Finding out about childcare supply and demand, needs and wants, and future planning requirements remains a statutory LA duty

Childcare sufficiency assessments (CSAs)

We are market leaders in advising on or delivering full childcare sufficiency assessments (CSA) and annual summary reports. We can deliver specific elements of a CSA, annual update reports, and/or manage the whole project on a variety of scales. Over the years, we have worked on small and large assessments in areas as diverse as the Isles of Scilly and Rutland, Cornwall and Northumberland, and the London Boroughs of Harrow, Haringey, and Southwark.

When Childcare Act (2006) duties were introduced, we worked on behalf of DfE and Regional Government Offices and reviewed 100’s of reports. Feeding back to support legal compliance, effectiveness, gap analysis, and continuous improvement.

With changing regulations in this area, many local authorities still recognise the strategic and operational importance of consulting with the market and the sector to inform, target and deliver their early years strategy and funding allocations. We can help by supporting: planning; project management; research instrument design and development; paper and online surveys; on-site interviewing; focus groups; provider audits; computer assisted telephone interviews; data entry and analysis, reporting, and presentation to all stakeholder groups.

We now include a focus on pandemic and economic effects and impacts and how they influence and change demand, supply, sustainability, and take-up of funded entitlements.

Read more about our CSA services by clicking here.

Find out about our DfE funded childcare sufficiency support contract 2023-2025 here.