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Parliament are set to debate whether working parents of children aged 9 months onward should get 15 hours of subsidised childcare per week.
After a petition was submitted on the UK Government website and reached over 140,000 signatures, MP’s are going to be looking into the request to consider offering parents some subsidised childcare from the age of 9 months, rather than the age of 2 or 3 depending on parents circumstances. This will take place on the 9th of March 2020.
The petition says…
“After 9 months of maternity leave, most working mums do not receive any maternity pay and need to go back to work. I think all working parents should be entitled to 15 hours free childcare from the time a child is 9 months. It makes more sense to provide this funding from 9 months instead of 2 years.
Many working families struggle week to week due to the cost of childcare. You are required to go back to work after a year of maternity pay however many go back after 9 months due to funds. Once you go back the majority of your wage goes to childcare and in some cases you are better off not working. This should not be the case.”
This is absolutely something that we can get on board with! There is so much emphasis on mums returning to the workplace, and so much coverage in the press of there being a gap in the workforce, yet the cost of childcare massively inhibits parents from being able to afford to go back to work, and 15 hours of subsidised childcare a week from the age of 9 months (when SMP stops paying out) would help so many working families.
It would bring more people into the workforce, and we believe it could benefit the mental health of parents who are struggling financially and in need of something for themselves out of the home.
Watch this space – we’ll update you all with an outcome after the debate!
Love from Katie & Team BBY. Xx
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