Childcare changes in England: Will it deliver?

How will extra funding for childcare benefit working parents?

Transcript

00:00We found particularly low provision for parents who work full-time, for those who live in

00:07rural areas and those who work outside of the typical Monday to Friday 9 to 5, and really

00:14shockingly low provision for families who have disabled children.

00:19So I think what we have is already a growing situation of childcare shortage, and that's

00:25before the expansion in September, and that really does raise questions about the ability

00:30of the current system to deliver the extra childcare that children and families need.

00:36The National Audit Office reported that the Department for Education had assessed the

00:41likelihood of being able to deliver the funded childcare places the government promises for

00:46September 2024-25 as quote, amber slash red problematic.

00:52Thus, according to a report by Whitehall's Spending Watchdog, it said the deployment

00:56of this government childcare scheme is facing quote, significant uncertainties.

01:01Back in March 2023, the Chancellor announced that this was to be the quote, largest ever

01:06expansion of childcare that England has ever seen.

01:09But the Watchdog went on to say that it was not clear whether the scheme itself would

01:14achieve its primary aim of getting more parents back into the labour workforce.

01:20Well, the extra childcare funding has the potential to be a real game changer for parents,

01:25but the offer is another addition to an already incredibly complex system that, as we've been

01:32speaking about and hearing about, is buckling under the strain, and there is a risk that

01:38the new funding won't live up to families' expectations.

01:41So the policy really must be properly funded and supported to make sure that it meets the

01:46needs of all families, so that every child has the same opportunity to learn and play

01:52before starting school and no parent is locked out of work.