Purpose

That Cabinet endorses the Surrey Best Start Local Plan as the strategic framework for improving early years outcomes.

Decision

RESOLVED:

1. That Cabinet endorses the Surrey Best Start Local Plan as the strategic framework for improving early years outcomes in Surrey, recognising that the Plan is a working document that will continue to be developed and refined.
2. That Cabinet agrees to delegate authority for the Executive Director of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (CFLL), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for CFLL and Chairman of the CFLLC Select Committee, to continue to develop and refine the Plan overseen through the multi-agency Best Start in Life Board and to allocate funding from the Best Start Family Hub and Healthy Babies grant to include commissioned services and agree all associated contracts to support delivery of the plan.
3. That Cabinet acknowledges Surrey’s early years targets, set by the Department of Education (DfE) based on the current attainment levels:

·         80% of all children achieving a Good Level of Development (an increase of 5.9%).

·         53.4% of children eligible for Free School Meals achieving a Good Level of Development (an increase of 7.3%).

The evidence-based approach and improvements set out in this paper are essential to support delivery against the target, recognising that it represents a stretched ambition.

REASONS FOR DECISIONS:

Surrey’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy identifies the early years as a critical period for reducing inequalities and improving lifelong outcomes. The government led Best Start in Lifeprogramme requires all local authorities to develop a Local Plan that:

·          Integrates health, public health, early education and childcare, early help and community services

·          Establishes a Family Hub network offering universal and targeted services

·          Improves child development outcomes, including progress toward the national Good Level of Development ambition

·          Strengthens prevention and early intervention

Cabinet approval will mean that the grant can be allocated and used in line with the guidance issued by DfE, the key elements of which are outlined in this paper.  Without agreeing to the allocation of the grant in this way, SCC will be unable to fulfil the requirements to expand early childhood outcomes, parent support and home learning and meet the required targets.

The Best Start Local Plan builds on Surrey’s existing strengths while addressing gaps in access, consistency and community reach. The Local Plan is a working document that will be reviewed and revised as work is completed and priorities change. The Local Plan has been written with Local Government Reorganisation in mind. The population and the early education and childcare data have been laid out for the new authority footprints. The hub locations have also been selected based on the new geographies, so that there is at least one hub per authority on vesting day.

(The decisions on this item can be called-in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee)