Local trial of overnight family care

Peninsula families will have access to flexible overnight and weekend care under a new family day care flexibility pilot to be trialled over the next 12 months.

Coastwide Child and Family Services, also known as Gosford and Peninsula Family Day Care, was selected as one of nine trial sites around the country that will work to promote and increase the level of provision of flexible overnight and outside standard hours care to shift working police who live in the local area.

The Government announced late last month that it would fund the development of flexible family day care pilots at selected sites across Australia to look closely at how best to meet the changing and specific needs of shift workers, specifically those working in front line emergency response jobs such as policing and nursing.

Family Day Care Australia, the national peak body for the family day care sector, will work with the Police Federation of Australia, the Queensland Nurses' Union, United Voice and their member families and local family day care service providers in Queensland, Victoria and NSW as these pilots of flexible service provision are developed and trialled.

"Family day care educators currently provide regulated home-based early childhood education and care during both standard weekday hours as well as overnight, early mornings and weekends," said Family Day Care Australia CEO Ms Carla Northam.

"However, the actual supply of flexible care is not widespread and it is hoped the flexibility trials will help meet the growing demand for non-standard hours care from Australian working families.

The Government's announcement followed stakeholder meetings which were held to discuss the specific child care needs of emergency services and the role the family day care sector could play in meeting these needs.

These meetings revealed that there was a need for increased provision of child care options for police, nurses and paramedics that cater for the often unpredictable nature of their work.

Coastwide Child and Family Services CEO Ms Kellie McNamara said Central Coast families were increasingly seeking child care options outside of the non-standard hours of care.

"There is a need, particularly from parents who work in the emergency services, for flexible child care options that cater for the often unpredictable nature of their work.

"Family day care educators work closely with families to provide care provision for children which can meet this need.

"Working from their own homes, educators arrange their hours of service to match the non-traditional working hours of parents.

"Educators recognise the challenges of parents working in these industries and respond by providing a safe and child focused service which enables parents to be productive in the workplace, secure that their child care needs are well met," Ms McNamara said.

Media Release, 28 Mar 2013

Sasha Tohme, Family Day Care Australia