Child Care (Hansard, 18 July 1990)

§ Mr. John Patten

In April 1989 the ministerial group on women's issues discussed and agreed the following five-point plan designed to encourage the development of a range of high-quality child care options:

1. to amend the then Children Bill so as to improve the registration and enforcement arrangements for day nurseries, child minders and playgroups;
2. to encourage the providers of child care and employers to consider the need for a voluntary accreditation scheme, which would provide information about the availability of child care facilities and guarantee the quality of the provision;
3. to issue guidance to local education authorities and school governors in England, encouraging the use of school premises for after school and holiday play schemes;
4. to give further support to the voluntary sector through pump-priming of projects and encouragement of partnerships between employers and the voluntary sector;
5. to give further encouragement to employers to use the tax reliefs available to provide child care facilities.

Having implemented the April 1989 plan, the group approved a follow-up programme of action in February 1990:

1. to issue new guidelines and regulations to local authorities on day care services for children under eight years, as part of the implementation of the Children Act 1989;
2. the Department of Health to work with local authorities to help them improve their practice on the registration of day care services;
3. to encourage the development of information services on child care for both parents and employers;
4. to continue to encourage employers to become involved in providing help with child care for their staff;
5. to continue to set an example to employers, by developing a range of flexible working patterns and child care facilities to assist civil servants who choose to combine paid work and family responsibility.