LEADING children's charities are calling for parents of youngsters to be given cash to pay for care as they demand a "bold and innovative" shake-up of the current system.

Six major organisations, including NSPCC Scotland, Barnardo's and Children 1st, have joined forces to challenge politicians to stop trying to outbid each other on promises of free childcare ahead of next year's Holyrood election.

In an open letter to The Herald, the organisations, including One Parent Families Scotland, Aberlour and Parenting Across Scotland, are calling on the main parties to put children's needs ahead of party politics and back the findings of a major inquiry into the issue.

The charities, all members of a Scottish Childcare Alliance which was launched last year, argue that manifesto promises of more free childcare do not solve all the problems faced by parents. Instead, they are calling for a more "mature and sophisticated" approach.

In particular, they say a focus on wraparound cover for working parents does not suit many people, including students, or those trying to get into the labour market, who may need childcare to attend training or job interviews.

The group is calling for the findings of the recent McLean Commission on Childcare Reform to be implemented.

Their letter says: "These offer us a bold and innovative vision for the shake-up and redesign of our childcare system in a way that will better answer the needs of all children and parents, meeting childcare requirements with flexibility and increased choice."

The McLean proposals included the suggestion that parents of children too young for free nursery care should get a cash sum equivalent to the subsidy they would receive if their children were old enough.

This would help compensate for the fact that families in the UK with very young children receive significantly less cash through paid-for parental leave than in most other countries, the report said.

Among the commission's other recommendations were a sliding system of rates for childcare to ensure those with a low income did not have to spend more than 10 per cent of their household income on childcare.

The charities say implementing such policies will require cooperation across the political spectrum, in the same way consensus brought about improvements in the lives of children in care in Scotland.

"Scotland can do without more party political divisions on universally funded childcare hours, but it cannot do without a comprehensive and transformative shift in how we deliver childcare in this country," the letter says.

It has been signed by SallyAnn Kelly, chief executive of children's charity Aberlour; Martin Crewe, director of Barnardo's Scotland; Alison Todd, chief executive of Children 1st; NSPCC Scotland director Matt Forde; Ann McKenzie, deputy director of One Parent Families Scotland; and Clare Simpson, project manager at Parenting Across Scotland.

Ms Kelly said: "A modern Scotland will need child care that is flexible enough for those families where one or both parents work irregular hours, or for those, including students, who are outside the labour market.

"This means that we will need to engage in a more sophisticated conversation about what that needs to look like for families and how every family can benefit from the provision of free child care hours – too many families are currently missing out on their full entitlement because of inflexibility in the system."

She praised the work carried out by Colin McLean, adding: "The report from the Commission on Childcare offers a fantastic opportunity for key providers of child care, especially local authorities, to review existing provision in a way which really focuses on the needs of children yet offers greater flexibility and choice to families."