Agenda item

1.    Accept the grant offer to expand the Flying Start Programme in the county by

o   extending the full scheme to the rest of the Penygroes area due to the reduction of eligible children in the current programme

o   extending the childcare element only to additional areas – Phase 3 

2.    Support the Head of Children and Supporting Families Department, in consultation with the Head of Finance, to submit business cases and accept grant offers for the Childcare and early years Capital Programme.

The report was submitted by Cllr Menna Trenholme.

DECISION

1.    To accept the grant offer to expand the Flying Start Programme in the county by  

·         extending the full scheme to the rest of the Penygroes area due to the reduction of eligible children in the current programme  

·         extending the childcare element only to additional areas – Phase 3   

2.    To support the Head of Children and Supporting Families Department, in consultation with the Head of Finance, to submit business cases and accept grant offers for the Childcare and early years Capital Programme.  

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted by the Cabinet member for Children and Supporting Families which gave an overview of the proposal to extend the Flying Start Scheme. It was noted that the report included the full extension of the Flying Start scheme to the rest of the Penygroes area due to a reduction in the numbers eligible for the current programme and the extension of the childcare element to additional areas.

It was explained that the Flying Start programme was already available in seven communities in Gwynedd. It was noted that the service had provided the first phase of expansion of the work in parts of Tregarth, Bethesda and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It was reported that a new area had been added in 2023, namely Deiniolen. It was stated that the project was still facing a decline and following analysis of the most deprived areas it was explained that extending the service to the rest of Penygroes would be the best step.

As for phases 2 and 3, it was reported that phase 2 had been operational since 2023 and served eight LSOA areas. Attention was drawn to the challenges within the sector such as lack of provision in rural areas, the sustainability of the Childcare Sector and increased staffing costs. It was noted that the success of the next steps would depend on close collaboration between early years services, local providers and Welsh Government funding.

It was noted that the Government had announced the third phase of expanding Flying Start, again limiting it to funding the childcare element only. It was explained that the scheme would target an additional 147 2-year-olds during 2025 in more areas in Gwynedd. It was explained that areas for 2025 had been identified.

It was explained that the Early Years Service was working with the Housing and Education departments on major capital projects in Tywyn, Penygroes, Deiniolen, Bangor and Cricieth (total capital expenditure of approximately £3.5million) which was a great investment for children in those areas. It was reported that taking advantage of these two early years programmes would contribute towards the Priority areas of "Gwynedd Yfory" and "Gwynedd Gymraeg" in the Council Plan by giving children the best possible start in life.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·         Gratitude was expressed for the important work being undertaken and it was applauded but concern was expressed about the challenges facing the provision of this service. It was highlighted that it was more than a childminding service and an important part of the children's education. It was emphasised that it was important that the Council and Cabinet provided as much support as possible to ensure that the work continued.

·         The scheme was welcomed explaining that the Member had encountered examples in his own area with some children receiving provision and others not. They expressed their disappointment with this and stated that they wanted to see the programme continue to grow so that the Council could offer free childcare to all children in the county. Attention was drawn to areas where expansion was recommended during 2025-26 and it was asked if there was a timetable for this scheme.⁠ It was noted that not much clarity could be provided at this time as they were awaiting a response from the Government.