Call for more childcare support for parents in the capital
Janaki Mahadevan
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Parents in London would benefit from local networks of out-of-hours childcare providers and a loan scheme to cover the upfront cost of provision, London Assembly members have been told.
At a meeting of the London Assembly’s health and public services committee, members were told about barriers parents face when attempting to access childcare in the capital.
Organisations giving evidence at the session said families in London are more reliant on formal childcare than those living in other parts of the UK and face above average costs.
Vidhya Alakeson, research and strategy director at think-tank Resolution Foundation, said a loan schemes that would allow parents to cover fees paid in advance to secure a nursery or childminder place could help make childcare more affordable for families.
Daycare Trust chief executive Anand Shukla added that a scheme that matches parents with registered childminders and nursery staff willing to look after children between 6am and 11pm, usually in the child’s own home, should be replicated across the capital.
Victoria Borwick, chair of the London Assembly committee said: "London families face a difficult situation when trying to find quality childcare that they can afford and meets their needs, especially those who work outside normal office hours. For families with more than one child, childcare can also be particularly challenging and difficult to organise.
"We need to look at all options to see if the situation can be improved because, for parents, finding quality childcare at the right cost is key to being able to return to work if they wish to do so."
The Social Market Foundation is currently developing proposals for a childcare loans scheme where parents would be offered low-interest loans to pay for childcare and pay back the money on a monthly basis from parents' salaries once their earnings move above a certain threshold, in a model similar to that of student loans.
As part of its childcare investigation the health and public services committee held a meeting earlier this year with childcare experts and is currently surveying London families. It has also gathered views and evidence from providers. The final report of the committee is due to be published early next year.
