childcare providers in disadvantaged areas to link them with local
employers on direct contracts
 Ongoing support for employers up to 35 hours of free advice a year
The project has developed a number of products to assist in the recruitment and
retention of staff
 A maternity/paternity planner for employer and employee.
 An interactive CD Rom tool kit to enable employers to implement work life
balance policy and practice
 A tool kit on direct payments for employers to contract with childcare
providers and implement the scheme
 Information packs on maternity/paternity leave including a planner to assist
the employee to manage their commitments at this important time.
Employers of childcare provision have taken advantage of this project and benefited
through recruitment and retention of their own staff and the sustainability of the
provision. In addition the project has benefited childcare provider customers i.e.
working parents by referring the information available on work life balance to their
employers.
8.2.2 Systems Needed
Over 1000 companies have been in contact with the CMB team with regard to a
variety of information needs and over 150 companies have implemented specific
policies or schemes




8.2.3
A strategic action plan was developed to cover the whole of South Yorkshire
with individual action plans incorporated within it to reflect the needs of each
geographical area.
Mechanisms are needed to report and analysis the impact of the project
A rigorous monitoring system to log all enquiries and contacts and the
implementation of a variety of government initiatives to ESF regulatory
standards.
Reports on case studies and good practice examples to demonstrate impact
of the projects
Learning Points
20






