A survey of 3,658 parents eligible for the Government funded childcare for children from nine months, coming in from next month, finds that for a third, it has influenced when they return to work after maternity leave.
Of the respondents, 835 were on maternity leave. A quarter (28 per cent) said they are returning to work earlier than they would have liked to, while 7 per cent plan to return later than they would have liked to so that they can fit in with the scheme's start date. The intention of the expanded entitlement was to get more parents into work.
'We know that if women return to work before they are ready, they are more likely to underperform and leave their job'.
Joeli Brearley, chief executive and founder of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, which carried out the research, said, ‘Maternity leave is a hugely sensitive and important time, yet our research finds that the new childcare benefit is forcing many mothers to return to work before they are ready.
‘This could have an adverse impact on women and their careers. We know that if women return to work before they are ready, they are more likely to underperform and to ultimately leave their job. We doubt this was an anticipated outcome of the scheme, but that’s because no one in Government appears to be looking at the holistic experiences of new families.’
New mothers told they aren't eligible
The survey findings also show that some mothers are experiencing problems applying for the expanded offer.
A quarter of those that took part and who are on maternity leave said they had been told they cannot apply for the hours even though they are eligible. A further 11 per cent have been told they are not eligible, even though they believe they meet the criteria.
The survey also considered the extra costs parents taking up an expanded entitlement place will have to meet.
A third of parents said they have already been told to expect costs outside the funded hours to increase over the next six months.
Just one in four (23 per cent) said their provider doesn’t charge any additional fees. Almost a third (30 per cent) said they will pay at least £10 a day while 7 per cent of parents expect to pay £30 a day for ‘consumables’.
'Nurseries don't want to charge parents more, they have to'
Brearley added, ‘Parents are hugely disappointed that the savings from this scheme are not as much as they anticipated. Nurseries don’t want to charge parents more, they have to, otherwise, they run the risk of closure. Until the funding from the Government matches the cost to deliver places we will continue to see many families unable to afford the childcare they need to survive and thrive.’
Despite the education secretary Bridget Phillipson suggesting earlier in the week that under the expanded offer, some parents won’t get their first choice provider, the survey found that for the majority of those that took part, 94 per cent, have found a place at their preferred setting.
