4Children to develop 'childcare hubs'
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  1. #1
    Simona Guest

    Default 4Children to develop 'childcare hubs'

    Having read this I am none the wiser what the hubs will do or what is blended childcare
    4Children are part of the Task and Finish group but the word agency is not mentioned in their programme

    4Children To Develop

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    I am not sure what it means either

    I imagine since it appears to involve us that we will be the last to know

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  4. #3
    Simona Guest

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    That is what infuriates me the most!!...
    all busy planning and getting grants for this and that and all behind our back....without any consultation at all or explanation of how we will be involved
    And all are falling over agreeing it is good for cms ...why?

    Everything seems to spin around CCentres at present and I bet a lot of funding has been diverted to them at our expense...whatever did we do before they got set up??
    Be full of kids all the time and no worry about sustainability then!!!

    They do a good job and offer good play sessions but I still, unfortunately, see them as competition and taking our kids away and LAs are certainly focussing on them much more now and diluting their support for us

    CCentres and starting school at 3 have certainly contributed to cms having less work and we do not see the continuity of care anymore, some poor children have so much fragmented care now, a bit here and a bit there

    I think that is what 'blended childcare' is about from what I have heard: children attend CCentres then after a session there they go to a cm which to me means they do the education and we do the care??

    I also feel strongly that they may have contributed to the fall in cms numbers if some found it hard to fill spaces....my thoughts and rant entirely!!!

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    well just to confuse things, our LA are setting up HUBS too. But they are nothing to do with the Government funded HUB's. So here we will have 2 sets of HUBS - one to do with safeguarding and services and one for childcare joined up thinking - NOT !!!
    if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got

  7. #5
    Simona Guest

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    Juggler...any more details? what type of hubs (buzz word of the moment!!)
    One message I got today was that many experts think childcare is very fragmented...messy really in my view
    What has all this got to do with the cost of childcare?
    what can we do?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Simona View Post
    Juggler...any more details? what type of hubs (buzz word of the moment!!)
    One message I got today was that many experts think childcare is very fragmented...messy really in my view
    What has all this got to do with the cost of childcare?
    what can we do?
    i did read an early article with Sue Robb from for Children. Sorry I can't remember where (rubbish at details unlike you and Sarah) She swears the Hubs are NOT agencies. They are purely about focusing central childcare provision. Now I admit I was a sceptical as you. E-mail her - she's quite approachable as I hear. She actually used to work in our borough and come advise us at our Governing body before she went off and onto bigger and better things.

    I think the plan for cc's by the Government is more about agencies personally - but they are not being targetted on it or judged on it - so I think - cc's will stop being funded fully and have to offer agency services to CM's to make up the shortfall - just speculation on my part - so maybe I'm wrong
    if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got

  9. #7
    Simona Guest

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    Sue Robb is 4Children CEO...she said last Wednesday at the conference that she is 'keeping her eyes on agencies'
    She is in the Task and Finish Group and, as reported, no one is interested in agencies (where would 4 Children find the money to fund agencies? they are a charity)

    Maybe hubs are a 'compromise' for the moment? but how will they lower the cost of childcare? or reduce the cost to Ofsted if cms will still be individually inspected?

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Juggler View Post

    i did read an early article with Sue Robb from for Children. Sorry I can't remember where (rubbish at details unlike you and Sarah) She swears the Hubs are NOT agencies. They are purely about focusing central childcare provision. Now I admit I was a sceptical as you. E-mail her - she's quite approachable as I hear. She actually used to work in our borough and come advise us at our Governing body before she went off and onto bigger and better things.

    I think the plan for cc's by the Government is more about agencies personally - but they are not being targetted on it or judged on it - so I think - cc's will stop being funded fully and have to offer agency services to CM's to make up the shortfall - just speculation on my part - so maybe I'm wrong
    Was it this article from nursery world where Sue Robb says hubs are not agencies?
    http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/articl...&HAYILC=INLINE
    I'm in Lancs, one of the mentioned areas for a pilot so if I find anything out I'll let you know.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Simona View Post
    Sue Robb is 4Children CEO...she said last Wednesday at the conference that she is 'keeping her eyes on agencies'
    She is in the Task and Finish Group and, as reported, no one is interested in agencies (where would 4 Children find the money to fund agencies? they are a charity)

    Maybe hubs are a 'compromise' for the moment? but how will they lower the cost of childcare? or reduce the cost to Ofsted if cms will still be individually inspected?
    but they are getting a HUGE government grant to run these 'hubs' so if they end up looking like or being an agency the government will be in effect able to fund them but like CC's - for how long? So many children's centres have gone under since government grants/funding have ende

    None of what they will do or anyone will do will reduce childcare costs EXCEPT governement subsidies to parents - most of which they have recently taken away but will give back in 2015 - even to parents who are loaded (£100k plus salaries). Go figure - wasted money. Why not just keep giving that benefit to those parents who CAN'T afford it
    if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got

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  14. #10
    Simona Guest

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    Yes that's it...what a team we are!

    Wouldn't it be great if we could get together for a mini cms conference??? (and invite Truss and Sharon Hodgson???)
    Wicked idea!
    We are the only ones in the sector without one...shame!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Simona View Post
    Yes that's it...what a team we are!

    Wouldn't it be great if we could get together for a mini cms conference??? (and invite Truss and Sharon Hodgson???)
    Wicked idea!
    We are the only ones in the sector without one...shame!
    do you think truss would be safe in a room with us - mwahahaha
    if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got

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    Just the mention of that woman's name makes my blood pressure rise!
    Not got a good feeling about theses hubs

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    Pacey are running a survey on their Local website at the moment about Children's Centres.

    If you don't want to answer in the thread there is an email address.

    Chatterbox Childcare has also put a thread on the forum asking the question - how well do Children's Centres interact with childminders?

    I think the response through the country is very mixed - but I would strongly encourage everyone to respond because if these CCs are going to be ultimately responsible for our future sustainability then we need to improve relationships with them...

    Hth

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    Quote Originally Posted by Simona View Post
    Juggler...any more details? what type of hubs (buzz word of the moment!!)
    One message I got today was that many experts think childcare is very fragmented...messy really in my view
    What has all this got to do with the cost of childcare?
    what can we do?
    I was just reading your post further up Simona and thinking just the same about the word HUB, our LA safeguarding is now Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (know as MASH) - yes it seems HUB is the in word at the moment

  19. #15
    Simona Guest

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    I find that really worrying ...that our sustainability may depend on CCentres engaging with cms??
    How about schools when they take 2 year olds or open an agency?? will they need cms to work 'equally' in the partnership or are we being used?

    Should it not be the other way round?...without cms would CC or schools be able to proceed with their future HUBS programme?
    whose jobs is it to find out and explain what our role will be...or will we have another system where each LA will have their own hubs and set their rules...I despair!

    I would like to see cms involved on 'MERIT', for our expertise and because we matter...
    who is going to hammer that message home to Truss?
    Organizations such as PLA, NDNA, 4Children, NCB value cms not sure about schools and that is why I strongly feel we need to be better represented...we need to seek more information from them

    Schools can also be very engaged with us but also very distant

    Looks like having got rid of the ratios we have much more to battle....

 

 

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