A dedicated, experienced, worker to proactively work with employers is
essential to the success of the project. This was initially a problem for
Sheffield, as finding and recruiting experienced staff in this area of work was
very difficult. But with training, staff were able to develop the skills needed to
become competent and knowledgeable within a very specific area of work
The Service Level Agreements with the Children’s Information Service have
been an essential tool to enable all parties to adhere to the requirements of
funders (e.g. ESF)
Use of a common framework and regular discussion within the project team.
This helped Sheffield to overcome difficulties of working across four local
authorities and the diversification of their internal structures
The development of ‘products‘ and their subsequent dissemination through
workshops has enabled the project to reach far more employers than they
would have through cold calling and indiscriminate leaflet mailings.
Workshops have provided the project with the ability to further publicise the
work of CMB through business magazines and press coverage
All the tool kits currently in operation have been overseen by HMRC for
accuracy. The HMRC employer team have attended workshops and CMB
employer focus group meetings and this ensures that the work by either party
is not duplicated but compliments the delivery of information, with a view to
increasing the take up of government initiatives by working parents.
9
Funding models for employer childcare
9.1
Salary Sacrifice
A salary sacrifice scheme to pay for childcare allows an employee to reduce their
cash salary in exchange for a place in a workplace nursery. Due to a tax
concession for workplace nurseries this means that the free place in the nursery is
not treated as a benefit in kind and is not therefore subject to tax and National
Insurance Contributions (NIC) for both employer and employee.
Not every employee wants to join a salary sacrifice scheme. For some staff it is not
appropriate to take salary sacrifice as this can take them below the national
minimum wage. Staff who pay their fees by salary sacrifice may find that their
overall salary goes down and this could entitle them to claim Working Tax Credit,
but they are not eligible for the childcare element of Working Tax Credit.
9.2
Childcare Vouchers
Employees can choose to take childcare vouchers up to the value of £2,916 p.a . as
part of their remuneration package, so long as their cash salary is not reduced
below the national minimum wage. This is a form of salary sacrifice, and by
choosing to take part of their salary in childcare vouchers staff do not pay National
Insurance contributions (NIC) or tax on that portion of their salary. As their salary is
reduced, staff may become eligible for Working Tax Credit, but not the childcare
element of Working Tax Credit.
21
Salary sacrifice for a workplace nursery or childcare vouchers may affect pension, or
mortgage/loan status.
The employer also saves on their portion of the NIC and this makes either scheme
cost neutral. Any business can run their own childcare voucher scheme, they do not
need to go through a voucher provider.
22
Appendix 1
Employer Survey for Hampshire County Council
The Childcare Act 2006 gives all local authorities a new duty of securing, as far as is
reasonably practicable, sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents or
parents undertaking training to help them back to work.
The aim of this survey is to give Hampshire County Council the information needed
to secure sufficient childcare that is flexible, sustainable and responsive to employer
and parent needs.
Please answer all questions as fully as possible and return to ??????????
About your organisation
Organisation name and address: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How many people do you employ? __________________________________
Do you offer flexible working patterns? Yes
No
Do you survey staff about their childcare needs? Yes
No
______________________________________________________________
Recruitment and Retention
Is recruitment and retention of staff affected by lack of available childcare?
Yes
No
______________________________________________________________
Staff Benefits
Do you have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator or HR person who deals with
parents childcare issues, maternity or paternity leave?
Yes
No
Do you offer staff an
On-site nursery?
Yes
No
Holiday playscheme?
Yes
No
After school club?
Yes
No
23
Can staff pay for any on site daycare by salary sacrifice?
Yes
No
Do you arrange discounts for staff with local daycare providers?
Yes
No
Do you offer staff childcare vouchers?
Yes
No
______________________________________________________________
Promotion
Do you promote Working Tax Credits to staff? Yes
No
Working with Hampshire County Council
Do you know about the free Hampshire Children’s Information Service?
Yes
No
If you answered NO to the last question would you like more information or to speak
to someone about staff childcare issues?
(Please include contact details)
Contact Name
______________________________________________________________
Phone Number
______________________________________________________________
Email Address
______________________________________________________________
Do you have any other comments about your staff childcare needs?
If you have any queries please email or ring ????????????
Thank you.
24
Appendix 2
Employer Questionnaires
The National Health Service
The NHS has provided more funding to help staff with childcare than any other UK
employer – because childcare support is key to recruiting and retaining the 1.3
million staff the service needs. Over a quarter of NHS staff have dependent children,
and the workforce is predominantly (77%) female.
The NHS childcare strategy is embedded into Trusts through ‘Improving Working
Lives’ (IWL), the NHS HR strategy, which includes access for all NHS staff to a
childcare co-ordinator. IWL also includes a standard linked to childcare for advice
and information to all carers. Many of the childcare co-ordinators have now taken on
the role of carer co-ordinators
The £100 million NHS childcare strategy created approximately 7500 new NHS
nursery places nationally, as well as partnerships for a similar number of out of
school places, childcare voucher and salary sacrifice schemes for the majority of
staff, several childminding networks, and access to a childcare and carer coordinator for most staff.
Hampshire Primary Care Trust
On 1 October 2006 the 25 previous PCT’s which operated in Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight merged to a total
of nine PCT’s covering the region.
Hampshire Primary Care Trust is the largest PCT in the country and serves about
1.25 million people They are one of the largest employers in the area and have a
workforce of around 3,500 people. Their staff provide a wide range of services in
settings such as, health centres, clinics, GP practices, community hospitals and in
the community.
They serve the whole of the county of Hampshire, an area of some 2,300 square
miles. The cities of Southampton and Portsmouth are each covered by a different
PCT. Their boundaries are the same as those of Hampshire County Council.
Portsmouth PCT11
The childcare co-ordinator based at Portsmouth PCT used to cover a total of 8
Trusts including Gosport and Fareham, Portsmouth Hospital Trust, East Hampshire
and the Isle of Wight PCT and Trust, but now only covers Portsmouth PCT.
How many staff do the Trust employ?
 The Trust have 1399 staff based in over 25 sites across Hampshire
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?
11
Information supplied by the Trust childcare co-ordinator before she left
25
 The
Trust has a turnover rate of approximately 11% and use approximately
8% (inc Overtime/Excess Hrs) of agency and bank staff
Does the Trust have a low rate of returners from maternity leave?
 Within the last 6 months 62 staff went on maternity leave and only 4 have left
since the Trust
Does the Trust survey their staff regularly?
 They hold staff involvement forums to gain feedback from staff on a variety
on issues.
Does the Trust conduct exit interviews and specifically asked whether childcare or
caring issues are a factor in resigning?
 Within the last 6 months of 153 leavers only 1 left due to childcare issues
Does the Trust have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after school club?
 There is an on-site nursery at Queen Alexandra Hospital. Staff also have
access to a holiday playscheme and after school club.
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?(see 10 Funding Models)
 Yes
Does the Trust have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday playschemes?
 No
Does the Trust have links with the Councils extended schools service?
 No
Does the Trust have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
 This specific role has now ended and the responsibility is part of the PCT HR
department with no individual named contact. Part of the reason the role of
the childcare co-ordinator has ceased is that demand from staff for
assistance in finding childcare has diminished over the last year
Are Trust staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 Yes (see 10 Funding Models)
Does the Trust promote the Working Tax Credit?
 Yes, information is available on the intranet and in staff starter packs
Within the Trust where do is childcare promoted?
 Information on childcare, working tax credits, childcare vouchers, can all be
found on the Trust intranet site
Does the Trust have links with the Hampshire Children’s Information Service?
 No.
26
Hampshire NHS12
The childcare co-ordinator for Hampshire NHS covers, Hampshire Partnership Trust
(Mental Health Services in the Hampshire area), Southampton University Hospitals
Trust, Southampton City PCT, New Forest PCT , Eastleigh and Test Valley PCT
(now part of Hampshire PCT) and South Central Strategic Health Authority
Childcare Service13
How many staff do the Trust employ?
 They employ 16,000 staff of which approximately 8,000 are based in the
Southampton area
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?
 Yes, health care assistants in the mental health sector who often work in
clients’ homes or small community based facilities and have early starts and
late finishes along with rotating shifts often find it hard to find flexible
childcare at an affordable rate.
Does the Trust have a low rate of returners from maternity leave?
 No statistics were available
Does the Trust survey their staff regularly?
 Staff have been surveyed on a regular basis, the most recent was February
2005 as part of the Improving Working Lives assessment.14 Statistics are
available for the New Forest PCT, Eastleigh and Test Valley, Hampshire
Partnership Trust as well as the Southampton Trusts and Hampshire and
IOW SHA/WDC (now part of South Central Strategic Health Authority. There
are no plans for any further surveys at the present time. (hard copies
available)
 The New Forest Trust survey showed that most respondents lived in
Southampton, New Milton or Lymington and had a need for after school care,
holiday playschemes and an on site nursery. Emergency backup was also
needed when childcare failed. Most children were currently cared for by
relatives.
 In the Eastleigh and Test Valley survey15 most respondents lived in
Southampton, Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford or Romsey. The need for childcare
was primarily after school or holiday playschemes. Current childcare
arrangements are mainly holiday playschemes or relatives.
 The survey for Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust16 showed the majority of
staff lived in Basingstoke, Portsmouth or Southampton, although the majority
worked in Winchester. The biggest childcare need was for holiday
playschemes, emergency backup and an on-site nursery, (location not
specified). Children are currently cared for by relatives or nursery provision.
12
Information supplied by the Childcare Co-ordinator.
Information supplied by the Childcare Co-ordinator.
14
Improving Working Lives Survey by Numerica February 2005
15
Improving Working Lives Survey by Numerica February 2005
16
Improving Working Lives Survey by Numerica February 2005
13
27

