Drastic drop in childminders across England
New figures from the Labour party have shown a significant drop in the number of childminders across England over the last five years, The Guardian has reported.
Labour said that the number has plummeted by 10,000 since 2011, putting pressure on childcare facilities and raising costs for working parents. Official figures show that there were 58,000 childminders in 2011 and fewer than 48,000 by 2015.
Additionally, the Conservative government鈥檚 鈥楥hildminder Agencies Scheme鈥 - designed to simplify childcare for parents and get more childminders into the profession - has failed to take off, with only five agencies registered with Ofsted and none with childminders signed up to them.
Lucy Powell, shadow education secretary, said that the failure is embarrassing from a government that 鈥渢alks the talk鈥 but continually 鈥渦nder-delivers and disappoints鈥.
鈥淐hildminder agencies were meant to be an innovative solution to help parents manage work and childcare flexibly, yet these figures show that the scheme has been a total flop,鈥 she said. 鈥淢inisters are wholly failing to ensure parents have access to flexible, high-quality affordable childcare.鈥
One of the contributing factors to the diminishing numbers is said to be the decline in training and support for childminders from local authorities, meaning they are now responsible for identifying and funding their own training. Costs of level three courses have increased from 拢250 in 2012 to 拢1900 in 2015.
However, childcare minister, Sam Gyimah, claimed that the sector was 鈥渉ealthy, vibrant and growing鈥.
鈥淭hanks to our reforms more parents than ever before are accessing high-quality, free childcare and we are doubling that provision for working parents of three- and four-year-olds,鈥 he said. 鈥淏y 2019/202 we will be spending more than 拢1 billion extra year on free childcare, more than any other government, which will incentivise and attract providers to expand, as well as save hardworking families up to 拢2,500.鈥