Sunday 20 March 2011

Elephant Recruitment Press Release

Parents employed outside of normal working hours struggle to find childcare
In response to news just released from the Charity Day Care Trust they have published finds from their survey. More than two-thirds of parents who do not have normal working hours struggle to find childcare that meets their needs.
The Childcare Trust survey revealed that the demand for childcare outside the standard 8am to 6pm opening times and found most parents had difficulty getting childcare overnight, at weekends and in the evening.
Monica Morison from Elephant Recruitment Ltd a new childcare agency based in Shrewsbury commented on the recent finds from the survey.
‘One of the main reason for setting up this Childcare agency in Shropshire was that we saw that families especially working families were struggling to find wrap around care before 8am and after 6pm, weekdays and weekends and there was a requirement for Emergency Childcare. The report accesses the enormous barriers that parents who work outside typical hours face in accessing childcare.
We at Elephant Recruitment are here to help working parents who may need more flexible childcare, it maybe weekend cover on a permanent part time basis or it could also just be last minute, emergency childcare.
The Daycare Trust’s report comes just days after the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills announced it is repealing regulations due to be enforced in April that would have given parents of 17-year-olds the right to request flexible working arrangements.
The charity has recommended that the government allows parents to request flexible working hours including the power to reject out-of-hours work and request more regular hours.
It also wants government to provide more support and guidance to childcare providers and larger employers; increase promotion of the financial support for childcare; and to make the free early education entitlement available from 7am to 7pm.  
According to the charity, councils must also assess demand for childcare more closely, promote and support childminder networks, and offer grants to support local providers in establishing atypical childcare schemes.
For more information on childcare solutions in Shropshire, please contact
Monica Morison – Director, Elephant Recruitment Ltd. At monica@elephantrecruitment.com or visit our website www.elephantrecruitment.com