Affordable, flexible childcare plan would be a vote winner
Anne Longfield
Monday, July 7, 2014
There is a problem with childcare being so much in the public spotlight. People either become immune to the argument - a kind of "childcare fatigue" - or talk about it so much that we are lulled into a false sense of security that universal childcare is a reality or soon will be.
For those that remember being part of a very small group of campaigners on the outer fringes of party conferences for many years, it is not a bad problem to have. But childcare is far too important an issue for children and families to take anything for granted. Despite the myriad announcements during recent months, many parents do not have any hope of finding the childcare they need and the difficulty increases when a family has more children and less money.
Political parties know how crucial affordable childcare is for families. They also know how important the family vote will be at the general election next year. So will any political party be bold enough to commit to the scale of ambition for childcare needed to claim the electoral prize?
There is no shortage of advice on what affordable universal childcare means - from a joined-up system that parents can understand and find their way around, to one that is clear on expectations and makes a commitment from the state that childcare will be available. The childcare "guarantee" needs to be backed up by a new settlement of cost sharing between parents and the state, which doesn't have to be overcomplicated.
The government has already made decisions over the proportion of childcare cost that the state should pay when setting the forthcoming tax-free childcare scheme at 20 per cent. The principle can be extended until it reaches 30, 40, and 50 per cent – whether it is through free supply side hours or a direct cost subsidy.
Nearly a third of the average full-time wage is consumed by childcare costs – universal childcare needs to bring this amount down dramatically. Scandinavia caps the amount of childcare costs for parents and asks them to pay their contribution at the post office. It is part of everyday life – parents know what to expect and the state enters into partnerships to share the cost. The UK needs to get to the same place.
One of the main challenges in reaching universal childcare in the UK is the starting point. Growth in the childcare system during the past 15 years has been incremental and while new investment is welcome at every stage, it has resulted in a patchy system of component parts that do not work together in any cohesive way.
From out-of-school, neighbourhood nurseries and children's centres to universal places for threeand four-year-olds and now new places for disadvantaged two-year-olds, investment and quality is variable. Sadly, the provision is often unfathomable for parents, with different levels of eligibility and offers that confuse parents at every turn. Despite significant finance from the public purse, families do not yet feel that they live in a country that has a childcare system they can rely on. More places are now available and there is more help with the cost, but childcare still remains a deeply personal matter. While we all benefit when families have the childcare support they need to work, it is families who still pay the price when they don't.
So what should political parties do? The first step is to acknowledge how important it is to offer children the best start and families the support they need to take up work, extend their hours and move out of poverty. Let's remember that most children living in poverty live in households where their parents work. The second step is to commit to a long-term plan to establish a UK childcare system that can deliver affordable, flexible and good quality childcare over a 10- to 15-year period.
In practice, this means bringing the different budgets for childcare together. It means increasing the number of free hours for threeand four-year-olds to at least 25 a week and extending free places for two-year-olds to the same, as well as offering support for children in their second year. It means providing access to free childcare hours for school-age children in schools and in the community after school and during school holidays. And it means investing in quality to ensure the best outcomes for children.
More places are needed in disadvantaged areas, which is where children's centres come in – restarting and extending the childcare that has been wound down. The children's centre can also have a central role in co-ordinating childcare in an area, forming a childcare hub to make finding and organising childcare straightforward.
These are the steps required to give the UK the childcare system it needs for the 21st century. It will take further investment, but the Treasury can take comfort from the fact that most of this is already being paid for. Extending the investment, co-ordinating how it is spent into one system and providing the leadership and commitment to parents that the state will guarantee childcare is available is all that it will take.
The prize for such a bold commitment could be felt in the ballot box next year throughout the land. As we approach the general election in 2015, which political party can afford to say no?
Anne Longfield OBE is chief executive of 4Children.