A letter to the Ministers of Education and Health on Childcare provision

Dr Orna Young & Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick write for us about their joint letter highlighting the issue of childcare provision

We have written to the Ministers for Education and Health to urge them to provide clarity on the issue of childcare provision, and an indication of a road map to ensure children can return to childcare settings when appropriate and the risk has been proven to be reduced. The current situation is unsustainable, with parents and guardians continuing to provide full-time childcare and education, as well as contributing to the economy, with no sense of a timescale for a normalisation of access to childcare. Furthermore, it is vital that our young children can begin to interact with each other in order to support their emotional development. These issues also emphasise the urgency for the need for the prioritisation of sustainable and affordable childcare. You can read our letter to the ministers here:

11 June 2020

Re: Urgent action required on childcare provision

Dear Minister Swann and Minister Weir,

We are writing to you as we are very concerned about the lack of clarity on the issue of childcare provision for parents and guardians who are being asked to return to work, and for those who are balancing working from home with education and childcare responsibilities. There is an urgent need for a road map to ensure that children can return to childcare settings when appropriate and the risk has been proven to be reduced. We are also more broadly calling for sustainable and affordable childcare to become a government priority. It is disappointing that there is still no overarching childcare strategy to ensure that all of our children have an equal start in life.

There has been a notable lack of any information from those Departments (Health and Education) who are responsible for childcare provision. This lack of guidance is having negative implications, as some employees (predominantly women) are falling into unnecessary disputes with employers who expect them to return to the workplace. This is not possible without access to childcare. This situation is unacceptable in the short-term. In the long-term, the continued lack of clarity and support will have a significant impact on women’s equality, as evidence has shown that it is women who shoulder the majority of childcare responsibility. In addition, there are many parents and guardians, particularly women, who may be forced to exit formal employment, either entirely, or on a part-time basis, to provide full-time childcare. This will push the hard won progress that has been made on the participation of women in society outside of the home back many years.

Parents and guardians from low income and minority ethnic families will face the most acute challenges; for example they are likely to feel greater pressure to return to work due to growing financial pressure. They are also more likely to rely on informal childcare arrangements (such as grandparents, who are more at risk if they catch the virus); and are more likely to rely on government subsidised childcare facilities. Women’s Centre’s provide free or subsidised childcare for women on low incomes in disadvantaged areas. The biggest issue that these childcare settings currently face is that they will not be able to operate to capacity, therefore many families will not be able to access more affordable childcare and childcare workers may find their employment at risk as they may be considered surplus to current staffing requirements.

Parents and guardians have been keeping their children at home in order to protect the health and well-being of the general public, while also ensuring the capacity of the NHS to deal with the challenges presented by COVID-19. We acknowledge how important this was as COVID-19 reached its peak. However, as the rate of virus transmission declines, and we begin to see a vital reopening of the economy, it is critical that there is access to childcare provision for all of those who need to access it. The current situation is unsustainable. Parents and guardians are unable to continue providing full-time childcare and education as well as contributing to the economy at the same time. Furthermore, it is vital that our young children can begin to interact with each other in order to support their emotional development.

While the reopening of schools has featured heavily in public discussion, the same attention has not been given to early years care. It is vital that parents and guardians are provided with an indication of when they will be able to access care arrangements and indeed, if children will be able to return to facilities that they were attending before lockdown was enforced. Childcare providers also need urgent clarity to ensure that they can take measures to ensure the continued operation of their businesses. Registered childminders are also disadvantaged, as they have been unable to avail of the government’s job retention scheme.

Your leadership in making these expectations clear to parents and to the early years sector will not mean ‘moving ahead of the science’ – but rather, that when the science supports it, the sector will have already dealt with the challenges to adjusting to the ‘new normal’ that many other sectors, such as retail, manufacturing and construction, have already worked through. The lack of clarity is providing a vacuum in which parents will be forced to put people’s health at risk, by seeking out their own arrangements.

Yours sincerely,

Orna Young
Ciara Fitzpatrick
Cathy Fegan
Claire Van Ristell
Elaine Crory
Claire Mitchell
Naomh Gallagher
Sasha Gillespie
Elizabeth Nelson
Mary Connolly
Elizabeth Agnew
Philippa McKeown
William Bradley
Danny Donnelly
Claire Hanna
Claire Hackett
Joana Monterroso
Lauren Gray
Clare Higgins
Laura Banks
Denise Currie
Ashleigh Topley
Michelle Guy
Kate Nicholl
Kellie O’Dowd
Zoe Foss
Rachel Wilson
Heather Cloughton
Lisa Collins
Maeve O’Brien
Lisa Rea
Amanda Jones
Peter McReynolds
Michelle Kelly
Barbara Wallace
Alfie Wong
Jenny Wong
Arlene O’Connor
Aine Tyrell
Caoimhe Whinnery
Lisa Caldwell
Niall Caldwell
Emma Cassidy
Nuala McAllister
Sian Mulholland
Anya O’Connor
Adrienne Reilly
Paul Kelly
Clare Patton
Ciara Hackett
Julie Wilkinson
Lisa McIlvenna
Rachel Watters
Louise Stevenson
Nial Borthistle
Suzie Douglas
Emma Mallon
Patricia McNally
Bebhinn McKinley
Corrine Heaney
Ailbhe Hickey
Sarah Williamson
Julie Gilmour
Orla Black
Brian Patrick Crawford
Mary-Kate McLaughlin
Enda Young
Fiona Fisher
Sarah Wright
Sarah Jankowitz
Eric Hanvey
Fiona McIlvar
Sandra Bell
Christopher McKeown
Claire Hackett
Matt Beautmont
Lisa Dunn
Louise Dougan
David Jones
Jane Robb
Anna Mercer
Peter McNiece
Gemma Mynes
Donna Daniels
Deborah Johnson
Kate McAuley
Ellen Fitzpatrick
Reece McQuade
Liam Connolly
Ruth Bullock
Sorcha Eastwood
Sam Nelson
Trish Lyons
Ciaran Moynagh (Phoenix Human Rights Law)
Jonna Monaghan (NIWEP)
Carolyn Ewart (BASW NI)
Daniel Holder (CAJ)
Robyn Scott (CAJ)
Louise Coyle (NIRWN)
Grainne Teggart (Amnesty NI)
Anne McVicker, (Women’s Resource and Development Agency)
Rachel Powell (Women’s Sector Lobbyist, Women’s Resource and Development Agency and on behalf of the Women’s Policy Group Northern Ireland)
Elizabeth Law (Women’s Policy Group)
Chris Quinn (NI Youth Forum)
Dr Fiona Bloomer (Ulster University)
Dr Jennifer Hamilton (Ulster University)
Professor Gráinne McKeever (Ulster University)
Dr Catherine O’Rourke (Ulster University)
Professor Rory O’Connell (Ulster University)
Dr Anne Smith (Ulster University)
Dr Victoria Simms (Ulster University)
Professor Ann Marie Gray (Ulster University)
Taryn Trainor (Unite the Union)