Analysis: Shifting time for families
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Formal childcare provision is not keeping up with the social change of more and more parents working atypical hours, which can adversely affect children's well-being. Karen Faux reports.
The trend for 'Shift parenting' first attracted public attention in 2006, when the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) reported that increasing numbers of parents in the UK were working unsociable hours to allow them to share the care of their young children.
At the time, Labour minister Harriet Harman called for a public debate about how families could be helped to spend more time together. 'It is not just about the child having enough time with the mother or the father, it's about doing things as a family,' she said.
But it seems that little has improved since then. According to this year's survey Unsocial Hours, Unsocial Families?, published by the think-tank Relationships Foundation, the current economic climate is driving more families to work around the clock.
It provides anecdotal evidence of how unsocial working hours, particularly at weekends, reduce the amount of time that parents spend with children, both individually and as a couple. It seems that relatively few parents are able to make up that time on other days. Inevitably, children miss out on family time together and activities such as eating, reading and playing together, which are fundamental to healthy development.
Charity 4Children reports that 'shift parenting' is a trend which it is aware of and monitoring.
Its chief executive, Anne Longfield, says, 'Overall we are seeing a decline in demand for full daycare and a rise for part-time places. Some parents work nights and alternate with this arrangement, in order to keep costs down. The result is that often parents do not see each other very much or spend time together with their children.
'This particularly relates to migrants who work long shifts and have the added pressure of having to send money home.'
4Children estimates that a third of the parents who use its centres work shifts and many use a combination of different childcare.
'There are some parents who meet in a car park and hand their children over,' says Ms Longfield. 'Making the decision to work is positive, but at the same time life is tough. Their situation means it is difficult to provide the loving environment young children need. When money is tight, parents have to make good use of their time, just in order to keep afloat.'
Ms Longfield believes that nurseries and children's centres can be supportive by being flexible in the care they offer.
'There is a need to offer a lot of part-time places - including one- and two-hour sessions,' she says. 'At the same time, providers must feel confident that the parent can pay and it is vital that parents talk through any potential problems at the earliest opportunity. For those who are juggling childcare it can be much like being a lone parent.'
She emphasises the importance of letting parents know what tax credits and benefits are open to them. 'The fact that there are now many children's centres in place is a step in the right direction.'
At the Family and Parenting Institute, spokeswoman Emma Brennan corroborates the reality of current economic pressures. 'We know from a recent survey how much parents have been affected by the recession and that the high cost of childcare is a particular drain on their finances. Sharing childcare between partners, or using grandparents, is often the only option.'
Provision hours
According to work-life charity Working Families, 'shift parenting' is not all bad and can be a positive choice by some families wishing to look after their own children. Its bigger concern is that longer hours are not adequately met by early years settings. Elizabeth Gardiner, policy and political campaigns officer, says, 'A real issue for parents is the move towards 24/7 working without a similar shift in childcare provision. In line with this, shift parenting is often a reflection of the lack of choice available to families: they simply can't find formal childcare for atypical hours, so they have to rely on partners.'
She adds, 'One suggestion might be that incentives should encourage employers to offer childcare support whenever they expect parents to work outside normal hours. This would increase the choices available to families, and they can also get help with the costs if they use formal, registered childcare.'
Practitioners working with families who are tied to punishing work schedules need to understand the issues involved. Anne Longfield says, 'As children get older, they are increasingly affected by inconsistencies in their home life and childcare. Providers also need to bear in mind that parents themselves may be missing out on seeing their children.'
Communication
Child psychologist Jennie Lindon says that work-stretched parenting is not a new phenomenon and has always potentially presented problems. One of the biggest dangers is the breakdown in communication between adults juggling unsocial hours and childcare.
'Adult-to-adult communication is vital for a child's well-being,' says Ms Lindon. 'Parents need to talk with their out-of-home carer and they also need to have decent conversation time between themselves. When this doesn't happen, a child will have to negotiate inconsistencies.
'A fragmented home life and a disruptive patchwork of care are negative factors. If there are lots of changes - even if the family live together under one roof - there will be uncertainties for the child, and family life will not be as coherent or supportive as it should be.'
Child expert Maria Robinson is also concerned about the levels of stress that shift parenting can involve. 'For example, the Relationships Foundation's report highlights that long hours and shift patterns affect the mental well-being of adults and this in itself can cause an extra worrying dimension,' she says. 'If parents are tired and stressed from their working patterns, they are even less likely to feel able to cope with the emotional demands of their children, their need to play and to experience their parents as a partnership.'
In the longer term, wider acceptance of flexible working could create more manageable family routines.
The Family and Parenting Institute's Emma Brennan says, 'Flexible working certainly helps parents to balance going out to work, looking after their children themselves and using some childcare. If both parents can get flexible working it can allow them to share childcare in a less pressurised way and enable them to see more of each other and their child.'
One idea from the Relationships Foundation is to introduce a Family Day Bill which would entitle all parents to one day off each week. It believes that giving parents the right to one weekend day off would mean that more families can spend time together and with their children.
In the meantime, the prevalence of 'shift parenting' can be seen as a sign of the times and a trend that will not easily be bucked.
FAMILY FEARS
Families and the Credit Crunch 2008, a survey by the Family and Parenting Institute, based on a YouGov survey of over 5,000 parents in the UK, found that:
- One in four parents said their household income is not enough to pay the bills each month
- 27 per cent of parents said that they think they will not be able to pay the bills in six months time
- One in ten parents fear the main bread winner will be made redundant in the next six months
- The costs that are causing most concern to parents are heating, paying the rent or mortgage and food (47, 36 and 31 per cent respectively)