PARENTS ON LOW-INCOMES OR WORKING ‘UNSTABLE’ HOURS ARE FORCED TO USE POORER QUALITY SETTINGS, A CHARITY WARNS.

nursewithelderyman1229-460x306

A new report by Citizen’s Advice reveals self-employed parents or those in jobs with ‘irregular hours’ face restrictions to securing high-quality childcare.

The report, ‘The practicalities of childcare: an overlooked part of the puzzle‘, is based on a survey of 400 childcare providers across the country. Survey questions were developed in response to 700 consumer enquiries about childcare in one year, which commonly related to notice periods and retainer fees.

Citizens Advice found that outstanding and good settings needed more notice to change childcare arrangements than lower quality settings, which it says is a problem for parents who work outside of normal hours, do shifts or work unreliable hours and need to be able to change their childcare hours.

More than 75 per cent of outstanding nurseries and childminders, and around 65 per cent of good settings said they required a month or more notice to change arrangements. Read full article…