Childminding: the gap

Monday, May 19, 2008

This newspaper recently carried a fascinating set of opinion poll findings, telling us what the public think about some of the issues which receive the most media coverage — health, education, crime and water charges were all there, of course.

But there's a whole range of issues which touch our lives yet which aren't hitting the headlines on a daily basis. Childcare is precisely that sort of topic.

All our main political parties felt childcare was of sufficient importance to voters to be worth mentioning in their Assembly election manifestos last year. But, so far, action hasn't followed manifesto rhetoric quite as quickly as we would have liked. So NICMA — the Childminding Association — decided to commission its own public opinion survey on childcare, and the results will doubtless make thought-provoking reading for politicians.

Over four-fifths of those polled wanted the Northern Ireland Executive to prioritise the provision of good quality, affordable childcare.

Furthermore, of those parents polled who'd recently sought childcare, nearly a third said they'd encountered difficulties, with one in six describing their search as 'very difficult'. It will come as no surprise that parents in rural areas were more likely to report problems.

But the survey also provides a fascinating insight into how parents prefer to choose childcare and what factors matter to them most. We asked parents to let us know whether cost, convenience and quality were important when looking for childcare. We thought they'd be rated as equally important — but far more parents selected quality than cost or convenience.

There was also a strong preference for having someone you know care for your child, suggesting many parents prefer to use either relatives or friends.

Allied to this, word of mouth recommendation emerged as by far the most popular way of finding childcare — three-quarters of all parents favoured this method. By contrast, just one in ten said they would prefer to phone an organisation like NICMA, while a mere 1% favoured searching via the internet. While we believe that the answer to our childcare shortage lies largely in more support from the Executive, we do wonder if an understandable wariness about 'formal' childcare is also a factor.

As families become smaller, it's becoming more difficult for parents to rely on the extended family network for childcare.

At NICMA, we're able to provide guidance on selecting a childminder as well as information on registered childminders in your area. And we can even tell you which childminders have passed our Quality First accreditation, which offers an additional guarantee for parents. So, if you're a parent who's considering going out to work but is worried about childcare, please do approach us.

Oh, and if you'd like to see more and better childcare, please write to your politicians to let them know.

Bridget Nodder is director of NICMA — the Childminding Association. For more information on the survey or on choosing a childminder, please call 9181 1015 or visit NICMA's website: www.nicma.org

'The important thing is to use your own judgment'

Alex Attwood is an SDLP MLA for West Belfast and a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board. He is currently drawing up an all-party Assembly motion supporting NICMA's proposal for a childminder start-up package to encourage more individuals to become childminders. He lives in south Belfast with his wife Orla and two-year-old daughter, Nora. They make use of a childminder on a full-time basis. Alex says:

I drop Nora off with her childminder, Anne, (pictured above right with us) in the morning before heading over to my constituency office or up to the Assembly, while Orla picks her up in the evenings.

Nora is always delighted to see Anne and has really thrived with all the individual attention Anne has been able to give her. Orla went back to work full-time six months after Nora was born. We were very keen to find the right person to look after Nora, so we began the search quite early on.

My sister had worked previously for NICMA and, at her suggestion, we approached them for a list of registered childminders in our area. We also asked around for word of mouth recommendations.

We saw a number of individuals but, in the end, we went for Anne who was one of the childminders on the list NICMA gave us.

I can understand why the NICMA survey shows such a strong preference for 'word of mouth' recommendations — but I do think the important thing is to use your own judgment and take care with your choice.

When we met Anne, we just knew she was right — she was very clear about her approach to caring for her children, and was keen to make sure there was the right match between her style and what we were looking for. There's plenty of space in her house and it's filled with toys. Anne also makes sure that Nora gets out each day.

But the most important thing for us is the concern which Anne has for Nora as an individual — she'll tell us straightaway if Nora isn't eating all her food, for example, and she'll always give us a full report on what Nora's been up to all day.

Although we had no difficulty finding a childminder, I'm well aware that there is a shortage of childminders in many parts of Northern Ireland. That's why I'm drawing up an all-party Assembly motion on support for childminders which I hope to table shortly.

NICMA's proposal for a start-up package for childminders is cost-effective and makes tremendous sense — for parents and for the economy. The shortage of childcare is undoubtedly a serious issue which the Executive needs to address."

'It's a family environment, not an institutional one'

Arlene Foster is Minister for the Environment, and a DUP MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. She has three children — Sarah (8), George (6) and Ben (19 months).

Prior to becoming a Minister, she practised as a solicitor, in addition to her role as an Assembly member. She was recently named Devolved Parliamentary and Assembly Member of the Year in the Women in Public Life Awards. She makes use of two part-time childminders. Arlene says:

I'm generally out of the house by 8am and often not back until 6pm - so having good childcare is absolutely vital for me. I went back to work full-time three months after my eldest child, Sarah, was born. I was obviously anxious about leaving her — but I have to say our first childminder, Zena, was fantastic with her and Sarah settled with her very quickly.

Even though she's now eight years old, Sarah still talks fondly of Zena and I think that's a tribute to the quality of care Zena provided, and the warm relationship which developed between her and my daughter. Similarly, George still speaks affectionately of Lindsay, the childminder who cared for Sarah and him when he was a baby.

I think the great thing about childminders is that they can give your child a great deal of individual attention. I also like the fact that they care for children in a home setting - it's a family environment rather than an institutional one. I've been fortunate never to have any difficulty in finding a childminder and I've always relied on recommendations from people I know.

I'm not surprised that NICMA's poll found that most parents prefer a 'word of mouth' recommendation - it's the most reassuring means of finding childcare, although I appreciate that new childminders have to build up a reputation.

As an MLA, I've written to the Health Minister on the issue of the lengthy delays many prospective childminders appear to be facing in getting registered - I'm glad his department has told NICMA it's taking action to address this problem.

What that survey said about childcare here

• 83% of respondents thought the Northern Ireland Executive should prioritise the provision of good quality, affordable childcare for all that need it

• 81% of respondents thought tackling the shortage of childminders should be a priority for the Executive

• 30% of parents who had recently looked for childcare said they had found their search 'fairly' or 'very' difficult, with 17% describing it as 'very difficult'

• Parents in rural areas were more likely to find their search difficult

• 52% of parents said the quality of care was an important consideration in seeking childcare, compared to 26% who thought cost was important and 27% who thought convenience mattered

• 52% of parents said it was important that childcare was provided by someone who knows the child

• 74% of parents said they'd prefer to find childcare through a word of mouth recommendation

• Just 1% of parents favoured finding childcare via the internet

• 45% of all respondents thought the quality of care offered by childminders was 'good' or 'very good', while 53% took a similar view of the quality of care provided by nurseries

The childcare survey was carried out by Ipsos MORI with a representative sample of 1,024 people in Northern Ireland.