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Support for Childcare Business and Governance

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How well do you know your childcare business?

How sustainable is it?
How healthy is it?
Do you know its legal structure?
Do you have personal liability?
What are your responsibilities with regard to Ofsted?
What are your employer/employee responsibilities?
Do you know your legal responsibilities with regard to:

  • Companies House
  • Charity Commission
  • HMRC
  • Data Protection
  • Safeguarding children

Support your childcare business

SWOT analysis 

A SWOT analysis is a simple but useful framework for analysing your organisation's Strengths and Weaknesses and the Opportunities and Threats that you face. It helps you focus on your strengths, minimise threats and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you.

Cash flow forecasting    

Cash flow forecasting is a key aspect of the financial management of a business, planning its future cash requirements to avoid a crisis. Identify potential shortfalls in cash balances in advance - think of the cash flow forecast as an 'early warning system'. This is, by far, the most important reason for a cash flow forecast.

See Sustainability / Legal for a template. 

Business health check

A business health check measures how your business is performing and helps you determine where you need to focus your resources to achieve the most impact staffing and management issues that are restricting growth-specific areas, action plans, and sources of support for business improvement.

Business plan

A business plan is a formal statement of business goals, reasons they are attainable, and plans for reaching them. It may also contain background information about the organisation or team attempting to reach those goals.

The legal structure is the legal definition of your childcare business, e.g.:

  • Unincorporated charity,
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO),
  • Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG),
  • Community Interest Company (CIC),
  • School run (Section 27, academy run),
  • School run (Maintained),
  • Sole Trader,
  • Limited Company (LTD).

Understanding your legal structure and the roles and responsibilities of the management board is essential for future sustainability and to limit personal liability.

Organisation structure

An organisation structure is a system used to define a hierarchy within an organisation. It identifies each job, its function, and where it reports within the organisation.

What is the risk?

Date risk identified

Impact on the business

Planned action and date to mitigate, reduce or remove risk

Date completed/reviewed/by whom

Parents are paying for less additional hours and services

Lower occupancy

Need less staff

Lower income

Not breaking even

Threat of closure

1. Market research to establish preference changes since COVID-19.

2. Look at alternative models of delivery.

3. Consider offering places for funded two-year-olds

4. Develop a marketing plan to reach families and fill vacancies

See Sustainability / Legal for our award-winning business sustainability tool, which has been fully updated for 2023 with Cambridgeshire Funding rates and changes to the National Living Wage.

Contact

Alison Morris - Lead Early Years Governance and Business Adviser

Email: alison.morris@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Telephone: 01223 507 119