Education authorities, under section 50(1) of the 2014 Act, must at least once every two years consult with persons who appear to be representative of parents of children under school age in their area about how they should make early learning and childcare available.

To this end, we have prepared a consultation to obtain the views of parents/carers who currently access ELC provision, or will do so in the future.

Consultation on the delivery of early learning and childcare provides an opportunity for parents to share their views on models, flexibility, types of setting where they wish to access their child's early learning and childcare (for example, across public, private, third and childminding settings) and systems of choice so that parents can inform options on offer and education authorities can develop systems to allocate options.

The aim is to deliver high-quality early learning and childcare that meets a range of needs. It also provides the opportunity for realising every child's right to express their views and be heard, either directly or through a representative or appropriate body (Article 12 of the UNCRC – Respect for the views of the child).