A report raised concerns of a 'gap in care', caused by the increasing number of grandmothers who had responsibility for looking after grandchildren and who would also have to work until 67, following the coalition government's announcement of changes to the state pension age.
Source: Sarah Wellard, Doing It All? Grandparents, childcare and employment: An analysis of British Social Attitudes Survey data from 1998 and 2009, Grandparents Plus
Links: Report | Grandparents Plus press release | Nursery World report
Date: 2011-Dec
A think-tank report said that 1 million women were 'missing' from the workforce because childcare provision and family policies failed to match those of other developed countries. The problem was caused by a lack of funding for childcare, unbalanced parental leave, and the way in which tax credits and allowances did not sufficiently encourage women to return to work. Living standards would be improved, particularly for families on low-to-middle incomes, if more women were in work.
Source: James Plunkett, The Missing Million: The potential for female employment to raise living standards in low to middle income Britain, Resolution Foundation
Links: Report | Resolution Foundation press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A think-tank report said that the provision of universal childcare should be a strategic priority for public service and welfare reform. High-quality early years provision delivered a net financial return to the Treasury – as well as delivering better outcomes for children, families, and society.
Source: Dalia Ben-Galim, Making the Case for Universal Childcare, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Dec
A think-tank report said that the coalition government's proposed treatment of childcare costs under the new universal credit would penalize single parents working close to full-time hours, together with families' second earners – often women.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Childcare Support and the Hours Trap: The Universal Credit, Resolution Foundation/Gingerbread
Links: Report | Gingerbread press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper examined the claims made for the value of pre-school education and care, using cross-national time series data for a large number of developed (OECD) countries. The analysis confirmed the association between participation levels in pre-school education/care and female employment rates. However, the cross-national analysis did not support the argument that raising aggregate levels of participation necessarily reduced social gaps in attainment at 15 years of age.
Source: Andy Green and Tarek Mostafa, Pre-School Education and Care: A Win-Win Policy?, LLAKES Research Paper 32, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Nov
Researchers examined the impact of a pilot scheme on the provision of childcare for disabled children.
Source: Hayley Cheshire, Victoria Brown, Ivonne Wollny, Clare Blackburn, Janet Read, Susan Purdon, and David Abbott, Impact Evaluation of the Disabled Children s Access to Childcare Pilot (DCATCH), Research Report RR168, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper examined the role of grandparents in providing childcare. Grandparents played a prominent role in providing childcare and supporting maternal employment, especially for low-income families. They were the main childcare arrangement for 35 per cent of families where the mother was working or studying when the child was 9 months old, ahead of all other types of care. However few grandparents provided full-time care: most of those who provided care did so for 10 hours or less per week.
Source: June Statham, Grandparents Providing Child Care, Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre
Links: Briefing
Date: 2011-Nov
A research report highlighted the value of the registered childminding sector to the Welsh economy. The sector was worth an estimated £122 million through the direct income of childminder businesses and associated income for families who used the care provided by childminders.
Source: The Economic Impact of the Childminding Sector in Wales, NCMA Cymru
Links: Report | NCMA press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book presented new research related to childcare policies and children's everyday lives in early education and care institutions in Europe. It highlighted the close connexion between (on the one hand) labour market and work-life balance issues and (on the other) development of particular care arrangements for small children.
Source: Anne-Trine Kjorholt and Jens Qvortrup (eds.), The Modern Child and the Flexible Labour Market: Early childhood education and care, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
A think-tank report said that low-income families in 2015 would have to find over 60 per cent more of their own cash for childcare compared with the situation in 2006.
Source: Ian Mulheirn and Ryan Shorthouse, The Parent Trap: Illustrating the growing cost of childcare, Social Market Foundation
Links: Report | SMF press release | Nursery World report
Date: 2011-Nov
A study examined the competency requirements of staff in early childhood education and care in Europe. High-quality education and care services for young children depended on the right mix of knowledge, practice, and values applied by individual staff – but also by institutions and the education system.
Source: Mathias Urban, Arianna Lazzari, Michel Vandenbroeck, Jan Peeters, and Katrien van Laere, Competence Requirements of Staff in Early Childhood Education and Care, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A report examined people's experiences of claiming the childcare element of working tax credit.
Source: Stephanie Freeth and Janice Fong, Experience of Using Childcare and Claiming the Childcare Element of Working Tax Credit: Findings from the 2009 panel study of tax credits and child benefit customers, Research Report 147, HM Revenue & Customs
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
The coalition government announced that it would invest an additional £300 million in support for childcare costs under the new proposed universal credit. The minimum hours rule (16 hours' work per week) would be abolished. Families would be able to recover up to 70 per cent of childcare costs – up to £175 per week for one child, or £300 for two or more children – compared with 80 per cent previously. The money would be paid through universal credit from 2013 and would mean that around 80,000 more families with children would benefit. The cost would be taken from elsewhere in the universal credit budget.
Source: Press release 7 October 2011, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: DWP press release | Barnardos press release | Daycare Trust press release | EDCM press release | FPI press release | Gingerbread press release | NDNA press release | SMF press release | TUC press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined the association in developed (OECD) countries between pre-school education and care (on the one hand) and economic competitiveness and social cohesion (on the other).