Staff were surveyed during the development of the new Lymington Hospital
during the summer of 2006 and despite two local nurseries closing in that
area, no requests were received from staff needing childcare.
Does the Trust conduct exit interviews and specifically asked whether childcare or
caring issues are a factor in resigning?
 No
Does the Trust have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after school club?
 We have 2 on-site nurseries at Southampton run by Southampton University
Hospitals Trust
 One in Portsmouth run by a Portsmouth Trust
 One attached to Basingstoke Hospital Trust but run by a private provider
 And a holiday playscheme in Southampton run by Southampton University
Hospitals Trust
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?
 Yes, Southampton University Hospitals Trust and Southampton City PCT
staff can access the Workplace Nurseries initiative
Does the Trust have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday playschemes?
 Yes we have several discount schemes, including Super Camps holiday
playscheme and a ‘supported places’ scheme
Does the Trust have links with the Councils extended schools service?
 Yes we have termly meetings with the childcare development workers, which
were very helpful, the police and ambulance services childcare co-ordinators
also attended but the Trust childcare co-ordinator is now unable to help
organise meetings due to limited time.
Does the Trust have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
 Yes, part time 2 days a week and a Childcare Facilities Manager four days
per week.
Are Trust staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 Yes, we offer Busy Bees vouchers
Does the Trust promote the Working Tax Credit?
 Yes information is available on the intranet and is given to expectant parents
when they complete their Maternity Leave application form or attend a
maternity workshop.
Within the Trust where do is childcare promoted?
 Information is available on the intranet about the childcare co-ordinator, the
in-house nurseries, salary sacrifice, childcare vouchers and Working Tax
Credits. Information is also in pre-employment packs, on the web site, at staff
induction days and in the staff magazine.
28
Does the Trust have links with the Hampshire Children’s Information Service?
 The Children’s Information Service are very good and informative. We also
link with the National Childminding Association (NCMA) network advisors for
help finding childminders.
Hampshire Police Service.17
The police service covers Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Answers given are for
Hampshire Police only.
How many staff do the Police in Hampshire employ?
 6,828, March 2007. This includes civilian staff
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?
 Not generally, but staff have rolling 10 day shift patterns, 2 days early, 2 days
late, 2 nights, 4 days off and usually do not require full time childcare only
odd days, especially where both parents are employed by the police. This
can be very difficult to find as the majority of childcare providers do not cater
for this type of childcare need.
Do the Police have a low rate of returners from maternity leave?
 The rate of return from maternity is very good, only 2 staff and 1 officer
resigned last year after maternity leave.
Do the Police survey their staff regularly?
 Yes, we conduct a biennial staff opinion survey
Do the Police conduct exit interviews and specifically asked whether childcare or
caring issues are a factor in resigning?
 Yes, we conduct exit interviews but do not ask specifically about childcare
issues.
Do the Police have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after school club?
 No
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?
 N/A
Do the Police have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday playschemes?
 Yes we do, these are mainly with the larger day nurseries, who can cater for
the rolling shift patterns. They are predominately in the Portsmouth and
Southampton areas..
Do the Police have links with the Councils extended schools service?
 No, not generally but we have linked with the childcare development worker
on the I.O.W for their childcare survey.
Do the Police have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
17
Information supplied by the Family Care and Diversity Officer
29

