Out of hours childcare - no more 9 to 5

With the exception of nannies who cost between £6 and £10 per hour or around £185 a week, childcare services in Britain remain geared to the traditional working week. Childminders, out of school clubs and nurseries could extend their hours of operation, to accommodate parents who have early morning starts or late evening finishes, especially in areas dominated by round the clock businesses like airports, hospitals and call centres.

Two good examples

1. Maureen Ferrier from Crawley in West Sussex currently looks after 19 month old Megan, whose mother is an airline stewardess. Megan's mum, Suzy, is a lone parent and a member of British Airways' cabin crew. She works on long haul flights, which means that Maureen often looks after Megan for five or six days in a row. Maureen once looked after Megan for 11 days at a stretch, when Suzy was flying via the Far East and Australia. The shortest shifts are just two nights. Suzy works 75% full time, so she's off work one full week every month. 'It means that sometimes, when she's done a long flight and her recovery days run into her time off, I don't have Megan for 10 or 11 days.' Sometimes when Suzy is on stand-by she needs to be available to work at four hours notice. On those occasions, Maureen needs to be flexible enough to drop everything to care for Megan.

2. The Dundee Sitter Service is a One Parent Families Scotland project, providing extended hours childcare for working families within the boundaries of Dundee City Council. The service organises registered childcarers to go and work in children's own homes. The service is available 7am to 10:30pm, seven days a week, and because the 'sitters' are registered, the families can claim childcare tax credit to help with costs. Costs vary from 50 pence to £6 per hour according to family income.

These needn't be isolated examples. It's essential to consult parents locally about the sort of childcare they need, and cost in and provide any extended hours. Meanwhile, employers need to consult their employees about the impact that working hours have on their family life and childcare arrangements. Employers can respond by setting up flexible work options, including flexitime, part-time work and job sharing, annualised hours, term time working or home and teleworking. Out of hours childcare should be available for working parents, and with consultation and planning, it could be.

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