In a report published this week, the Trust said the use of childcare byworking parents had remained virtually unchanged, despite the freeentitlement and the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit.
More than one quarter of the families entitled to 12.5 hours of freechildcare were still being asked to pay and only 3 per cent of parentswere found to be receiving help through the Working Tax Credit. Ten percent of eligible families were not claiming their free entitlement, andthese tended to be from disadvantaged or low-income groups. The reportsaid that 87 per cent of households now contain someone who works'atypical hours', for which there is a lack of suitable childcare.
The study also found a high proportion of the childcare workforce doesnot currently meet the minimum qualification requirements set byOfsted.
Kate Goddard, one of the authors of the report, said, 'The Governmentneeds to focus onproviding a high-quality childcare workforce by raisingthe bar on qualifications. Better pay should be offered to childcareworkers. We would also like to see the free entitlement extended to 20hours per week.'
The report, Childcare Nation, published in association with the NationalCentre for Social Research, is a compilation of studies, including thegovernment's Parents' Childcare and Childcare Providers' surveys.
Further information: www.daycaretrust.org.uk.