Breakthrough Britain: the next generation, published on Monday by the Centre for Social Justice Early Years Commission, a think-tank chaired by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, says that childcare tax credits should be made available to pay close relatives who care for children to help parents who do not want to use formal daycare.
It calls for a larger proportion of total child benefit to be available during the first three years of a child's life, and for a raft of new measures to give families 'genuine choice' over whether mothers or fathers stay at home with young children.
The report claims the main goals of Sure Start have shifted from nurture and care to helping disadvantaged parents become 'work-ready'. It says that health visitors should have an enhanced role in intensive home visiting and that 'family service hubs' should be set up in every community, for better co-ordination of professionals and voluntary sector providers.
The commission's panel of experts in the early years, including psychology, neuroscience and family policy, visited projects and facilities around the UK, and gathered evidence from those in social work, primary and secondary health care, daycare, education and mental health.
The Early Years Commission also released the results of a poll of more than 5,000 adults, some with children and some without.
On the subject of childcare, 81 per cent of those who had children said either their partner or themselves went back to work because of financial pressures. When asked what would have been more useful as a parent of a child under the age of three, the highest response, at 50 per cent, was for more child benefit, compared with 39 per cent for more affordable childcare.
One-third of adults said that non-familial daycare such as nurseries and childminders were not able to meet all the needs of children from birth to three. While 72 per cent were confident that health visitors are competent and well trained, only 28 per cent said the same for Sure Start staff.
Mr Duncan Smith said, 'We need to level the financial playing field for parents. The current system pressurises mothers into going back to work soon after their children are born. Yet the research shows clearly that the seeds of later unhappiness and anti-social behaviour by young people are often sown by the failure of parents to form a close and loving relationship with their babies.
'Society is paying a high price for the quick fix of getting mothers back to work so soon after birth.'
- Further information: www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk.