National Quality Framework requirements for nannies should be determined by ACECQA and should include a minimum qualification requirement of a relevant (ECEC related) certificate III, or equivalent, and the same staff ratios as are currently present for family day care services. Assessments of regulatory compliance should be based on both random and targeted inspections by regulatory authorities. The availability of ECEC services which could be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of many families’ circumstances was raised by many parents in DCA’s survey of member organisations. This was particularly the case where parents needed childcare for more than once young child (especially in the case of twins or more), where parents worked non-standard hours, travelled extensively for work or were employed in rural or remote locations. Parent respondents strongly supported a broader range of care options being made available and supported by the government, with more than 80% stating that they felt that support should be extended to types of childcare not currently funded or that funding should be increased for specific types of childcare — in particular nannies providing in-home care and family members providing care. Parents were also supportive of ensuring that nanny type ECEC services were of high quality by introducing a mechanism to support quality in in-home care. 2.5 Preschool & Outside School Hours Care While acknowledging the policy rationale for a 15 hour per week universal entitlement to preschool, there is no doubt that the current arrangements causes a great deal of difficulty for parents in paid work and ensures that many mothers are unable to return to the paid workforce on any other than a very part time basis until their children begin primary school. DCA welcomes the Commission’s recommendation that For those schools with attached preschools, OSHC should extend to preschool children, as the 15 hours per week over part days that most dedicated preschools operate currently makes workforce participation of at least one parent nearly impossible. p29 A number of parents who responded to our survey specifically mentioned pre-school hours as a problem. While strongly supporting moves to broaden the availability of OSHC, DCA has some concerns about Commission’s Draft Recommendation 8.2 that State and territory governments should direct all schools to take responsibility for organising the provision of an outside school hours care service for their students (including students in attached preschools), where demand is sufficiently large for a service to be viable.
National Quality Framework requirements for nannies should be determined by ACECQA and should include a minimum qualification requirement of a relevant (ECEC related) certificate III, or equivalent, and the same staff ratios as are currently present for family day care services. Assessments of regulatory compliance should be based on both random and targeted inspections by regulatory authorities. The availability of ECEC services which could be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of many families’ circumstances was raised by many parents in DCA’s survey of member organisations. This was particularly the case where parents needed childcare for more than once young child (especially in the case of twins or more), where parents worked non-standard hours, travelled extensively for work or were employed in rural or remote locations. Parent respondents strongly supported a broader range of care options being made available and supported by the government, with more than 80% stating that they felt that support should be extended to types of childcare not currently funded or that funding should be increased for specific types of childcare — in particular nannies providing in-home care and family members providing care. Parents were also supportive of ensuring that nanny type ECEC services were of high quality by introducing a mechanism to support quality in in-home care. 2.5 Preschool & Outside School Hours Care While acknowledging the policy rationale for a 15 hour per week universal entitlement to preschool, there is no doubt that the current arrangements causes a great deal of difficulty for parents in paid work and ensures that many mothers are unable to return to the paid workforce on any other than a very part time basis until their children begin primary school. DCA welcomes the Commission’s recommendation that For those schools with attached preschools, OSHC should extend to preschool children, as the 15 hours per week over part days that most dedicated preschools operate currently makes workforce participation of at least one parent nearly impossible. p29 A number of parents who responded to our survey specifically mentioned pre-school hours as a problem. While strongly supporting moves to broaden the availability of OSHC, DCA has some concerns about Commission’s Draft Recommendation 8.2 that State and territory governments should direct all schools to take responsibility for organising the provision of an outside school hours care service for their students (including students in attached preschools), where demand is sufficiently large for a service to be viable.
subdr802-childcare.docx