Parents face rising costs and holiday childcare shortages

Since last September the Government has offered parents the ‘right to request’ holiday childcare from their children’s schools, but the Family and Childcare Trust said just 4 per cent of local authorities reported this having a positive effect on childcare availability.

The charity is calling on the Government to review the ‘right to request’ policy, prioritise provision of childcare for disabled children and 12- to 14-year-olds, who are currently facing the biggest shortages, and to provide funding to ensure parents are better off working after paying for childcare.

The 16th annual Holiday Childcare Survey by the Family and Childcare Trust has found that the price of holiday childcare has risen by an average of 4 per cent in Great Britain in the last year, costing parents almost two- and- a-half times per week more than an after school-club during term time.

Parents now pay an average of £124.23 for a week of holiday childcare, more than double their average weekly spend on food and drink, the survey said.

Significant regional variations were found within England, with prices in the North East rising to £133 for one week of childcare, up by 9 per cent from last year’s survey.

Meanwhile just one in four local authorities in England reported having enough holiday childcare for four- to seven-year-olds, dropping to one in eight for children with disabilities, 4 percent fewer than in 2016.

The trust’s report also said that while holiday clubs run by local authorities are on average 22 per cent cheaper than those in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, with only an eighth of holiday childcare run by local authorities, many parents cannot access this cheaper provision.

Ellen Broomé, chief executive of the Family and Childcare Trust, said, ‘Once again rising holiday childcare costs and increasing shortages will leave parents struggling to keep their heads above water.

‘Many working parents who cannot call on family and friends to provide informal childcare may struggle to make work pay or remain in work at all this summer.

‘The Holiday Childcare Survey 2017 reveals the right to request has had little impact on the availability of childcare places for parents who need holiday childcare. Families need a Government strategy to make sure that every parent is better off working after they have paid for childcare, and that there is enough childcare for working parents throughout the year.’

The findings are based on a survey of Family Information Services in local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. The Family and Childcare Trust received responses from 94 per cent of local authorities.