Introduction
The aim of the Royal Air Force Families Federation is to provide an independent voice for RAF Personnel and their families by representing their issues and concerns to the RAF, MOD and government ministers. We gather evidence both from our surveys on specific topics and from individuals approaching us with issues. We last looked at childcare in 2010 and 2011. From recent unit visits and workshops and the comments provided, it became evident that we should look again.
The requirement for childcare is an increasingly significant factor that dictates how many of our people with children live; sometimes impacting on careers and certainly presenting a greater challenge than ever before in balancing the demands of the Service with the demands of family life and spouse/partner careers. In particular, the rising costs of childcare come at a time of financial austerity, a pay freeze for our serving personnel, and at a time when military families are being encouraged to buy their own homes through initiatives such as Forces Help to Buy, making a second income all the more important in funding a deposit or the mortgage itself.
Even so, while childcare is clearly a significant outlay for many parents, it will by its very nature always be expensive. It is not always fair to suggest that high childcare costs are simply the result of providers charging high fees to hard-pressed parents: The reality is more complex. The need to ensure safety for children and deliver high quality childcare rightly means that childcare cannot – and should not – be provided ‘on the cheap’ and no one will want efforts to ensure that childcare is affordable to compromise its quality as a result.
The provision of £20m from the LIBOR fund for childcare infrastructure projects is very welcome. Projects have been assessed by the MOD’s Directorate of Children and Young People (DCYP) and those meeting the criteria have been placed on either green or amber lists, the former being given the highest priority. However we understand that delivery has been delayed because the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has sought detailed clarification on a number of issues, including the mixing of public and non-public funding, lease arrangements and future maintenance of newbuilds and extensions. DIO has now provided some assurance that it is working to move projects forward but, to date, we have no indication of when these projects will be completed.
We also await publication of the DCYP Study into childcare, which was started in 2012. We hope that the Study when completed will complement both the detailed work in childcare undertaken by HQ Air Community Support Staff and this Report, and that it will provide at least an indication of the future policy for the delivery of childcare.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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