Nursery World - Staff shortage hits expansion

The planned expansion of the childcare sector in England could be held back by the combination of low pay and increasing demands for staff by other public sector employers , a major Government report warned last week. Plans to create at least 250,000 new childcare places by 2005-06, on top of the Government's earlier target of new places for 1.4 million children by 2004, may be 'constrained' by the childcare workforce, according to the report, Delivering for Children and Families, published by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.

Plans to create at least 250,000 new childcare places by 2005-06, on top of the Government's earlier target of new places for 1.4 million children by 2004, may be 'constrained' by the childcare workforce, according to the report, Delivering for Children and Families, published by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.

The report said that although there had been 'significant growth' in the childcare workforce between 1998 and 2002, day nurseries and out-of-school clubs in particular were having problems in recruiting staff.

The report said, 'There is evidence that the workforce could act as a constraint on the growth of the childcare sector. Half the nurseries and out-of-school clubs interviewed as part of research on the workforce reported problems in filling staff vacancies in 2000-01.' It said that almost one in four (23 per cent) of nurseries and just over one in six (16 per cent) of out-of-school clubs had vacancies in spring 2001, and that another survey last year found two-thirds of nurseries had recruitment difficulties, particularly in the north-west, Midlands, London and south-east.

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