'Bizarre' target set for men in childcare

Gill Haynes made her comment during an NCMA conference in London last week called 'Diversity: Making the difference'. She said, 'If we're going to reach the six per cent target of men in childcare by 2004 - how bizarre this is as a concept - we have to go back to the issue of pay and conditions.'

Mrs Haynes spoke after a talk by Trefor Lloyd of the organisation Working With Men on why few men work in childcare. He told delegates that while attitudes towards the competence of fathers looking after their own children were changing, there was still inconsistency in feelings about male nursery nurses.

Mr Jones said, 'Women childcare workers say it's fine for men to work in a day nursery until they are asked if they'd mind a man working at a nursery with the women's own children.

He also outlined out how men's traditional jobs and family roles had changed over the past 20 years, due to a combination of the decline of traditional 'men's work' in heavy industries and a rise in the number of working women. 'Since 1979, 90 per cent of jobs created have been in service industries, which are seen as "women's jobs" and 90 per cent of those jobs lost have been "men's jobs",' Mr Jones said.

At the conference the NCMA announced the launch of a bursary fund to mark its 25th anniversary next year. The fund will give grants to registered childminders who need financial help and want to undertake training to work with children who have additional needs.

The NCMA has entered a team of 12 runners - including chief executive Gill Haynes - for the British 10km Open Road Race in central London on 22 July. Sponsorship forms are available by sending an SAE to the NCMA, 8 Masons Hill, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EY.

Men are fearful of being accused of child abuse - it's the biggest barrier to working in childcare after pay and conditions.'

Trefor Lloyd of the organisation Working With Men told delegates at the conference, 'Diversity: Making the difference', that while attitudes towards the competence of fathers looking after their own children were gradually changing, there was still inconsistency among some of the childcare workforce about male nursery nurses. Mr Jones said, 'Women childcare workers say it's fine for men to work in a day nursery until they are asked if they'd mind a man working at a nursery with the women's own children.

'Men are fearful of being accused of child abuse - it's the biggest barrier to working in childcare, after pay and conditions.'

He also outlined out how men's traditional jobs and family roles had changed over the past 20 years, due to a combination of a decline of traditional 'men's work' in heavy industries and a rise in the number of working women. 'Since 1979, 90 per cent of jobs created have been in service industries, which are seen as "women's jobs" and 90 per cent of those jobs lost have been "men's jobs",' Mr Jones said.

The conference was organised by the National Childminding Association (NCMA). Its chief executive, Gill Haynes, remarked that while a lot needed to be done over the next two years if the Government was to meet its target of men being six per cent of the childcare workforce in England by 2004, its choice of percentage was 'bizarre'.

At the conference the NCMA announced the launch of a bursary fund to mark its 25th anniversary next year. The fund will give grants to registered childminders who need financial help and want to undertake training to work with children who have additional needs.