Staffordshire is a diverse and extensive geographical area, which is comparatively huge in scale, and characterised by rural areas and urban pockets. Despite these challenges, it has frequently been at the top of the league tables for take-up of the two-year-old entitlement for the least advantaged.
Their plan was to find families eligible for the 30 hours by contacting their employers first. This was innovative – I have never heard of such a thing being done before – and was done because they rightly recognised that employers too have a stake in quality and reliable childcare when working parents need it.
Initially employers were the larger ones in the county such as Tesco and Amazon. The team informed them of the programme and asked them to share information, as an employment benefit, to raise awareness of the funding, and support parents to access additional childcare – potentially helping parents to increase or protect their working hours. This was a great strategy. Information was provided to HR teams, presentations were given, and information events delivered in staff rooms and canteens. This found many eligible parents.
Yet the team was focused on a need to fund as many children as possible within their target. The initial take-up was lower than initially expected, and a change of plan was needed. So small and medium-sized employers were also contacted – and it was found they had a more individualised knowledge of the circumstances of their parent employees. Providers were also included in the information-sharing strategy. They were informed about the funding and asked about where parents were employed. This ‘pincer’ movement reached parents from both angles and has reaped results.
I was in the Staffordshire offices when they learned they had exceeded their 70 per cent take-up target. It shows the value in working with employers (small, medium and large) and with providers so parents are both informed and supported to access the services available to them from their trusted employers or their trusted childcare and early years provider.