Gathering evidence on the impact of policy

For many families, the decision about childcare will also affect decisions about the main carer in the home - usually the mother - returning to work: is it worthwhile financially to take up employment once childcare costs are factored in?

For many, the answer will be 'no'. For others, the answer lies in informal childcare to help bridge the gap. And for yet others there will be non-financial reasons for returning to work or staying at home. Decisions about childcare are deeply personal and I suspect there are as many solutions to the conundrum of childcare as there are families.

But there is another way of looking at childcare and that is from the perspective of the state. What role should the state play in childcare? Why should the state be involved and what should be its main purpose? To help working families to meet the costs of living? To enable mothers to go back to work? Or is it to promote child development and to ensure that all children, no matter what their background, arrive at school 'classroom-ready'?

These objectives don't necessarily conflict, but in times of economic austerity there are trade-offs to be made, and it is clear that different objectives may require different approaches. The state already subsidises childcare through free early education as well as tax credits and childcare vouchers, and there is now a bill before parliament that contains proposals for the new tax-free childcare, to be introduced in September 2015.

With the general election taking place next year, and all the major parties indicating that childcare will be a key issue in the run-up to the election, it seems like a good time to take stock of where we are. What has been the impact of the public investment in childcare to date? What difference has it made to children's outcomes and to maternal employment rates? What evidence is available? And could the money be better spent in different ways?

That is why the House of Lords has decided to set up a Committee on Affordable Childcare, which I have the honour of chairing. We are a cross-party group of peers, many of us with experience in the world of children and childcare, both personal and professional.

We are hearing evidence from the full range of those seeking and providing childcare services - including practitioners, parents, policy makers, providers, academics and others. Our aim is to understand the impact of policymaking to date and to provide all the parties in the run up to the election with a robust evidence base for any future decisions.

The committee will hear evidence until December, and we aim to produce our report in early February 2015. You can follow the work of the Committee at www.parliament.uk/affordable-childcare or on Twitter using #HLChildcare. Evidence sessions are open to the public and are webcast live. You can watch them live or catch up on previous sessions at www.parliamentlive.tv.