Local Authority Childcare Sufficiency Support Contract

The Supplier shall deliver a comprehensive and coherent package of delivery support (including challenge, where necessary) to LAs in fulfilling their sufficiency duties and to ensure that there is enough childcare across local areas to enable all young children to access high-quality early years provision, to meet the demand for childcare from parents of school-aged children (see Schedule 2 (Specification) for a full definition of LA sufficiency duties), and to deliver the expanded early years entitlements from April 2024. This will include peer support where appropriate and regional or national events by the Supplier to facilitate the sharing of expertise and best practice between LAs. To achieve this, the Supplier will: A. Provide reactive advice, support and challenge to LAs identified as failing (or at imminent risk of failing) in their duty to secure sufficient childcare for working parents and children eligible for the early education entitlements, or LAs identified as needing support in their planning to deliver the expanded early years entitlements. B. Provide events, materials, advice, support and challenge to LAs to facilitate the maintenance, planning for or improvement of local childcare sufficiency, including the expanded early years entitlements (for the entitlements or for other childcare where this directly supports parents to work or participate in education or training). C. Where appropriate, provide additional financial support to LAs to implement recommendations made during support activity, where available finances are evidencable as a barrier to achieving the desired outcome and where this activity forms part of a support package agreed before 6th November 2023. D. Provide an overarching project management function to enable and report on the 3 elements above.