Accelerating quality, affordable childcare for all in Africa

Childcare Legal, Policy and Regulatory Reform Technical Working Group (PRR TWG)

This Childcare Legal, Policy and Regulatory Reforms Technical Working Group (PRR – TWG) is Uthabiti Africa’s way of putting the much-required emphasis and focus on creating an enabling environment for childcare to thrive; it is a tool to enable the Collaborative Action for Childcare delivers its vision to accelerate equitable, quality and affordable Childcare for all in the country.

The PRR – TWG is one of the 4 TWGs set up under the Collaborative Action for Childcare (CAC) specifically to advance immediate policy and regulatory reforms that would benefit children and their carers while creating the foundation for longer-term legal reforms that will provide better care for children under five – and their carers.

More specifically, the PRR-TWG advocates for initiatives that are co-designed, sharing of information and lessons learnt while catalyzing actors support towards government vision for children. In turn, these efforts will increase effectiveness and short-circuit legal and policy reform processes in the country.

There is an urgent need for policy reforms to incorporate childcare into policies for better resourcing, more informed forecasting and increased visibility of all aspects of childcare. We recognize the value of practical policies and regulations in accelerating the achievement of quality and affordable childcare for all and also the great impact that collaboration can have in catalyzing policy processes in Kenya to improve the delivery of
quality and affordable childcare for all children.

Role

The Childcare Legal, Policy and Regulatory Reforms-TWG encourages and incentivizes working together among partners and emphasizes practical and strategic commitments to accelerating policy and regulatory reforms affecting children under 5 in Kenya. The PRR- TWG enables the coordination of policy and regulatory reforms-related activities in the country and aligns to the vision of the Collaborative Action for Childcare (CAC) to accelerate equitable, quality and affordable Childcare for all in the country. Additionally, the PRR-TWG may propose, recommend and/or raise resources in promotion of its objectives.

Further, the PRR-TWG is mandated to undertake the following:

  • Support Uthabiti Africa in the preparation and organizing of Annual Childcare National Policy Conferences on Childcare as from 2022.
  • Support the development of the PRR-TWG workplans
  • Contribute to the review of publications of knowledge documents emerging from childcare work and published by member agencies
  • Facilitate and, when appropriate, coordinate national Policy and Legal Reforms initiatives.
  • Support and work alongside government departments, particularly the Council of Governors, relevant ministries and County Governments to develop and achieve their objectives
  • Support the advocacy for children under 5 and their carers, including dissemination of research reports, conference reports and policy briefs
  • Provide expert knowledge and practical experience of Childcare-related reporting.
  • Create and provide a collaborative and supportive platform for knowledge exchange, information and experience sharing to mutually reinforce best policy practices among actors.
  • Facilitate and coordinate efforts to promote collaborative action on policy and regulatory reforms when appropriate and agreed.
  • Jointly fundraise for and implement activities related to policy and regulatory reforms at county and national level
  • Broaden stakeholder engagement in enhancing childcare services and programs. Represent the sector on policy and regulatory reform conversations involving external stakeholders

Membership

The TWG consists of organizations working in or interested in working in childcare. These includes representatives from national and county government, Council of Governors, research agencies, childcare enterprises and other institutions that play an active role in enhancing a legal childcare operating environment. The PRR TWG additionally hosts members of the other 3 Technical Working Groups (Special Needs and Inclusion, Women in Childcare and Maternal Child Health) from time to time when discussing specific issues touching on the said thematic areas.