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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
Introduction
1.1 The report presents the findings of research, undertaken by York Consulting Limited, to evaluate the Extended Schools Childcare Pilot, on behalf of the Scottish Executive.
Background and Context
1.2 Research 2 has found that a lack of affordable, accessible childcare presents a significant barrier to work for lone parents in receipt of benefits. Lack of childcare is also an important barrier for partners of benefit recipients.
1.3 As a result, the Extended Schools Childcare Pilot was developed to address particular issues related to lone parents, workless couples, work and childcare. The pilots were initially run in three areas of England from April 2004, with additional pilots being added in England, Scotland and Wales.
1.4 This report focuses on the Scotland pilots. In Scotland, the areas of Aberdeenshire and Fife were selected to run an Extended Schools Childcare Pilot.
Extended School Childcare Pilot
1.5 The aim of the Extended School Childcare Pilot was to offer a "virtual childcare guarantee" to parents that are not in work. The central objective of the pilots was to help lone parents and partners of benefit recipients into work. A further key priority group were recipients of Working Tax Credit who were not using registered childcare. The pilots commenced in Scotland in October 2004 and ran until March 2006.
1.6 Co-ordinated at the local level, via the local authority, the pilots were intended to work in close co-operation with local stakeholders. It was envisaged that any new provision developed to meet identified need would primarily be based on networks centred around secondary schools. However, it was envisaged that other facilities, for example Sitter Services, might be developed. It was intended that schools might provide childcare themselves, or might well work with other providers in line with the extended schools concept.
Evaluation Aims and Objectives
1.7 The aim of the overall evaluation was to:
- assess the effect the pilot has on the attitudes to take-up of childcare by lone parents on Income Support ( IS), their move into work and the implementation of the pilot.
1.8 The main objectives of the research were fourfold, to assess:
- what evidence there is, as a result of the pilots, that the lack of accessible, affordable childcare is the main barrier to work for lone parents on IS
- the extent to which the pilot succeeded in removing this barrier, or otherwise
- the extent to which the removal of this barrier leads to higher rates of entry into work
- whether other factors take over and prevent lone parents entering work once affordable and accessible childcare is available.
1.9 To address these overarching aims and objectives, the evaluation comprised three distinct elements:
- an implementation study (Strand One)
- a 'survey' of lone parents on Income Support (Strand Two)
- monitoring of management information ( MI) (Strand Three).
Methodology
Strand One: Processes for Delivery
1.10 The methodology for Strand One of the evaluation comprised in-depth qualitative interviews with relevant stakeholders in each of the two pilot areas, Aberdeenshire and Fife. Stakeholders consulted included:
- Local Authority staff, for example, pilot co-ordinators, Childcare Partnership Managers, Children's Information Service representatives
- Jobcentre Plus staff, such as Childcare Partnership Managers, Advisor Managers and Advisors
- childcare providers, including head teachers, breakfast and After School Club managers, voluntary/community childcare providers, youth workers providing childcare as part of the pilot and providers of Sitter Services.
1.11 The fieldwork for Strand One was undertaken between October 2005 and January 2006.
1.12 At this time, no lone parents interviewed by Jobcentre Plus had taken up the offer of childcare through the pilot. In order to establish the potential reasons for low take-up, telephone interviews were also conducted with a small sample of lone parents (15) who had been made aware of the pilot but did not take-up the offer.
Strand Two: Consultations with lone parents
1.13 The methodology for Strand Two of the evaluation involved qualitative in-depth telephone interviews with a larger sample of lone parents on Income Support. In addition, a small number of telephone interviews were conducted with parents using the childcare set up through the pilot.
1.14 Consultations with lone parents and parents 3 using childcare took place at the end of the pilot period, between April and May 2006. The sample frame for lone parents came from two sources:
- Jobcentre Plus - using data captured via postcards that were completed by lone parents after they had been informed of the pilot by Jobcentre Plus staff (postcard data returns)
- Local Authorities - using data recorded on a data capture form completed by childcare providers.
1.15 The sample frame included 126 contacts for lone parents, of which:
- 33 were from Aberdeenshire 4; and
- 93 were from Fife.
