Changes to free nursery milk scheme postponed
Katy Morton
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Administrative changes to the nursery milk scheme, which were due to come in on 1 August, have been pushed back by the Government until next year.
In a letter to providers, the Department of Health & Social Care says that it will provide ‘adequate notice' before the changes to the nursery milk reimbursement take effect.
'This will enable us to develop a package of guidance and support tools to help you meet these new requirements', it states.
The move follows criticism from the sector about the proposed changes that would require childcare settings to share redacted copies of their attendance registers along with notes on any children unexpectedly absent.
The Early Years Alliance said it would however provide ‘little comfort’ for providers as the proposed changes remain ‘unworkable and unnecessary’.
Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘Not only is the early years sector in the midst of a severe recruitment and retention crisis but we know from our own research that excessive paperwork and administrative requirements are the most commonly-cited causes of stress among early educators. Clearly then, these changes are the very last thing the sector needs at such a challenging time.
‘The Government should be focusing on supporting early years professionals, not adding to their already sky-high workloads. We urge the Department for Health to reverse these plans and to instead work with the sector to address any concerns about the way the scheme is currently operating.’
