MORE than two-thirds of Scotland's councils do not have enough childcare provision in place to cope with demand during the summer months, a report has claimed.
The Family and Childcare Trust’s analysed the amount of childminding cover available to families during the summer holidays, and found that 78 per cent of local authorities admit they have a shortfall.
However, the Trust's Holiday Childcare Survey also found that the average cost of putting a child into a school summer club or private sector play scheme has fallen by around 9 per cent, to around £108 pounds.
This is despite rising prices during the past six years with the the cost of summer childcare go up by almost 10 per cent since 2016.
This is in line with an overall fall across the UK, with average prices down by 1.9 per cent since 2015, with the price of one weeks’ holiday childcare now at £121.12 on average in Britain.
Julia Margo, chief executive at the Family and Childcare Trust said: “Once again British families face a summer holiday of high costs and limited choice when it comes to finding formal childcare.
“We would like to see real commitment to increasing availability to meet demand, with a particular focus on deprived areas. Families should have a right to a childcare place, in line with a right to a school place.
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“The introduction of parents’ ‘right to request’ holiday childcare in their local schools offers a real opportunity for improvement. Government needs to provide the right information and support to realise this opportunity.”
Two areas of Britain, Wales and the East of England, reported that they do not have enough holiday childcare across all age groups and needs.
Despite the gaps in the availability if summer placements for little ones, The Family and Childcare Trust’s 15th annual survey, sponsored by Computershare and Community Playthings, found that only one in five local authorities had faced complaints about a lack of holiday childcare in the past 12 months.
Julian Foster, Managing Director at Computershare said: “It’s vital that parents get the support they need to balance their work and family lives, and organisations too benefit when employees are not dealing with great pressures over childcare.
“As a result the expensive costs and shortages of childcare this summer are a real concern, and it’s vital that more support is provided, particularly in poorer areas.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “The figures from FACT do not accurately reflect the position of childcare in Scotland as they relate specifically to English legislation.
"We have introduced a requirement on local authorities to offer more flexibility and choice over how funded hours are offered, and to do this following local consultations with parents and carers every two years.
“We are working with local government to further develop and expand their provision in this area, with the majority of local authorities now offering more flexibility to meet local demand.”
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