1.16 Many of the contact details provided were either incorrect or the individual contacted was unable to take part in an interview. In total 41 interviews (33%) were carried out with lone parents as part of Strand Two activities. This comprised:
- 9 lone parents from Aberdeenshire; and
- 32 lone parents from Fife.
1.17 Five parents (3 from Fife and 2 from Aberdeenshire) who were not targeted lone parents but who had used the childcare developed as part of the pilot were also interviewed to explore their views of the provision established.
Strand Three: Monitoring and Evaluation Phase
1.18 Strand Three involved analysing management information routinely collected on the pilot by the Executive. The aim of this phase of the evaluation was to use the information to monitor:
- the number of existing childcare places (in schools or elsewhere) taken up by lone parents who have entered work as a result of having childcare ( Aim One)
- the number of new childcare places created (in schools or elsewhere) through the pilot, and the number of these places that have been taken up by lone parents entering work ( Aim Two)
- the number of schools providing childcare through the pilot ( Aim Three).
1.19 Two sets of management information were provided by the Scottish Executive for analysis:
- Monthly Returns provided to the Sure Start Unit by Local Authorities (for Aberdeenshire and Fife) - the analysis in this report is based on the most recently updated MI from February 2006
- In-Month Childcare Reports (Aberdeenshire only 5) supplied by Jobcentre Plus for the Department for Work and Pensions - the analysis in this report is based on the most recently updated MI from November 2005.
1.20 Therefore, the majority of the analysis of the MI relates to the information captured through the monthly Sure Start returns.
1.21 The MI, however, did not capture the full range of factors that would enable us to address each of the aims set out above. The limitations of the data were:
- Aims One and Two: The main difficulty in extracting the MI required to address these two aims is related to distinguishing between the take-up of new places by lone parents and the take-up of existing places by lone parents. The MI is collected through separate questions on new places and existing places relating to the creation and take-up. However, when the data was provided to us broken down by lone parent and partners, the information combines new and existing places.
- the other key missing information relates to the employment status of lone parents. Furthermore, the MI could not be used to indicate whether or not childcare has been the enabler of take-up of employment
- Aim Three: The MI provides details of the number of schools that have joined and the number that have left. We would require details of the number of schools at the baseline in order to understand the number of schools that have provided childcare through the pilot.
1.22 The analysis of the MI to inform outcomes (Section Three) indicates that the recording of MI for the purposes of the pilot has been patchy. The quantity of data available (for example, on referral sources) suggests that the pilot areas have not been rigorous in ensuring that all data is collected and recorded on a regular basis for the purposes of the pilot. However, a key constraint of the MI is that it does not reflect the Scottish approach to delivering the pilot.
1.23 It is important to recognise that the Extended Schools Childcare Pilot aims to test whether lack of accessible, affordable childcare is the main barrier to work for lone parents by removing this barrier through the offer of a "virtual childcare guarantee". The nature of any innovative pilot project and the reason for supporting innovative projects is that lessons are learnt. This learning will not only inform the development of initiatives to support lone parents into work, but also how childcare provision can be developed/enhanced to meet the needs of all parents.
Report Structure
1.24 The remainder of this report is structured as follows:
- in Section Two we outline how the two areas have responded to the pilot by describing the models implemented in each. We then proceed to highlight some of the main issues facing the pilots in terms of progress made
- in Section Three, we use the evidence from qualitative feedback and available monitoring information to present the outcomes from the pilot
- in Section Four we summarise the supply-side constraints that have impacted on delivery
- we then proceed in Section Five to explore the demand-side factors that have impacted on delivery
- in Section Six we categorise lone parents into four broad types using the typology developed by Bell et al. (2005) 6 in order to explore lone parents' orientations towards work and childcare. We then explore how the pilot's aim to provide a virtual childcare guarantee could have assisted the lone parents in each of these four 'types'
- in Section Seven we draw on the evidence from preceding sections to explore the extent to which the pilots have removed the barrier of childcare in terms of attempts to address issues of availability, affordability and quality through the approach to implementation;
- in Section Eight, we highlight good practice and lessons learnt throughout the pilots
- finally, in Section Nine, we set out our conclusions and recommendations.
1.25 Throughout this report, all names have been changed to preserve anonymity.
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