Letter published: The Herald newspaper, Thursday 30th December 2010
The current subsidies for childcare not only enable low income families, especially lone parents, to work but they also help keep much needed, but struggling financially, childcare services operating (“Childcare cuts are a false economy”, The Herald, December 29). Across the country, services for school-age children are already dealing with cuts in any direct subsidies from local government as there is no statutory duty to fund them. It took many years to build up the supply of more than 1,000 out-of-school care services in Scotland, services parents and children rely on, and which provide, as well as enable, much-needed employment.
If there is a reduction in the pool of parents able to pay for the services through tax credits, then we will face closures of the small businesses which provide childcare, which then will affect the ability of all parents who rely on childcare to stay in employment. So, at the same time as expecting any parents on benefits to go on to Jobseekers Allowance when their child is five and therefore be expected to find a job, the UK government is creating a situation where it is impossible for them to do so, by reducing access to childcare services. The knock-on effects will create even more unemployment; directly through staff in childcare services losing their jobs, and indirectly through parents no longer having access to stable childcare, in order that they can get out to work.
The Scottish Government’s Early Years Framework and anti-poverty strategy must be harnessed to ensure that we protect these services, so that parents, children and communities do not suffer even more through the UK government’s short-sighted “slash and burn” of essential subsidies to working families, which will put even more children into poverty.
Irene Audain, Glasgow.
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What can be done to protect the out of school care services in North Ayrshire that are closing April 2011?
ReplyDeleteBoth staff and parents are now panicking as their will be no where to put their children!
As most parents rely on their jobs to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
We need help from the government to enable these much needs services to continue to function which will help their parentsto stay in employment. This will keep the people away from the benefits system that has been cut severly.
Can someone help us here in North Ayrshire as the Local Authorities have decided this poverty strick area does not need the out of school care services as they are now getting ready to make the cull of staff in area which will effect the area greatly!
All help and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Worried parent and local authority worker.