Childcare Survey 2017
Authored by Claire Harding, Beth Wheaton and Adam Butler.
In its 16th annual Childcare Survey, the Family and Childcare Trust reveals that although there is some reprieve for families as nursery prices held steady and childminder prices rose just above inflation at 1.9 per cent, this will be scarce relief for families who can be spending up to 45 per cent of their disposable income on average childcare costs.
Costs also aren’t the only problem: many parents can’t find the childcare they need. In England, only half of areas have enough childcare for parents working full time. The gaps are even bigger for parents who do not work typical office hours, where only one in eight areas have enough care. Families with disabled children are also likely to struggle: only 18 per cent of areas have enough childcare for them.
Parents are effectively shut out of the workplace by crippling childcare costs. While recent Governments have rightfully invested in childcare, we call for a robust childcare strategy to make sure that every parent is better off working after they have paid for childcare.
Research by Coram Family and Childcare
Our research and advocacy focuses on making Britain as supportive of fulfilling family lives as possible, and on holding central and local government to account for doing all it can to remove barriers for families.
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