Childcare Act 2006

Childcare Act 2006 ^[1]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision about the powers and duties of local authorities and other bodies in England in relation to the improvement of the well-being of young children; to make provision about the powers and duties of local authorities in England and Wales in relation to the provision of childcare and the provision of information to parents and other persons; to make provision about the regulation and inspection of childcare provision in England; to amend Part 10A of the Children Act 1989 in relation to Wales; and for connected purposes.
Citation	2006 c 21
Territorial extent	England and Wales, except that any amendment or repeal made by this Act has the same extent as the provision amended or repealed. [2]
Dates
Royal assent	11 July 2006
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Childcare Act 2006 (c 21) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Summary

The Act defines new duties for local authorities with respect to:

• improving the Every Child Matters outcomes for pre-school children
• childcare for working parents
• parental information services

Structure of the Act

The Act comprises 4 sections:

• Part 1 - duties on local authorities in England
• Part 2 - duties on local authorities in Wales
• Part 3 - regulation and inspection arrangements for childcare providers in England
• Part 4 - general provisions

Provisions

The act established a reformed legal framework for regulation and inspection of all early years settings. ^[3]

The act requires local authorities to provide sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents with regards to those with disabled children or those on low incomes. ^[4]

Early Years Foundation Stage

Sections 39-48 introduce the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which supports the delivery of high quality education and care for children from birth to age 5.

Reception

While broadly supporting the original version of the bill, the children's charities 4Children, the Daycare Trust, the National Childminding Association and the Pre-School criticised the lack of provisions for unemployed individuals. ^[5]

Section 109 - Commencement

The following orders have been made under this section:

• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/3360 (C. 121))
• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 2 and Savings and Transitional Provisions) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/1019 (C. 41))
• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provision) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/2717 (C. 106))
• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/785 (C. 35))
• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 5 and Savings and Transitional Provisions) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/2261 (C. 101))
• The Childcare Act 2006 (Commencement No. 1) (Wales) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/17 (W. 6))

References

1. The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 111(1) of this Act.
2. The Childcare Act 2006, sections 111(2) and (3)
3. "New duties for councils will be key to the Childcare Bill". Community Care. 25 November 2005. Archived from the original on 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
4. "Childcare Bill published". Community Care. 9 November 2005. Archived from the original on 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
5. "Charities join forces to amend childcare bill". Community Care. 6 December 2005. Archived from the original on 11 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.

External links

• Every Child Matters