The Project
Bradford Early Years and Childcare Service (BEYCS) commissioned Enventure to carry out consultation with parents on its draft Childcare Sufficiency Assessment. The draft included Area Profiles detailing whether sufficient childcare was available in different parts of the district and our research aimed in particular to see if parents’ perceptions of childcare provision matched those set out in the draft profiles.
Research Methods
Enventure conducted a programme of quantitative and qualitative research with parents of children in the profiled areas. This included 14 in-depth interviews in people’s homes, seven focus groups at Children’s Centres & pre-schools, and a street survey involving 564 interviews.
“Enventure was given a very tight brief and extremely short timescale to carry out the consultation and deliver a report. We found Enventure to be very professional and understood the government agenda on assessing sufficient childcare. Enventure delivered within the timescale and we are very satisfied with the results. Aspects of the final report have been used to contribute to our published plan.”
Theresa Littlewood, Childcare Development and Advisory Manager, BEYCS
Results
Enventure provided in-depth feedback & analysis detailing where parents agreed with the Area Profiles and where their perceptions of childcare provision differed. Research also identified issues such as parent’s awareness of different types of childcare and the facilities available, their knowledge of free childcare entitlement and factors that might have led to contradictory responses within an area.
Benefits to Client
The findings from the research were used to modify and improve the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment document by ensuring that the Area Profiles reflected parents’ perceptions of childcare.
Download a PDF of the Bradford Council Childcare Sufficiency Assessment