30 Hours, Part 2: Swindon - Flexible friends

For the increasing number of parents whose working week is not the traditional nine to five, finding appropriate childcare can be a major hassle. As one of the eight early implementers of the Government’s 30-hour funded childcare pilot, Swindon Borough Council is focusing on flexibility, investigating how the offer can be delivered for the children of families who work weekends, evenings, or irregular shift patterns.

As with all early implementers except York, Swindon has a limited number of places to offer, so the council decided to proceed in a cautious fashion. Its first step was to publicise the scheme to workers at the Great Western Hospital. ‘We initially partnered with our hospital because they fitted the brief in terms of finding a site which was open 24 hours year-round,’ says Fiona Le Bon, early education strategic lead at Swindon Borough Council. ‘It also felt like a nice story, assisting the hospital with recruitment and retention. The offer is not just aimed at healthcare workers, it’s the whole operation, including the people who keep the toilets hygienic, people who work in the coffee areas which are open all night.’