Yes, they are the Family Care and Diversity co-ordinator and have been in
post for 4 years.
Are Police officers and staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 Yes, 234 staff take the childcare vouchers at present
Do the Police promote the Working Tax Credit?
 Yes, it is promoted to pregnant staff, those on paternity leave, meetings with
staff about childcare issues and information is available on the intranet
Within the Hampshire Police where is childcare promoted?.
 It is promoted by the Family Care & Diversity Co-ordinator at road shows,
drop-ins, support groups, news letters, global emails, the intranet and contact
is made with all staff on maternity or paternity leave. Information is also
promoted on our external web site for prospective officers/staff, at the initial
training and in joining packs.
Do the Police have links with the Children’s Information Services?
 Yes, to a small degree. We also link with the NCMA childminder networks to
tap into their local knowledge. The intranet contains a list of childminders
who can accommodate the rolling shift patterns. It would be good if the CIS
had a list of nurseries and holiday playschemes that offered flexible hours to
suit our staff.
The British Army18
Aldershot Garrison, is classed as a super garrison. It is the centre of excellence for
Army Sport and houses at least 16 units.
Answers and figures given are for Aldershot Garrison only
How many personnel do you have at Aldershot Garrison?
 7,000 soldiers
 2,000 dependents
 4,000 children. (05/06 figures) of which 300 to 400 aged 11 to 14yrs
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?
 No
Do the Army have a low rate of returners from maternity leave?
 Figures not available
Do the Army survey their staff regularly?
 Yes, but not specifically about their childcare needs.
Do the Army conduct exit interviews and specifically asked whether childcare or
caring issues are a factor in resigning?
18
Information supplied by the Army Welfare Service, childcare co-ordinator
30

