SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Fflint Wrecsam has called for childcare funding to be less complicated.
Mr Rowlands, Welsh Conservative spokesperson for families, was speaking in the Senedd after Sioned Williams, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality gave an update on early years childcare and play.
He said: “Every parent and carer wants the best start for their child, but for too many families the cost of childcare is making that much harder.
“We all know parents who are weighing up whether it’s even worth returning to work because those childcare costs take up such a large proportion of their income, and, in some cases, those costs are higher than rent, mortgages or other headline costs.
“We, on these benches, welcome any genuine attempt to make childcare more affordable and more accessible to parents. But I guess the question is whether what’s being discussed can actually be delivered. Because, of course, warm words, on their own, aren’t enough.
“To begin with, we believe that the childcare system in its current form is far too complex, especially for parents to navigate and understand what they are entitled to.
“We believe that one of the first things that the Welsh Government should be looking at is how to streamline and simplify childcare funding so that parents, in particular, can easily understand what support is available to them so that they can properly plan for the future
“I’d be interested to know, what actions you’ll be taking to engage with parents and carers to ensure that any unnecessary complexity is taken out of the system for them.
“I also want to recognise the pressures that childcare providers are under as we know that these are often small businesses delivering an essential service, often on very limited margins.
“We know that they’re often struggling with rising costs, recruitment challenges and tight budgets.
“At the end of the day, parents want childcare that is safe, affordable and reliable. Providers want a system that is properly funded, sustainable and workable. Those are the priorities that we should all be focused on.”
The Minister said she said that she knew that many people do not take up childcare, not only because it’s disjointed, but because it’s difficult, it’s complex and there are so many different eligibility thresholds and agreed that the system needed to be simplified.
She also said that she wanted to strengthen the long-term sustainability of providers and would be considering other models of provision.
Mr Rowlands added: “I am pleased to hear the Minister’s comments and hope that she will look at simplifying the system for the funding for childcare.
“Better childcare provision was a key part of the Conservative manifesto and any additional finance is welcome.”
