Adapt Projects

 

 

 

Childminding Plus

Aim

This project will develop an innovative approach to meeting the need for an increase in the number of qualified childminders, and to provide learning opportunities for people with childcare responsibilities. We will do this by providing flexible training for new childminders, and these childminders will provide childcare services to enable returners and lone parents to attend training programmes.

 

Both cohorts will gain accredited awards, and through local delivery based on partnership between Colleges and childcare/Surestart in three areas of Lancashire we will enable 145 returners/lone parents to gain qualifications and increase by 12 in the first instance the number of qualified childminders with other individuals continuing in training post project.

 

Objectives

This project will develop an innovative approach to increasing the learning opportunities for returners/lone parents through combining flexible training for this group with the identification and training of new childminders who will provide the childcare services needed.

 

Through this we will

•  Increase the number of returners/lone parents able to enter/sustain employment.

•  Address the need for more childminders in Lancashire .

 

The objectives are:

•  To set up five local pilots, bringing together the components required to deliver provision including flexible learning resources, interim childcare arrangements, childminder training, and incorporating these in a development plan indicating what will be tested, delivered and how success will be measured. Building on preparatory work already undertaken, the five local partnerships will complete these areas by project completion.

•  To recruit to the programmes. This will be in three phases.

•  To deliver programmes which will

a) Support people for whom childcare responsibilities would otherwise be a barrier to access through an integrated programme including guidance, training leading to accredited awards, and support into Higher Level Training, jobs or self-employment

b) Support childminders/new childminders in acquiring skills to make this work more rewarding and/or to gain skills for progression through this.

We will support three phases of delivery via local piloting in five areas.

To support the development of good practice, review local pilots, and use this to create models for mainstreaming, by publishing a report and disseminating this to key players.

Activities

This project will develop an integrated approach to opening up learning opportunities for our target group. We will include initial intensive support in basic skills, or ESOL, where this is required. We will demonstrate 'supporting pre-entry training related to identified labour market needs' in two ways: the element which trains childminders responds to the local/national priority of increasing the number of childminder in response to need. The provision for lone parents/returners will provide, in the final stage, the chance to customise provision to identified vacancies.

In delivering the provision we will

•  Identify a cohort of people interested in taking part in learning programmes to support entry to employment, but for whom childcare responsibilities are a major barrier.

•  We will then work with them to explore innovative ways of meeting childcare needs. The pilots will test various models, including

a) identifying family/others who undertake the childminding tasks

b) exploring 'collaborative' models, including establishing co-operatives, social enterprises

•  Providing training for the childminders, allowing new childminders to become registered, people already working (including 'informally') to progress

•  Supporting the target group through their learning programme, using flexible training modes where they are exploring 'collaborative' models for meeting childcare needs

This is a developmental project, trying out new approaches, and will include a significant element of good practice exchange and review, and the creation of new learning materials (especially re the childminder training element) to support 'blended' provision making use of ICT.

Target Groups

This project will support, in total 145 beneficiaries. Of these

27 will be from ethnic minorities

2 disabled

26 lone parents

45 excluded individuals/communities

43 persons with literacy/numeracy problems.