Budget 2010 - Improving out of school care

The Government is investing $4.3 million over four years to improve out of school care (OSCAR) options for families as part of the Future Focus package announced earlier this year.

Government funding for OSCAR grants and subsidies totals around $43 million per year.  The extra $4.3 million will fund new demand for subsidies anticipated from changes to the supervision requirements for OSCAR programmes.  It is expected that after four years more than 625 extra children will be receiving OSCAR subsidies.

Currently two adults are required to be present at all times in any approved OSCAR facility.  This supervision will reduce to one adult.  This will support more home-based care arrangements to receive OSCAR approval, and allow families greater flexibility in their out of school care arrangements.

The OSCAR standards and approvals system is now six years old in New Zealand and it's timely to revisit the requirements.  The current process for OSCAR providers to be approved so that they can access grants and subsidy funding is resource intensive and time consuming for all parties.

For example, to gain OSCAR programme approval, the health and safety standard alone requires providers to meet 16 requirements and develop 13 written policies.  This is on top of existing legislative requirements.

The Government wants to make it simpler for providers to be approved and wants more options for parents.  Over the coming year, work on the standards and approvals system will simplify the requirements while continuing to support child safety in out of school care programmes.