An evaluation into how 19 local authority pathfinder areas are delivering the extended 15-hour flexible entitlement revealed 'a small number of examples' where it was unclear whether guidance - which states that parents cannot be charged for any part of the entitlement, either indirectly or directly - was being followed.
The report concludes that the DCSF 'reinforce and clarifies the Code of Practice principles on top-up fees to local authorities and providers when the revised Code is published in September 2010.
A spokesperson for the DCSF said, 'We have made it very clear to local authorities that top-up fees linked to delivery of the free entitlement are completely unacceptable. The free entitlement is designed to offer accessible, high-quality childcare to benefit all families, and parents and carers should not be expected to top-up something that was created to be universally free.'
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