You are here: News New report recommends local authorities protect Family information services in Wales
It is really good to hear of the Welsh Government’s new childcare scheme to provide extra help for parents undertaking job-related training or starting a new job. It is particularly important in Wales which has some of the highest levels of maternal employment in the UK. Providing help for 2-4 weeks before a parents start a new job is very welcome, as it enables children to settle into a new routine.
However, the existing free nursery provision in Wales is particularly inflexible and does not meet the needs of working parents. All three and four year olds and some deprived two year olds get 10 -15 hours of free nursery education every week, usually delivered in blocks three hours. The Family and Childcare Trust’s Investing in Childcare campaign is calling for the savings from the late implementation of the Tax Free Childcare scheme to be used to make childcare provision more flexible in all parts of the UK.
Please see more detail of the Family and Childcare Trust’s call to the Treasury to invest in flexible childcare.
-Ends-
Contact: Mark Bou Mansour, Communications and Campaigns Manager. Telephone: 0207 940 7535, mobile: 07538 334 772, email: mark@familyandchildcaretrust.org.
About the Family and Childcare Trust
The Family and Childcare Trust aims to make the UK a better place for families. We are a leading national family charity in the field of policy, research and advocacy on childcare and family issues, with over 40 years’ experience. Our on-the-ground work with parents and providers informs our research and campaigns. We focus on the early years and childcare because they are crucial to boosting children’s outcomes throughout life and supporting parents to work.