14th November

Families Blame Childcare Costs For Financial Woes
A quarter of parents say they won't be able to pay their bills in six months' time, with a significant number citing childcare costs as a factor, according to the latest research from the Family and Parenting Institute.

The report, Families and the Credit Crunch 2008, shows almost one in five parents who felt they would have trouble paying their bills cited childcare costs as a reason. The online YouGov survey questioned 5,309 parents of under-16s across the UK.

Claire James, policy officer at the Family and Parenting Institute, said that feedback from parents suggested childcare costs are limiting their ability to work, at a time when the government has placed an emphasis on ending child poverty and encouraging parents to return to employment.

"It was mothers in particular saying they can't afford to go back to work after maternity leave, or saying it's hardly worth working due to childcare costs," said James.

"Some people would clearly prefer to go out to work but they simply can't afford to," she added.

source: Ross Watson, Children & Young People Now