Number of formal and informal parenting courses taken up and percentage completed, by local authority

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [t] = total, [z] = not applicable.

Data values	Data description	Local Authority	Year	Type of course
3,503 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2017-18	Formal structured courses
5,514 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2017-18	Informal structered courses
3,600 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2018-19	Formal structured courses
6,274 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2018-19	Informal structered courses
3,370 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2019-20	Formal structured courses
5,846 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2019-20	Informal structered courses
508 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2020-21	Formal structured courses
1,394 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2020-21	Informal structered courses
1,367 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2021-22	Formal structured courses
2,896 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2021-22	Informal structered courses
2,298 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2022-23	Formal structured courses
5,287 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2022-23	Informal structered courses
1,910 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2023-24	Formal structured courses
3,925 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2023-24	Informal structered courses
1,577 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2024-25	Formal structured courses
4,267 [t]	Places taken up on courses	Wales	2024-25	Informal structered courses
45	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2017-18	Formal structured courses
188	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2017-18	Informal structered courses
30	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2018-19	Formal structured courses
165	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2018-19	Informal structered courses
55	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2019-20	Formal structured courses
130	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2019-20	Informal structered courses
13	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2020-21	Formal structured courses
28	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2020-21	Informal structered courses
21	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2021-22	Formal structured courses
17	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2021-22	Informal structered courses
15	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2022-23	Formal structured courses
72	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2022-23	Informal structered courses
20	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2023-24	Formal structured courses
73	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2023-24	Informal structered courses
13	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2024-25	Formal structured courses
79	Places taken up on courses	Isle of Anglesey	2024-25	Informal structered courses
140	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2017-18	Formal structured courses
335	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2017-18	Informal structered courses
104	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2018-19	Formal structured courses
320	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2018-19	Informal structered courses
55	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2019-20	Formal structured courses
278	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2019-20	Informal structered courses
15	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2020-21	Formal structured courses
10	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2020-21	Informal structered courses
28	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2021-22	Formal structured courses
99	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2021-22	Informal structered courses
62	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2022-23	Formal structured courses
340	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2022-23	Informal structered courses
80	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2023-24	Formal structured courses
118	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2023-24	Informal structered courses
49	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2024-25	Formal structured courses
89	Places taken up on courses	Gwynedd	2024-25	Informal structered courses
98	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2017-18	Formal structured courses
39	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2017-18	Informal structered courses
94	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2018-19	Formal structured courses
48	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2018-19	Informal structered courses
85	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2019-20	Formal structured courses
50	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2019-20	Informal structered courses
6	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2020-21	Formal structured courses
0 [z]	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2020-21	Informal structered courses
5	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2021-22	Formal structured courses
10	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2021-22	Informal structered courses
17	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2022-23	Formal structured courses
32	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2022-23	Informal structered courses
37	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2023-24	Formal structured courses
53	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2023-24	Informal structered courses
40	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2024-25	Formal structured courses
84	Places taken up on courses	Conwy	2024-25	Informal structered courses
50	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2017-18	Formal structured courses
243	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2017-18	Informal structered courses
22	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2018-19	Formal structured courses
307	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2018-19	Informal structered courses
31	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2019-20	Formal structured courses
204	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2019-20	Informal structered courses
5	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2020-21	Formal structured courses
0 [z]	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2020-21	Informal structered courses
20	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2021-22	Formal structured courses
19	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2021-22	Informal structered courses
20	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2022-23	Formal structured courses
99	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2022-23	Informal structered courses
12	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2023-24	Formal structured courses
120	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2023-24	Informal structered courses
18	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2024-25	Formal structured courses
163	Places taken up on courses	Denbighshire	2024-25	Informal structered courses
148	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2017-18	Formal structured courses
51	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2017-18	Informal structered courses
237	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2018-19	Formal structured courses
78	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2018-19	Informal structered courses
188	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2019-20	Formal structured courses
88	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2019-20	Informal structered courses
75	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2020-21	Formal structured courses
26	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2020-21	Informal structered courses
99	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2021-22	Formal structured courses
32	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2021-22	Informal structered courses
178	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2022-23	Formal structured courses
201	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2022-23	Informal structered courses
31	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2023-24	Formal structured courses
180	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2023-24	Informal structered courses
32	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2024-25	Formal structured courses
151	Places taken up on courses	Flintshire	2024-25	Informal structered courses
21	Places taken up on courses	Wrexham	2017-18	Formal structured courses
116	Places taken up on courses	Wrexham	2017-18	Informal structered courses
51	Places taken up on courses	Wrexham	2018-19	Formal structured courses
150	Places taken up on courses	Wrexham	2018-19	Informal structered courses