Source: Andy Green and Tarek Mostafa, Pre-School Education and Care – A Win-Win Policy?, LLAKES Research Paper 32, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
An article reported an empirical study of the trust relationships between parents and diverse organizations providing early years childcare. Parents actively constructed trust through observation of, and interactions with, providers. There was some benefit in provision through an integrated centre, where parents developed trust over time prior to pre-school childcare use: such a process might be particularly helpful to parents who faced disadvantage.
Source: Jonathan Roberts, ' Trust and early years childcare: parents relationships with private, state and third sector providers in England', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A briefing paper said that families on low incomes were having to turn down jobs or were considering leaving work because they could not afford to pay for childcare. Parents, regardless of income, said that they struggled to pay for childcare: despite many parents cutting back their spending, almost one-quarter had got into debt because of childcare costs.
Source: Making Work Pay – The Childcare Trap: High childcare costs are affecting parents' ability to work, train and study, Daycare Trust/Save the Children
Links: Briefing | Daycare Trust press release | Labour Party press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined the key issues facing the childminding sector in Northern Ireland. It called for a timetabled commitment by the Northern Ireland Executive to the development and implementation of a properly resourced childcare strategy.
Source: The Way Forward for Childminding in Northern Ireland, NICMA – the Childminding Association
Links: Report | NICMA press release | NIE press release
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined childcare provision in 15 developed countries. Denmark offered the highest degree of 'dedomestication' to parents of young children, followed by a group of Nordic and western European countries. In English-speaking 'liberal regime' countries, dedomestication remained more limited: it was lowest in the central European countries of Hungary and Austria.
Source: Teppo Kroger, 'Defamilisation, dedomestication and care policy: comparing childcare service provisions of welfare states', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 31 Issue 7/8
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2011-Jul
A new book examined different types and dimensions of child and elder care in Europe, highlighting new tensions between them in the context of recent welfare state reforms.
Source: Birgit Pfau-Effinger and Tine Rostgaard (eds.), Care Between Work and Welfare in European Societies, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jul
A report presented the findings of two qualitative studies related to a pilot aimed at improving childcare provision for disabled children.
Source: David Abbott, Mehul Kotecha, Sara Scott, Patricia Jessiman, Anne Kazimirski, Janet Read, and Clare Blackburn, Disabled Children s Access to Childcare (DCATCH): A Qualitative Evaluation, Research Report RR146, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jul
A think-tank report examined how to build a childcare market that was 'fit for purpose' and met the needs of families on a low-to-middle income. Many in this group were struggling to find suitable childcare provision as a result of changing working patterns.
Source: Vidhya Alakeson, Childcare: Failing to Meet the Needs of Working Parents, Resolution Foundation
Links: Report | Resolution press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper said that the coalition government's funding of childcare under the proposed new universal credit could undermine its commitment to 'make work pay'. The changes, to be implemented from 2013, might mean that some parents lost more than 94 pence in the pound as they increased their working hours, damaging work incentives.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Childcare Support and the Hours Trap, Resolution Foundation/Gingerbread
Links: Paper | Resolution press release | Gingerbread press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-May
Two linked reports examined whether allowing families to claim a proportion of their actual previous month's childcare costs (rather than a computed annual average) helped them to budget better, and resulted in a lower level of error and fraud overall.
Source: Suzanne Hall et al., Qualitative Research Into Families Experiences and Behaviours in the Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): Actual Costs Pilot, Research Report RR105, Department for Education | Kevin Goodman, Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): Actual Costs Pilot – The impact of real time reporting of childcare costs on families – a data analysis report, Research Report RR104, Department for Education
Links: Report 105 | Appendices (105) | Report 104
Date: 2011-Apr
A literature review examined informal childcare. Informal childcare was a very diverse practice: but much existing literature portrayed it as a homogeneous practice, usually undertaken by grandmothers. There were many gaps in the research: very little was known about sibling childcare and babysitters, the stability of informal childcare arrangements, or the economic impacts of informal childcare.
Source: Jill Rutter and Ben Evans, Informal Childcare: Choice or Chance?, Daycare Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Apr
Two linked reports examined a pilot that offered to pay families with disabled children the standard 80 per cent of childcare support, but with payment up to higher limits than under the existing tax credits system.
Source: Suzanne Hall, Katrina Leary, Graham Bukowski, and Ruth Lightfoot, Qualitative Research Into Families Experiences and Behaviours in the Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): Disabled Children s Pilot, Research Report RR103 , Department for Education | Kevin Goodman, Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): Disabled Children s Pilot – The importance of cost as a driver of family decisions about work and childcare – a data analysis report, Research Report RR102 , Department for Education
Links: Report 103 | Appendices (103) | Report 102
Date: 2011-Apr
A paper analyzed long-term changes in the division of domestic work and childcare relative to differences in educational attainment, drawing on time-use data from the United Kingdom and United States of America. In the case of domestic labour the analyses showed a 'catch-up' effect over time between men with different educational attainment, whereas for childcare there was a widening of the gap by education.
