Childcare is something most families must deal with one way or another, whether by choosing to use outside childcare or providing it yourself at home, and recently you might have seen it being debated in the news.
The UK government is proposing to make some changes to the legal ratio of adults to children allowed in childcare and childminder settings in England. They have now launched a consultation which anyone can respond to with opinions or evidence as to why they should or shouldn’t go ahead with the change.
You can see and take part in the consultation until the 16th September 2022, and we would encourage everyone to have a say in this important issue, as childcare has such a huge impact on families and especially the children spending time there.
The change to ratios that the consultation proposes will be to increase the adult to child ratio for two-year-olds in nurseries to one adult to five children (currently the rule is to have one adult present for every four children aged two), and to allow childminders to look after one more child under five years old than they can under current rules.
The government has suggested the change in ratios may reduce the cost of care for parents, however childcare providers have highlighted that there is no guarantee that families would therefore see a reduction in price, as any additional income may well be used to increase wages for the staff taking on extra work if the ratio is increased, for example. A survey by the Early Years Alliance showed that around nine out of ten providers were against the change, and only 2% would be able to reduce fees as a result of making the change.[1]
Many parent groups as well as childcare providers have expressed concerns about the impact the change could have on safety and care for children who have already been impacted by lockdowns in their experience of childcare.
The charity Pregnant then Screwed have been collecting data and petitioning against the change, highlighting that the comparisons the government makes between the ratios in England and countries who already allow for one to five ratios for two-year-olds (such as Norway and Scotland) are not comparable due to the very different ways that childcare is staffed and run.[2]
However you approach childcare, if you want to have your say on the changes you can head over to the link below to read more and respond to the consultation.
Read the full consultation document and respond to the online survey here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/childcare-futures-unit/childcare-regulatory-changes/
As part of their focus on childcare, the government is also planning to better promote the schemes that already exist to help with childcare costs. This includes the Tax-Free Childcare scheme (which can save you up to £2000 per year on childcare fees if you qualify) and the support available for parents who claim universal credit. If you want to find out more about either of these schemes, take a look at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ to see what support your family might be eligible for.
References:
[1] View the findings from the Early Years Alliance survey of childcare providers here: ‘Nurseries reject plan to relax ratios and warn it won’t lower childcare costs, new survey exclusively reveals’
[2] See the statement from Pregnant then Screwed about the consultation here: ‘Maternity discrimination charity pregnant then screwed utterly baffled at government childcare proposals’