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Why parents need more help with childcare

27 February 2012

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children, said:

Anne Longfield OBEParents are finding themselves trapped in a double whammy of needing more help with childcare because finances are tight at the same time that government is reducing its own spending in this area.  The result is a cocktail of stress, juggling childcare and for some the difficult decision of giving up work. Helping them through these difficult times has to be a priority – locally and nationally – and this is why we are now carrying out our annual Children’s Centre Census.

“Just as worrying is the picture painted of a postcode lottery with more than half of local authorities saying that parents had reported a lack of childcare places – something that needs to be urgently overcome in view of the government’s plan to roll out free childcare for 40% of 2 year olds over the next few years. The research suggests that many local authorities will have increase their investment to make the scheme a success.

“Sure Start Children’s Centres provide some of the most affordable, best quality childcare, and protecting the Sure Start network is certainly part of the key to the puzzle. 4Children's Give Me Strength campaign is focused on getting Government and the whole of society to work together to prevent family crisis."

Notes to Editors

The national charity, 4Children – which provides the secretariat to the Sure Start All Party Parliamentary Group – will carry out a Children’s Centre Census to survey all centres in England and will ask questions about the number and type of staff they employ; the number of childcare places they provide; the mix between universal and targeted services and about the extent to which they charge for services. The results will allow 4Children to track changes in service provision including the impact of reduced funding.
The Sure Start APPG will be holding its next session on Wednesday 29th February 2012 to discuss the current position of Sure Start Children’s Centres across England. The Group will be inviting the Minister for Children and Families, Sarah Teather, to hear the views of the Department for Education on the direction of travel for the sector, and their role in ensuring that children are appropriately provided for under the new arrangements. Additionally, the APPG will be presenting its interim report on Sure Start delivery since the election. The session will also be hearing from representatives from 4Children, Action for Children and the Children’s Society.

Details of the session are as follows:
Date: 29th February 2011
Time: 3-5pm
Location: House of Commons, Committee Room 15

http://www.4children.org.uk/Page/APPG-on-Sure-Start-Childrens-Centres

Sure Start
  • As of 8 September 2011, there were 3,507 children's centres in England.[i]
  • There has been a reduction of 124 children's centres between April 2010 and September 2011. [ii]
  • In 2011 it was estimated that 250 (7%) sure start centres were to close or were expected to close, affecting an estimated 60,000 families. [iii]
  • In 2011 it was estimated that 2,000 (56%) centres would provide a reduced service. [iv]
  • In 2011 it was estimated 3,100 (86%) centres would have a decreased budget. [v]
  • In 2011 it was estimated staff at 1,000 centres (28%) had been issued with ‘at risk of redundancy' notices.[vi]

Childcare
  • In the UK, a household with two earners will spend 27 per cent of their family income on childcare, the second highest rate in the OECD. [vii]
  • The cost of childcare for a child aged 2 years and over has increased by 4.8 per cent since 2010[viii].
  • There is a net return to the government of £20,050 (over four years) in terms of tax revenue minus the cost of childcare for every woman who returns to full-time employment after one year of maternity leave.[ix]
  • Nearly 70% of all working parents work ‘atypical’ hours [x]
  • Cuts to childcare element of working tax credits:
  • It is estimated that families will, on average, lose £436 a year as a result of the reduction in the amount families can claim from working tax credits 80 to 70 per cent. [xi]
  • 50% will be forced to stop working or significantly reduce their working hours as a result of cuts in the level of support for childcare costs[xii]
  • 68% of parents said that they will have to make significant adjustments to their childcare arrangements in response to these changes.
  • 27% will have to rely on more informal care from family and friends to cover for the shortfall

A recent report by Channel 4 News revealed huge anomalies in the budget figures provided to the Department for Education by councils to show their spending on Children’s Centres (Section 251 reports) and published on the DfE website. Brent, Newham and Brighton & Hove were among councils that admitted the figures were inaccurate – in one case by more than by £10million. A DfE spokesman admitted the numbers were not very accurate and said they must be treated with caution, describing them as a snapshot.

http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/how-dodgy-stats-could-decide-our-childrens-future/8400

For further information, please email Attila Kulcsar at attila.kulcsar@4children.org.uk or  call 020 7522 6919 mobile 07917542464.
(Or if unavailable then get in touch with ilana.rapaport@4children.org.uk on 0207 522 6928 / 07917870641)

 

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[i] Oral Question, House of Lords, 14 Nov 2011, Column 444
[ii] Oral Question, House of Lords, 14 Nov 2011, Column 444
[iii] http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/pages/250-sure-start-childrens-centres-face-closure-within-a-year.html
[iv] http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/pages/250-sure-start-childrens-centres-face-closure-within-a-year.html
[v] http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/pages/250-sure-start-childrens-centres-face-closure-within-a-year.html
[vi] http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/pages/250-sure-start-childrens-centres-face-closure-within-a-year.html
[vii] http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2011/12/making-the-case-for-universal-childcare_Dec2011_8382.pdf
[viii] Daycare Trust 2011)
[ix] http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2011/12/making-the-case-for-universal-childcare_Dec2011_8382.pdf p.9
[x] (Childcare: failing to meet the needs of working parents Vidhya Alakeson: 17th June 2011)
[xi] The Resolution Foundation (2010)
[xii] survey carried by Netmums in partnership with Resolution Foundation which surveyed A survey of 2, 000 working mothers, published no 15 March 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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