No
Does the Aldershot Garrison have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after
school club?
 Yes, we have 1 full daycare nursery, 4 pre-school groups and 2 crèches on
site. No after school club
 Our families and single soldiers are supported by the Army Welfare Service,
Unit Welfare Officers, Relate, Home Start, and a Chill-n-Chat Zone which
supports families with special needs children (unique in the Army).
 With so many 11 to 14 yr old we would be interested in the extended schools
programme.
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?
 This is being discuss by the MOD and a decision is expected soon
Do Aldershot Garrison have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday
playschemes?
 No, it is very rare that we would not have a place available for a child within
our own nurseries and pre-schools.
Do Aldershot Garrison have links with the Councils extended schools service?
 Yes, a senior officer is part of the cluster group based at the Talavera School.
Do the Army have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
 Yes, but only here at the Aldershot Garrison. It is under discussion whether
this service should be made available at all garrisons.
 Also a community support officer for the older children
Are Army personnel and staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 This is being discuss by the MOD and a decision is expected soon
Do the Army promote the Working Tax Credit?
 Yes, at unit level along with Childcare Tax Credits, but it is only the junior
ranks or civilian staff that may be eligible due to salary levels
Within the Aldershot Garrison where is childcare promoted?
 Information is available on the intranet, in leaflets and information booklets.
Information is also available to personnel when units are going to move to
Aldershot.
Do Aldershot Garrison have links with the Children’s Information Services?
 Yes, the CIS have a booklet that is available to all personnel
Asda, Wal-Mart, Eastleigh19
19
Information supplied by the recruitment personnel
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Asda in Eastleigh is a large super store open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How many staff does the Eastleigh store employ?
 1000 people, many of the roles are part time and flexible, term time only,
early evenings, late nights, weekends
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?
 No, we have 150 new application to work here each week
Does the Eastleigh store have a low rate of returners from maternity leave?
 No figures were available but it wasn’t thought to be a problem
Do Asda survey their staff regularly?
 Yes, every year and we have a 100% return rate. Childcare is not a question
that is specifically asked
Do Asda Eastleigh conduct exit interviews and specifically asked whether childcare
or caring issues are a factor in resigning?
 Yes and the question is asked but is not sited as a problem
Do Asda Eastleigh have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after school
club?
 No
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?
 N/A
Do Asda Eastleigh have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday playschemes?
 No
Do Asda Eastleigh have links with the Councils extended schools service?
 No
Do Asda Eastleigh have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
 No
Are Asda Eastleigh staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 No
Do Asda Eastleigh promote the Working Tax Credit?
 No
Within Asda Eastleigh where is childcare promoted?
 Although the recruitment personnel spoken to didn’t mention it the main Asda
web site has a large amount of information about flexible working, childcare,
maternity leave, time off to care for your children or attend school events. All
additional leave is un-paid.
Do Asda Eastleigh have links with the Children’s Information Services?
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
No
Hampshire County Council FULL INFORMATION NOT HERE YET
Hampshire County Council covers 11 borough councils. Information on childcare
was given from two source, the recruitment department and the childcare vouchers
department.
How many staff does Hampshire County Council employ?
 27,000 plus 10,000 teachers
Is recruitment and retention a problem due to lack of childcare?

Does the Hampshire County Council have a low rate of returners from maternity
leave?

Do Hampshire County Council survey their staff regularly?

Do Hampshire County Council conduct exit interviews and specifically asked
whether childcare or caring issues are a factor in resigning?

Do have an on-site nursery, holiday playscheme or after school club?
 No
Can staff pay for the nursery by salary sacrifice?
 N/A
Do Hampshire County Council have discounts with local day nurseries or holiday
playschemes?
 No, but staff access preferential places with some providers
Do Hampshire County Council have links with the Councils extended schools
service?
 No, any enquires for childcare would be directed to the Early Years Education
department
Do Hampshire County Council have a dedicated childcare co-ordinator?
 No, they have a person who administers the childcare vouchers
Are Hampshire County Council staff able to access childcare vouchers?
 Yes
Do Hampshire County Council promote the Working Tax Credit?
 Not as far as was known
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Within Hampshire County Council where is childcare promoted?
 childcare voucher information is promoted on the intranet, within the staff
newsletter and the recruitment web site
Do Hampshire County Council have links with the Children’s Information Services?

Not specifically
34