National Initiatives

PLANS AND LEGISLATION

EVERY CHILD MATTERS:  Every Child Matters - the 2003 Green Paper.  For background information to the Green Paper follow this link  . For the latest updates, visit the government website Every Child Matters:change for children

TEN YEAR CHILDCARE STRATEGY:  The Government’s Ten Year Childcare Strategy, Choice for Parents, the Best Start for Children, published in December 2004

CHILDCARE ACT:  The Childcare Act 2006 takes forward some of the key strategies from the Ten Year Childcare Strategy. Download a summary of the  Childcare Act 2006 

CHILDCARE REGISTER:   The Childcare Act 2006 introduceD a Childcare Register with two parts, a compulsory and a voluntary part. The Voluntary part of the Childcare Register commences in April 2007. People may choose to join the voluntary part of the register if they are caring for children:-

- in the home of one of the children, for children aged from birth to 17 years
- aged eight to 17 years
- aged from birth to under eight in provision that is exempt from compulsory registration, such as sports coaching.

View the Ofsted leaflet 'Changes to childcare registration and inspection'

View Ofsted guidance on the Early Years and Childcare registers including exemptions: Registration of childcare providers from September 2008

CHILDREN'S PLAN:  The Children's Plan was launched by DCSF in December 2007 and sets out how the Department will achieve improved outcomes for children and young people by putting children, families and young people at the centre of everything they do. Download the Children's Plan or a summary.

AIMING HIGH FOR CHILDREN: SUPPORTING FAMILIES - POLICY REPORT  HM Treasury and DfES report. First report of the policy review of children and young people.  Download report here. Download brief outline here.

REVISED OFSTED CHILDMINDING AND DAYCARE FRAMEWORK:  A revised version of the Ofsted Framework for the regulation of childminding and daycare was published in October 2007:  regulation of childminding and day care and inspection of funded early education in the non-maintained sector.

RAISING STANDARDS, IMPROVING OUTCOMES: STATUTORY GUIDANCE ON THE CHILDCARE ACT 2006 STATUTORY OUTCOMES DUTY:  Sets out how local authorities, the NHS and Jobcentre Plus must work in partnership to meet the individual needs of young children and their parents. Download a copy of the guidance and find out more on the SureStart website

WORFORCE TRAINING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONAL:  The Children's Workforce Development Council and its partners are developing the role of the Early Years Professional (EYP) supported by a set of standards set at graduate level which covers work with children from birth to the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Those who demonstrate these standards will be awarded early years professional status (EYPS) which will be equivalent in level to qualified teacher status (QTS).  Find out more

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE:  Get Ready! Preparing for the Early Years Foundation Stage.   In September 2008, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) becomes a statutory requirement. This bulletin contains news on the topic, as well as information on how the EYFS will affect schools, childminders and Local Authorities.  The bulletin contains advice on how to use the guidance pack (DFES-00012-2007) and a timeline of key dates for the implementation of the EYFS.

See also the Early Years Foundation Stage website where you can download the EYFS booklets - Statutory Framework and Practice Guidance plus a poster and a range of cards

HEALTH AND SAFETY

FOOD QUALITY AND GOOD PRACTICE: In March 2006 Ofsted published the results of a short survey ’Food for Thought: a survey of healthy eating in registered childcare’ Based on a short survey of 110 settings, It looks at whether children in the paid daily care of others receive good-quality meals, whether they learn at an early age the benefits of a healthy diet and highlights the good practice found across a range of childcare settings.

INFECTION CONTROL: The latest guidance to early years and childcare settings on infection control and human pandemics can be found by following this link to the teachernet website

SAFE AND SOUND REPORT: Ofsted's report Safe and Sound shows how registered settings are helping children to stay safe and healthy, two of the five outcomes identified in 'Every Child Matters'

STAYING SAFE ACTION PLAN:  This DCSF Action Plan sets out the work which the government will undertake over the next three years to drive improvements in the safety of children and young people. for more backgrond information click here

SAFER CHILDREN IN A DIGITAL WORLD: the report of the Byron Review an independent review looking at the risks to children from exposure to potentially harmful or inapropriate material on the internet and in video games.  View the full report and executive summary on the dcsf website. Download the Summary for Children and Young People.

OTHER AREAS

EXTENDED SCHOOLS:  Extended Schools: Access to opportunities and services for all. Extended schools offer a range of services for children, young people, their families and communities. Further information can be found on the Sure Start website.

FATHERS AND CHILDCARE: National Evaluation Report - Fathers in Sure Start local Programmes

BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR CHILDCARE: Supporting Childcare makes Good Business Sense:Information on the ways businesses can support their employees with childcare

PLAY: Fair Play: a consultation on play strategy: Consultation document setting out how Government departments propose to work together and with partners to create more and better opportunities for all children to play, building on the framework and investment laid out in the Children's Plan.