Nursery World - 'Support childcare to boost business'

Employers will find it is in their best interests to help parents to balance their work and childcare responsibilities, employment relations minister Alan Johnston told delegates at a conference in London last week. At 'The business case for childcare - Childminding networks deliver', organised by the National Childminding Association (NCMA), Mr Johnston said that 'improved morale, better recruitment and retention, less absenteeism and increased productivity' were among the benefits employers who supported childcare would see.

At 'The business case for childcare - Childminding networks deliver', organised by the National Childminding Association (NCMA), Mr Johnston said that 'improved morale, better recruitment and retention, less absenteeism and increased productivity' were among the benefits employers who supported childcare would see.

He said the Government intended to do more to help working fathers who were finding the 'culture of long hours' was preventing them from being as active as they would like in caring for their children. 'Fathers are being more vocal in expressing their concern that they're not seeing their children grow up because of out-of-date working practice,' Mr Johnston said. 'We want to help ensure that flexible working can allow men to play the part they want in bringing up their children.'

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