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Out of hours childcare - no more 9 to 5

Nearly two thirds of working families in UK have parents who work outside traditional Monday to Friday, 9-5 hours. Daycare Trust calls for more childcare services to match these new working patterns

It's not just emergency services and postal workers who are on duty round the clock. Over the last decade, 24 hour shopping, online banking and telesales have become the norm and, as a result, people are at a premium in many sectors of the work force and employers need parents to work outside the traditional working hours.

A recent Daycare Trust report revealed:

• Almost one quarter of the workforce work at night, with 15% working shifts
• 45% of women work over 40 hours a week; 30% of men work over 50 hours.

Parents are at the heart of this workforce

• 61% of working families have parents who work shifts or work early mornings, evenings, nights or weekends
• 34% of working families have a parent who works weekends .

Shift workers tend to be low paid, and can't claim the childcare tax credit for childcare if they rely on informal childcarers, such as friends and family. To claim childcare tax credit, you have to use registered childcare that's been approved by your local authority. 41% of lone mothers say they don't work because of difficult working hours and a lack of affordable childcare or family support.

There are few formal childcare services to match extended hours

But some companies have set up enterprising schemes. Northern Foods, for example, has over 20,000 employees and knows that food production is about making products today that are on the shelves tomorrow. The company offers flexitime, where options are selected by employees; term time working, annual hours, an on-site nursery, a holiday playscheme and some partnership nursery places to support their employees. The company says: 'Diverse, flexible working practices need to suit local needs, help staff to balance work and home, and in turn help us to deliver products on time.'

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