We are one of the providers of First Aid training for the Early Years sector in the East Midlands and East Anglia. As the initial posting implies, the way courses are set up and funding works varies considerably from one authority to another.
Cambridgeshire works on the basis that settings, or individuals in the case of childminders of course, find a course, pay for it and then forward the receipt to the Early Years Dept and they then receive a refund payment of £50 (currently) towards the cost of the course fee. Normally each setting is allowed two first aid places per year but this has recently, and maybe only temporarily, been increased to three. Cambridgeshire has started to offer "in-house" first aid courses where they are contracting with training companies directly and then advertising the courses to settings etc. who book onto them as required. This started in 2007 I think.
Lincolnshire work very differently. Lincolnshire maintain, arguably "illegally", a list of "approved" training providers and settings are then able to book onto courses arranged by the individual training providers. Lincolnshire, either directly or again as a refund to the setting, will only fund training courses delivered by training providers on their list. A cliche has developed and it is very difficult for a setting to access training with a provider not on the list and very difficult for new providers to get their name on the list - this being what makes it "illegal" I beleive according to local government "openness", "fair trading" and all that!
Rutland, the friendliest of them all, arrange a course programme which is published annually I think, and settings book people free of charge onto those courses. All of the first aid training in their course programme is delivered by one training provider (not us by the way!) but the county will pay for courses with other providers at the request of the setting.
Northamptonshire, different again, I believe maintain a list of "approved" training providers and agree the number of people each provider will train in any year. It is then up to the provider to fill the places they have been allocated and then, presumably, claim the funding from the county. A bit like Lincolnshire a cliche of providers seems to have developed and new providers getting onto the list is nigh on impossible.
Hope that makes sense!
Come back to me if you need any further clarification or I can be of any other assistance.
Mark