29 July 2003 - Children just want to chill out Children say they would rather be at a friend's house or on the streets or just at home than taking part in organised activities during the summer holiday. They look forward to "being with friends" and "just hanging around". The least popular haunts would be youth clubs - but they are all in favour of "chill out rooms". These are among the findings of a survey of more than 2,000 seven to 15 year olds across the UK carried out last month by Save the Children and British Gas. BEST PLACES TO BE: friend's house 51%; at home 38%; the street 38%; leisure/sports centres 20%; youth clubs 10%. What they valued most was being with their friends and having the freedom to do what they wanted, away from adults. Save the Children says policy makers should aim to reflect that sense of independence when providing facilities aimed at youngsters. HANGING AROUND – DISLIKES: nothing to do 36%; gangs 34%; too many drugs/drunks 34%; too much traffic 24%; no money 23%. The survey suggests the children themselves are open to consultation. Half of the younger boys, in particular, felt they did have the power to improve things. But young people clearly also find "the street" could be a threatening or at least unpleasant place in terms of gangs, drugs and traffic. They mentioned a range of things they would like to see in their local areas. Some of the most common requests were for football pitches, swimming pools closer to where they lived, skateboarding parks and bike tracks, and safe places to hang out without being hassled by adults. Source www.bbc.co.uk/news 28 July 2003 - Information about complaints in childcare Warning over 'hidden' pre-school complaints Parents of pre-school children are being left uninformed, a report says. Parents will "lose faith" in pre-school education unless they start being told when complaints have been made against carers, MPs have warned. Under the current system, inspectors cannot publicise investigations unless there is an "overriding public interest" in doing so - such as extreme physical risk to children - or unless care providers themselves give permission. The education watchdog Ofsted said the law prohibited it from doing otherwise. But Barry Sheerman, chairman of the Commons education committee, told BBC News Online this attitude was too "pedestrian" and that a more "robust" one was needed. In its report on Ofsted, the committee says holding back information could cause parents to "lose faith in both the providers and the system of inspection". Mr Sheerman said: "We heard of a child who was rushed to hospital from a daycare centre when she started projectile vomiting. "She had fallen out of a high-chair and was showing the classic signs of concussion. If someone wanted to hide that sort of thing, they could. It should be on the record. If a change in the law is required, it should be brought forward as soon as possible.” "It's difficult to learn from your mistakes when they are kept quiet." Ofsted has received 10,500 complaints about childcare providers since it started inspecting the pre-school sector in 2001. Of the complaints, around a quarter were about the suitability of the person doing the job. Inspectors have issued 345 enforcement actions, a third of them against childminders who had acted illegally. David Bell, the chief inspector of schools in England, told the committee that Ofsted's duty was to publish lists of registered childcare providers and the findings of regular inspections. In law, a "duty of confidentiality" prevented complaints about registered suppliers being made public without their permission, he added. The committee's report recommends: "If a change in the law is required, it should be brought forward as soon as possible." An Ofsted spokesman said: "Ofsted is working with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to address the situation where providers do not need to give such information. "We expect new proposals will be out for consultation in the autumn." A DfES spokeswoman added: "It is important that parents can have confidence in their childcare arrangements. "Ofsted has recently initiated a procedure for voluntary disclosure of information about complaints against childcare providers. "We welcome this initiative as a positive response to the real concerns of parents who have complained to Ofsted and want more information about the outcome of their investigation. "If consent is not given, Ofsted will require new powers in order to disclose this type of information. We are currently looking at options as to how to take this forward with due reference to Data Protection Act and human rights legislation." Adapted from www.bbc.co.uk/news 18 July 2003 - Childcare Tax Credit Fraud Fears Nursery owners in Scotland are warning that the government's new child care tax credit is being widely abused. The Working Tax Credit scheme allows families to claim up to £7,000 a year towards child care. But since it came into effect in April, nurseries have reported an increase in "phantom bookings". Nurseries suspect many parents are simply trying to get the necessary information to cheat the system - and have called for tighter regulation. The Inland Revenue is warning fraudsters it will be making checks with childcare providers. However, it said there were no plans to review the system in the wake of the claims. Leslie Beber, owner of the Little Acorns nursery in Portobello, said fraudulent claims were a growing problem. Under the old system, nursery owners or child minders had to fill in part of the application form to confirm childcare was being provided. But since April it has been up to parents to provide the necessary information. Leslie Beber said: "What we have noticed is quite a lot of people making applications to come to the nursery, and then not appearing. "In one or two instances I attempted to phone the prospective parents but discovered, of course, that the phone number was a fictitious one. "In good faith we accept those bookings that are put into the system and take up a place - then genuine parents come along and in many cases we have to turn them away. "It's happening in Glasgow, Inverness - everywhere, and it's a big problem." A spokesman for the Inland Revenue said there were no plans to review the system. He said: "We expect people who make a claim to us to provide us with accurate information. "We do check claims and undertake checks with childcare providers so if we do come across instances where this is being abused, we would certainly follow up on that. "We have a set system and to change that system would be a matter for ministers to undertake." Source: bbb.co.uk/news