Taskforce on Care Costs

WeeWunz is delighted to be part of the Taskforce on Care Costs (TOCC) since its inception. The Taskforce was established in November 2003 to investigate and promote a better understanding of the cost of care and how it affects workforce participation.

The Taskforce is a strategic alliance between peak non-government and business groups aimed at investigating the financial cost of care (for children, the elderly and people with a disability) and how those costs impact workforce participation of carers.

TOCC's objectives are to promote reforms within a policy framework of financial sustainability, equity and choice. For more information go to www.tocc.org.au

Child Care Trends in Australia

The current trend in Australia is toward more dual income families, single working parents and the early return to work of new mothers. This brings a greater demand for the care of children aged from 0 - 5 years and also school aged children during school holidays.

Trends also show an increase in the time that employees are working in a week and, more importantly, the increase in the proportion of women who choose to work.

The Department of Family and Community Services 2004 Census of Child Care Services in Australia shows that 56% of care used is in Long Day Care and Out of School Care. These forms of care are used by working parents who are usually committed to the 9 to 5 regime.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2002, of the 1.4 million children aged up to eleven years who used child care, 63% were cared for informally and half of this was provided by grandparents. The other 37% of all child care was structured in family day care, child care centres, and before and after school care. This equates to more than 500,000 children. As more and more mature aged workers are remaining in the workforce, if only on part time basis, the availability of grandparents to mind the children is in decline.

Forms of Child Care

 (children aged 0-4years)

The graph below demonstrates the trend from informal to formal care over the last 15 years. Demand for child care places continues to exceed the supply. This has three major impacts:

1 Increased waiting list times;
2 Increased fees as centres will always fill places;
3 Increased travel times from home to child care to work and therefore the stress on workers.
 

Types of Child Care Services used 2004

Increasingly employers and workplaces are acknowledging the need for employees to balance work with their family responsibilities. Families need, and are demanding, access to high quality child care by professional groups. This is already a successful and growing industry in both the US and UK. The tide of opinion is growing in Australia that this service needs to be provided by employers direct.

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