Source: Oriel Sullivan, Changing Differences in the Division of Domestic Labor: The case of education, Working Paper 2011-02, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Apr
A report examined childcare provided by grandparents. Some 36 per cent of families with children used grandparents as their main form of childcare, and there were nearly 4 million grandparent carers out of an estimated total of 14 million grandparents. Many grandparent carers were actively involved in their grandchildren's learning – meeting teachers; supervising homework; cooking, painting, and reading with their grandchildren; and going on outings.
Source: Jill Rutter and Ben Evans, Listening to Grandparents, Daycare Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Apr
Two linked reports examined the extent to which childcare costs acted as a barrier to parents taking up and sustaining paid work and formal childcare; and whether increasing the childcare element of tax credits acted as an incentive for people to move into work.
Source: Suzanne Hall, Isabella Pereira, Jane Darragh, Matt Knight, and Lauren Bridges, Qualitative Research Into Families Experiences and Behaviours in the Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): 100% Costs Pilot, Research Report RR101, Department for Education | Kevin Goodman, Childcare Affordability Pilots (CAP09): 100% Costs Pilot – The importance of cost as a driver of family decisions about work and childcare – a data analysis report, Research Report RR100, Department for Education
Links: Report 101 | Appendices (101) | Report 100
Date: 2011-Apr
A report highlighted the difficulties faced by parents who worked atypical hours – through shift work, or working regular unsociable hours. 67 per cent of parents working atypical hours struggled to find childcare to meet their needs: this included 66 per cent who struggled to access childcare after 6pm, 53 per cent before 8am, 40 per cent at weekends, and 32 per cent overnight. Lone parents and low-income families were most likely to be found in jobs that demanded work during atypical hours.
Source: Rosanna Singler, Open All Hours? Flexible childcare in the 24/7 era, Daycare Trust
Links: Report|Summary|Daycare Trust press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A new book examined the development of early years services, focusing on the period since 1997.
Source: Peter Baldock, Developing Early Childhood Services: Past, Present and Future, Open University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined the complex relationships between maternal employment, childcare, and healthcare – comparing and contrasting the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Source: Clare Lyonette, Gayle Kaufman, and Rosemary Crompton, '"We both need to work": maternal employment, childcare and health care in Britain and the USA', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 25 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
The Welsh Assembly Government published a policy statement on childcare provision. It identified three key strategic priorities – quality, affordability, and access. Delivering on these priorities would help it to develop an integrated approach to childcare that met the needs of children and also supported parents.
Source: Nurturing Children, Supporting Families, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Policy statement | WAG press release
Date: 2011-Feb
The European Commission published an action plan aimed at giving every child a better start in life – including a call for universal access to high-quality pre-school education.
Source: Early Childhood Education and Care: Providing all our children with the best start for the world of tomorrow, European Commission
Links: Action plan | European Commission press release | Eurochild press release | EurActiv report
Date: 2011-Feb
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that childcare in England had improved since the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage. All kinds of provider, from schools to childminders, could deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage well; and children were enjoying their time, whatever type of provision they attended.
Source: The Impact of the Early Years Foundation Stage: A good start, HMI 100231, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NCMA press release | Telegraph report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report called for early years settings to develop a more rounded and inclusive approach to working with men and fathers. Settings that focused on engaging fathers would help to encourage more men to choose childcare as a career. It was also important that young children grew up seeing men active in caring roles, both as fathers and as childcare workers, as this was key to correcting the misperception that caring was women's work rather than human work.
Source: Tim Kahn, The XY Factor: Addressing gender issues in the early years, Pre-school Learning Alliance
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the intra-household allocation of time in households headed by heterosexual couples, in order to show gender differences in childcare (in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain). There was a 'clear inequality' in childcare between fathers and mothers, with this disparity being more evident in Mediterranean countries. Caring tasks were mainly influenced by the presence of young children in the household, by the total non-labour income, and by the ratio of mothers' non-labour income to families' non-labour income.
Source: Inmaculada Garcia-Mainar, Jose Alberto Molina, and Victor Montuenga, 'Gender differences in childcare: time allocation in five European countries', Feminist Economics, Volume 17 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined childcare packages offered by European Union countries, highlighting their different understandings of 'proper' care, as well as of 'proper' behaviour by mothers and fathers. An integrated research agenda, focusing on the outcomes for both labour markets and children's well-being, was necessary in order to develop policies that addressed the complex issues of choice, rights, and social inequality involved in childcaring patterns.
Source: Chiara Saraceno, 'Childcare needs and childcare policies: a multidimensional issue', Current Sociology, Volume 59 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A new book examined cash-for-care systems for mothers of small children in Nordic countries. It presented a comprehensive overview of the theoretical debates and controversies concerning cash-for-care systems, and explored their potential as a useful tool of contemporary social policy.
Source: Jorma Sipila, Katja Repo, and Tapio Rissanen (eds.), Cash-for-Childcare: The Consequences for Caring Mothers, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jan