Congress Report on Survey of Childcare Practices

During the summer of 2001 Congress commissioned Nexus Research Co-operative to carry out a survey to find out how trade union members were meeting their childcare arrangements or childcare needs.

The context for this research is the limited provision of childcare services in Ireland (acknowledged by the Report of the Partnership 2000 Expert Working Group on Childcare, 1999) and more specifically the very limited information available on how working parents manage childcare.

The definition of childcare accepted for this research is that used by the Expert Working Group referring to services providing care and education, which are viewed by the Expert Working Group as being complementary and inseparable. This is to distinguish the use of the term from its use within the wider health sector, where the term ‘Child Care Services’ refers to the variety of services for children up to the age of 18 years in need of the care and protection of the State. In lay parlance the focus is therefore upon children being minded by someone other than a parent or guardian while parents or guardian(s) are working in paid employment.

The survey does not cover those who may have left the workforce or who cannot enter the labour force due to childcare constraints.

The age-group of children in such childcare to be considered is 0-14 years to take account of children who may be in the 'unminded' category.

The research focuses primarily on childcare practices during school term.