Finding summer childcare 'extremely challenging'

Parents and carers say they are struggling with the availability of summer childcare

Balancing childcare with full-time work during the summer holidays in Guernsey leaves parents in "an extremely challenging situation", a deputy says.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said she was campaigning to give parents more support, saying helping them to continue work would benefit the economy.

It comes after parents and carers said they were struggling with the cost and availability of summer childcare.

While there is some support for those on lower incomes, parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities have said they do not have services need.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller says parents need more support

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said that, while providing parents with more childcare support would cost the government, it was also an investment which would feed back into the economy.

She said: "Studies in the UK and other countries have clearly indicated the positive economic and social benefit of providing support to parents.

"In most cases, it will help parents have that flexibility to maintain full-time jobs."

She said she was also encouraging islanders to fill out the States of Guernsey's participation in work survey, which would inform part of childcare strategy in the next political term.

'A joined-up approach'

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said part of the States' work to improve childcare support would involve working with childcare providers to help them meet the island's needs.

She said employers also had an important role to play in offering flexible working arrangements for their employees, and they could do more to help working parents.

She said: "I think we need a joined-up approach between what government can do to facilitate better support for parents, but also, importantly, what employers can do, because that will make them a more attractive place to work.

"It will help retain employees, and create a better culture."

'A long six weeks'

Louise Leale said the youth commission was trying to keep the prices of its summer club as low as possible

Louise Leale, CEO of the Youth Commission for Guernsey and Alderney, said the commission had to increase the cost of its summer club, Playscheme, this year to cover rising costs and paying staff, but that they were trying to keep prices as low as possible.

She said: "I think it's a challenge each holiday, but especially the summer holidays. If parents don't have family support, it's a long six weeks to find holiday provision at a cost you can afford."

Parents on income support can access help to send their children to Playscheme for free, and the commission said it also had support from charities and corporate partners.

'Poverty trap'

Parents of SEND children, including Marc Winn, say appropriate childcare does not exist in Guernsey

For parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), parents have said they struggle to find appropriate childcare at any cost.

Marc Winn is one parent who said that, if childcare was available for his six-year-old daughter who has autism, he would be able to return to work and pay more tax.

He said many parents and carers of children with disabilities "can't do the careers they're trained to do, and the consequences of that is finding yourself in a poverty trap after having to give up work".

He added: "Even if I had the money, I couldn't pay for childcare that would meet my daughter's needs.

"What I really hope for is that we build our systems around families, to support them to maximise their potential, and start thriving rather than coping.

"When you do that, you get lots more tax, and better wellbeing outcomes."