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.

• 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 .

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.'

Childcare providers need to extend opening hours
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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