Parents Survey - childcare and out of school provision 2023

This survey has now closed.

As part of the local authority’s childcare sufficiency duties to supply enough childcare in its area, where reasonably practical, for working parents or parents who are studying or training for employment, we opened a survey to all BCP Council parents of children aged 0-14 to assess their access to childcare services. We also reached out to understand the childcare needs of families with children aged 0-25, that have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In addition to their survey response, they could also provide additional ideas or comments on the Ideas Board.

Respondents could give us their views by:

• Completing the online survey
• Providing any additional ideas or comments using the Ideas Board
• Paper versions of the survey could be downloaded from this page or collected from any of BCP's Libraries(External link) on request

If respondents had any questions or required the survey in a different format, they could email earlyeducation.fundingteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk(External link).

The survey closed at 23:59pm on 1 September 2023.

Outcome

The survey allowed parents to express a range of challenges including the lack of availability of SEND-specialised care and general childcare places, inflexible session times, costs and many other factors, both positive and not so positive. The insights highlighted gaps in resources that impacted some families. This feedback along with parents' valuable comments were used in our annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment(External link), which was published on the council’s website. Parents' feedback, in conjunction with other data-led information, supplies our private childcare providers with a clearer picture of unmet needs, particularly in certain local areas, encouraging them to consider expanding or adapting their services to address gaps in the market, including that for school-age wraparound care.