Showing 1 to 100 of 1,104 rows

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Main information

• Most recent update: 8 October 2025
• Next update expected: October 2026
• Designation: Official statistics
• Data provider: Welsh Government
• Data source: Flying Start data monitoring returns
• Time period covered: April 2017 to March 2025

Data notes

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  Flying Start is the Welsh Government early years programme delivered by local authorities in Wales. It is aimed at improving outcomes for families with children under 4 years of age in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Wales.

  Expansion of all four elements of Flying Start began in September 2022, it included: funded part-time, high-quality childcare for 2 year olds; parenting support; enhanced health visitor support; and support for speech, language and communication.

  Every family with a Flying Start eligible child must be offered formal parenting support every year. In addition to the formal parenting offer, other parenting support may be delivered. This may include informal parenting support, bespoke enhanced one-to-one sessions and informal drop-in sessions, depending on need. Formal and informal structured courses are defined as those with a structured curriculum and a set start and end date.

• Data collection or calculation:

  The main source of data used in this statistical release is management information collected via the Welsh Government Flying Start Data Monitoring Return directly from local authorities. This data collection started in April 2012 to March 2013.

  Further information on data sources and changes to Flying Start service provision because of the pandemic are detailed in the quality report

• Statistical quality:

  Data from 2020-21 and 2021-22 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In years prior to the pandemic, in general only face-to-face contacts were recorded as Flying Start contacts. Welsh Government guidance issued in June 2021 stated that, as a general rule any targeted activity conducted via different means during the pandemic (i.e. virtual contacts through Skype or Whatsapp) should be recorded in the same way as face-to-face contacts were recorded previously. The guidance also stated that local authorities should exercise their professional judgement when determining if a virtual contact was meaningful enough to be recorded. Local authorities have provided additional feedback on how services were affected in 2021-22, and these included:

  • some parenting and speech, language and communication (SLC) programmes were either not run or not able to be completed
  • some childcare sessions had low attendance due to continued parental concern over COVID-19
  • some parents chose not to take-up childcare which they may have accepted prior to the pandemic
  • some Flying Start staff would have been self-isolating, shielding or unwell which affected the service offered
  • some contacts recorded as face-to-face contacts may have taken place over the phone or virtually. These factors need to be considered when using data for 2021-22. Services in 2022-23 were also affected by the pandemic. Whilst the enforced restrictions and adaptions to service delivery seen in 2021-22 were not seen in 2022-23, there may still have been some disruption caused by localised outbreaks of the virus. Furthermore, some of the virtual delivery of Parenting courses, SLC and health visitor services was retained as part of programme delivery for 2022-23 either due to personal choice or because it was deemed to be an effective means of reaching some families depending on individual circumstances. Caution is therefore advised when comparing data from 2022-23 with pre-pandemic figures.

  Health Visiting in Rhondda Cynon Taf: Rhondda Cynon Taf are piloting a new health visiting model which means that data between 2020-21 and 2023-24 are collected on a different basis to previous years. This may mean that any differences between previous years and any differences with other local authority areas may be due to the different service provision model. Therefore, caution is advised when comparing Rhondda Cynon Taf data with previous years and when comparing with other local authorities in 2022-23.

• Related reports:
  • Flying Start statistical bulletin
  • Flying Start quality report

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: stats.healthinfo@gov.wales

Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.