Childcare: Black Country

10:58:00

I will call Sonia Kumar to move the motion and the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30-minute debates.

I beg to move, That this House has considered the quality and availability of childcare in the Black Country. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. It is an honour to introduce this debate. I want to talk about the importance of high-quality and accessible childcare in the Black Country, a region that is rich in history, resilience and community spirit. The Black Country, with areas such as Dudley at its heart, has always been a place where working families thrive, and where communities are built with hard work and strong values. For those families to thrive they need support, and childcare is a crucial part of the network for that. This is not just a family issue; it is also about children’s future in Dudley, our community strength and the local economy. Good affordable childcare supports parents in the workforce, boosts child development and helps build the foundation for a stronger society. As of June 2024, Dudley has 45 registered childcare providers offering about 1,126 places for children under eight. Despite those numbers, much of the Black Country, including Dudley, is classified as a childcare desert. Families in the Black Country have long supported each other through community efforts but now face a lack of critical childcare options, with only 17 places per 100 children in Dudley. Those figures fall far below the national average of 25 per 100. Can Members imagine if every time they needed childcare, three out of every four doors they tried were shut? That lack of access leaves parents with fewer options and waiting longer, forcing them to make tough decisions about work and family care. The Black Country early years education sector faces unique challenges, especially for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The YMCA reports that over a third of children in its Black Country settings—34%—need additional support. That is significantly higher than the 13% in the most affluent areas of the UK, yet there is a shortage of resources, SEND assessments and funding, which limits vital one-on-one and specialist care. Without those early interventions, many children risk falling behind, underscoring the need for more targeted support in our community.

I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate and directly underlining the issues pertinent to her constituency. There are also other important issues to consider, including autistic children, children who need speech therapy and the one-to-one support needed in nurseries and childcare. Does she agree that a special priority needs to be given in circumstances where children need care early? By getting care early, they can get to a stage where they can do their schooling and are set up for their future life.

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. Intervention is so necessary at early ages. If we catch children early, we can help their future development as they move from early years into schools, and if we help their development we can make sure that they succeed in the future. It is about not just the availability of care, but the quality of care. Quality is just as critical as availability. Among 28 local providers inspected by Ofsted, only 7% received an outstanding rating, compared with the national average of 14%. Although most providers were rated good, Dudley still lags behind the national quality standards. Since 2022, rising costs have strained early years funding, making it difficult for childcare providers to maintain higher standards. Labour’s commitment to increase funding and expand access to vital services is essential for families that deserve and need them. Rising poverty and inequality make those childcare challenges even tougher. In Dudley, child poverty rose from 22% in 2014 to 32% in 2023, while, across the UK, the rate rose from 15% to 20% over the same period. For local families under financial pressures, finding affordable childcare is significantly challenging. Department for Education data from 2023 shows that although 72% of mothers are working, nearly half of non-working mothers say that they would work if they had access to convenient and affordable childcare. For families with children under four, that number rises to 54%. With limited childcare options, many parents, particularly mothers, are forced to stay outside work, adding to family stresses and limiting the local economy. Labour pledges to offer free quality childcare for children aged two to four, which will help parents to manage costs and allow more people to return to work. I welcome Labour’s promise to open 300 more nurseries within the year and use empty school classrooms to meet the demand for more childcare spaces, which are very much needed in places such as Dudley and the Black Country. By covering up to 80% of childcare costs for qualifying families, Labour’s plan to offer meaningful relief for working parents will help to build a foundation of support for children in the future. Investing in early years education benefits not just families, but the entire economy. Studies show that universal childcare brings more parents, especially mothers, into the workforce, generating tax revenues that can help to cover programme costs. The Centre for Progressive Policy estimates that inadequate childcare access costs the UK about 1% of GDP a year. Imagine the positive effect that this would have in places such as Dudley if more parents could work with affordable, reliable childcare in place. Research from Ofsted highlights the significant role that early years education plays in lifelong learning and development. Its “Best start in life” report outlines four critical areas—literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design—that provide young children with the foundation for academic and personal success. As we look to the future, I urge the Minister to prioritise childcare reform and ensure that it matches local need. I have the following asks. How will the Government address the persistent childcare deserts in areas such as Dudley, where places fall below the average? With child poverty rising, what specific measures will the Government put in place to ensure that families in financial hardship can access childcare, especially in places such as Dudley? How will the Government support childcare providers who face inflation-driven costs that continue to rise and that are a burden on the provision of good-quality care? Will the Minister visit the constituency of Dudley to see what the childcare provisions are and the areas where improvement could be made? We need a childcare system that strengthens our communities, supports our economy and ensures that every child has the chance to succeed. Quality depends on not just childcare, but its accessibility for families—not only for those who can afford it, but for those who need it most. By investing in early years education, we are investing in a stronger and more resilient future for the Black Country and my constituency of Dudley. Let us work together to make quality childcare a reality for every family, giving each child the foundation that they need to thrive and each parent the support that they deserve.

