New funded childcare places on hold until September in Wales

The Welsh government has confirmed that the Childcare Offer for Wales will remain closed to new applicants until the autumn term.

This means that children that will have become eligible because they have had their third birthday recently will not be able to take up an early years place.

Three- and four-year-olds that were already using the funding at settings before the end of March will still be eligible for the funding if they return to a childcare setting.

Previously, nurseries that had not been able to stay open to children because of coronavirus were still receiving funding for children registered with them, but settings will now need to reopen and have the child attend regularly in order to continue to receive their childcare offer funding.

The Welsh government has told nurseries, other providers and schools to prepare to reopen on 29 June but will not make a final decision until next week on 18 June, as part of its next review of restrictions.

The National Day Nurseries Association said that parents and providers had been left with with less than ten days to plan for the coming months, and warned that nurseries would be left with less demand for places, and between 'a rock and a hard place' over a decision whether to reopen or not.

In a written statement, Julie Morgan, deputy minister for health and social services, said, ‘We will be maintaining the suspension of new applications for the Childcare Offer for Wales for a further two months, that is, until at least the end of August. During this period our local authority delivery partners will not accept or process new applications, and no children will start their entitlement under the offer.

‘I know that this will be disappointing for many families who had hoped to access the offer during the school summer term. We will be conducting a further review of the position in August, with a view to reintroducing the offer in September if it is viable to do so.’

She added, ‘While the offer remains suspended to new entrants, those children who were eligible for and accessing childcare under the offer prior to 31 March can still do so if they remain eligible. Where those children are in regular attendance at childcare, we will pay the costs for the hours provided under the offer.

‘However, where a setting is closed, or a child is no longer in regular attendance, we will not meet those costs.’

The minister also confirmed the continuation of funding of pre-school places for all children of keyworkers and vulnerable children under the of the Coronavirus Childcare Assistance Scheme (C-CAS), which started on 1 April.

The scheme administered by local authorities is an important part of ensuring critical workers face no extra barriers in their response to the virus, the Welsh government said. ‘Provision of safe childcare is key to enabling them to support us all during this period.

‘Wales is also the only nation in the UK providing funded childcare to those children who are more vulnerable and who are facing particular challenges at this time, supporting them and their families. Continuing this provision over the summer period is important in ensuring they remain supported as we move towards the next stage of our response.’

Commenting on the plans, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) chief executive, Purnima Tanuku, said, ‘The continuation of the funding of the Coronavirus Childcare Assistance Scheme (C-CAS) will be welcome news for many nurseries who are able to open for critical workers and vulnerable children. However, the complexities of the funding can still leave some childcare businesses operating at a loss while delivering this important service.

‘The announcement from the Welsh Government that the Childcare Offer will not be continuing where children are unable to attend settings leaves these parents and providers with less than ten days to plan for the coming months. This delay has made a difficult situation worse for many settings.

‘Nurseries and other providers are gearing up towards wider reopening from 29 June but this announcement means some may lose funding over a week before that date. Providers are between a rock and a hard place where they might not be able to reopen but also lose out on support to remain sustainable.

‘Childcare businesses will be looking at months of reduced demand for places and increased operating costs as they bring in measures to keep children and staff safe. That’s why we need to see a transformation and recovery fund for the early years sector to help providers weather this storm and be there for families and children in the future.’