I cannot speak strongly enough for the rights of children to have the best possible care, so I was astounded to hear that the Government is considering the effective deregulation of some childcare, and that nannies and after-school clubs will not need to be regulated. A Treasury spokeswoman said this was 'to make it as easy as possible for carers to be accredited while ensuring the safeguarding of quality', while the Department for Education and Skills said the new 'light touch' voluntary accreditation scheme was being created to give more financial support to parents paying for childcare (News, 25 March).
At present the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 regulates the care of children in a setting away from home. As a childcare professional and parent, I have spent ten years making sure our clubs meet these standards.
We are now being told that all our work and dedication of the past is not required. The future is a new 'light touch' voluntary accreditation scheme where the Inland Revenue would give working tax credit to parents if their children are looked after in an unregulated, unprofessional way.
No police checks, no standards of care, no regulation with regard to the numbers of hours a childcarer works, nor the numbers of children they look after, no holiday pay? Has the Government considered where its commitment lies to the Children and Young Persons Act, the European Working Time Directive, employment law, health and safety in the workplace, and the minimum wage? Do these laws apply to everyone but childcarers and the children in their care?
What about complaints and information for parents? Ofsted will have no rights in law to regulate these forms of childcare, so there will be no way a parent could complain. The Ofsted childcare reports now available to parents on the internet would not cover unregulated settings. And police checks would not be statutory.
Heaven forbid. In the light of events in Soham, police checks not statutory?