11:06:00

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar) for securing a debate on this important subject, especially on such a busy day in the House. I know already that she is a real champion for children and young people in her constituency. This Government believe that all children, regardless of who they are, where they come from or their parents’ income, deserve access to high-quality early education. This mission-driven Government have committed to the best start in life pillar, reinforcing the importance of available and affordable high-quality early years education and childcare. The new Government are committed to delivering the childcare entitlements that families have been promised, giving every child the opportunity to have the best start in life. Local authorities and early years providers have worked diligently to deliver the latest expansion of entitlements in September, and more than 320,000 parents are already accessing a place. Over the weekend, we confirmed £1.8 billion to support the expansion to 2025-26 and a further £15 million of capital funding to expand school-based nurseries. Eligible working parents of children aged nine months are currently entitled to 15 hours of Government-funded childcare a week for 38 weeks a year. From September next year, this will increase again to 30 hours, but we have to be honest with parents in the Black Country and across the country about the scale of that final, more challenging phase. Around 70,000 additional places and 35,000 early years educators are needed to deliver the expansion to 30 hours next September. Our analysis tells us that more than half of local areas need to increase their capacity by between 10% and 20% to meet the demand for next September and that the highest uplifts are needed in some of the most disadvantaged areas. We will continue to work tirelessly to bridge the gaps ahead of next September. However, in some parts of England, though parents may receive the hours they were promised, they may not get their first choice of nursery or childminder. I know from my engagement with councils that local authorities are working hard to generate growth in available places and to develop the workforce they need. My Department has regular contact with each local authority in England to discuss the sufficiency of their childcare places and the issues they are facing. Where needed, it links local authorities with Childcare Works, an organisation contracted by the Department, to support them. The size and quality of early education and childcare provision in the Black Country is significant. Across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, there are around 770 providers that provide approximately 32,000 places. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that local authorities in the Black Country area are not reporting any issues with their sufficiency. As my hon. Friend rightly states, high-quality early years education plays a crucial role in improving children’s life chances. It has a positive impact on children’s outcomes in the short and long term, particularly for the most disadvantaged. Under this Government, growing the early years education system will not come at the cost of quality. We have already announced the extension of the early years stronger practice hubs programme until at least March 2025, with a continued focus on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In July, the Government committed to extend the funding of evidence-based early language interventions in primary schools, so that every child can find their voice. We will also drive up standards in early maths education and increase the quality of provision. Following consultation, with strong support from the sector, we have published our response to proposals to strengthen safeguarding requirements in the early years foundation stage statutory framework. The Department will implement all the proposals, including those on safer recruitment, child absences, safer eating, safeguarding training and paediatric first aid training. Additionally, new proposals on providing employment references and supporting whistleblowing will be introduced. These changes are set to be implemented from September 2025 and will formalise existing best practices to ensure that all early years educators have the knowledge and support they need to deliver safe, high-quality early education and childcare. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley for securing this important debate, and I thank all Members who have contributed. The Government will continue to work hand in hand with the sector to deliver an early years system that gives every child a firm foundation and sets them up for their next stages in life. Question put and agreed to.

11:11:00