Derek Jackson
Derek Jackson
16th of October 2013
Dear Mr Jackson,
Request for Information – Reference 7728 Cost Analysis of Flying Start
My colleague Frank Leetch wrote to you on 30th September following your request for information. In your request you asked for the following information in respect of the Flying Start programme, to be provided on a county by county basis:
1. The actual number of children registered through the FS programme.
2. The actual number of places allocated by WG.
3. The number settings run by a) Local Authority b) Third Sector c) Private Sector.
4. The unit cost that is allocated per child for each of the setting.
5. The amount of capital expenditure for the period 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 broken down by the number of schemes benefiting per county.
6. The total level retained by each LA for the running of the FS programme- the total number staff employed and the total number of hours.
7. The percentage allocated against each LA staff member for pension contributions.
8. The total amount given out in grant funding from LAs for sustainability and the number.
9. Number of Welsh only settings, Number of Children in each of these settings.
10. Number of children with special support needs supported under the scheme on a County level.
A copy of any report that the Welsh Government has commissioned that influenced the WG to extend the number of families eligible.
The letter of the 30th September notified you that the Welsh Government was not able to provide information on requests7)and 8) above. The letter also requested clarification on request 6)where you refer to ‘the total level retained by each LA’.As this has not been forthcoming, we have interpreted this to mean the administration costs of each local authority for the running of the Flying Start programme.
I have attached the following tables which breakdown the information provided on local authority basis.:
Table 1contains information on the Target (Cap) number of children; number of childcare settings. by provider type; number of hours worked by staff and the Local Authority administration costs.
Table 2a Flying Start Capital Expenditure 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13
Table 2b Flying Start Capital Payments2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 to schemes.
Table 3 Welsh Medium childcare settings per local authority.
For the purposes of clarity I am providing responses to the requests in your email under three headings:
Responses which provide all the information you requested;
Responses which provide some of the information you requested;
Responses which explain that the WG cannot provide the information you requested.
For this reason, my responses to your requests may not appear in the order in which you originally submitted them.
I am enclosing all the information which you requested on the following:
1)“The actual number of children registered through the FS programme”. This information was published on the 10th September in the Flying Start, Revised Summary Statistics 2012-2013. Please see Table 1 on page 14 of the bulletin. Please click on the following link:
2)“The actual number of places allocated by WG”. This information is included in the series of tables attached. Please see Table 1. This provides a breakdown of the Cap for each local authority i.e. the target number of children to be provided with Flying Start services.
3)“The numbers of settings run by a) Local Authority b) Third Sector c) Private Sector.”
This information is also included in Table 1
4)Request 5) in your original list. “The amount of capital expenditure for the period 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13 broken down by the number of schemes benefiting per county.” Please see Tables 2a and 2b.
5)In relation to your final request; I can advise that at the time the decision was made the following evaluation reports were available:
a)An interim report - that focused primarily on the implementation and effectiveness of FS, with some consideration of outcomes based on tentative evidence from LAs. Published July 2010.
b)Findings from the baseline survey of families (published December 2011, although findingswere available to WG from April 2011, with a draft report provided to us in October 2011).
c)A synthesis report including evidence from both Cymorth and Flying Start was published in November 2009
I am enclosing some of the information which you requested on the following:
6)Item 6) in your original list. “The total level retained by each LA for the running of the FS programme- the total number staff employed and the total number of hours”. Please see Table 1. We have provided information on the administration costs to the extent that we are able.The Welsh Government does not collect information on the number of staff employed.
7)Item 9) in your original list. “Number of Welsh only settings, Number of Children in each of these settings”. Please see Table 3 for number of settings. The Welsh Government has entered into grant agreements with all local authorities in Wales to deliver the Flying Start programme. Local authorities are required to submit delivery plans to the Welsh Government to set out their delivery of the programme locally. We do not centrally enter into any contracts for delivery in a local authority, and detail of these contracts will be a matter for the local authorities and for which they would need to follow appropriate procurement procedures.The number of children in each of these settings would be covered in the detail of the contracts at local authority level.
I am not able to provide information on the following:
8)Item 4) in your original list. “The unit cost that is allocated per child for each of the setting”. The Welsh Government does not hold this information. Again, the detail of these contracts will be a matter for the local authorities and for which they would need to follow appropriate procurement procedures.
9)Item 10) in your original list. “Number of children with special support needs supported under the scheme on a County level”. We do not collect information about the number of FS children with special support needs and therefore cannot provide this.
Any information released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental Information Regulations 2004 will be listed in the Welsh Government’s Disclosure Log.
If you believe that I have not followed the relevant laws, or you are unhappy with this response, you may request an internal review by writing to:
Kate Cassidy
Director for Children, Young People and Families
Communities and Tackling Poverty
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
When dealing with any concerns, we will follow the principles set out in the Welsh Government’s Code of Practice on Complaints which is available on the Internet at or by post.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. Normally, however, you should pursue the matter through our internal procedure before you complain to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 745
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email:
Also, if you think that there has been maladministration in dealing with your request then you may make a complaint to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales who can be contacted at:
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Fforddyr Hen Gae,
Pencoed,
Bridgend,
CF35 5LJ
Yours sincerely,
Siobhan Eccles
Children, Young People and Families Division
Communities and Tackling Poverty
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
02920826233