Supporting Calderdale Council to uncover the needs of children and families and the strengths and gaps in childcare provision

Children’s health, safety and success is a core part of Calderdale Council’s strategy; the council identified a need for enhanced collaboration, better information sharing, and agreed-upon priorities and outcomes in early years across the region. Calderdale Council aimed to investigate and understand the well-being of children aged 0-5 years and their parents and carers and their experiences of provision in the area.

Approach

Through a combination of focus groups, interviews, and online and face-to-face , Qa engaged more than 700 parents/carers in this research, alongside 70 wider stakeholders in an online workshop event. We also analysed a wide-range of open-data and monitoring data from a range of services, which revealed a deeper level of insight into families, local demographics, strengths, needs, and the performance of providers.

Outcome

The 0-5 year olds needs assessment was used to update the local JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) which looks at the current and future health and care needs of local populations to guide the planning and commissioning of health, well-being and social care services within the area. Insights will be used to inform the development of the local strategy for the early years cohort in Calderdale and improve the experiences of families.

For more information contact:

Becky Gulc Research Manager
becky.gulc@qaresearch.co.uk
01904 632039

Photography: Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash