Whilst I agree that care workers - including childcare workers - are low paid, I often wonder how many of the people bemoaning the lot of the low paid are the same people complaining that childcare is far too expensive, or who are aghast that granny’s house is to be sold to meet her care costs (“but what about my inheritance! It’s not what she would have wanted!”) or, even worse, attempting to participate in schemes to hide an older person’s assets from the local authority to swerve care costs (“they worked all their lives for what they have, why should the council get it!”).
I’m suggesting that the intersection of the venn diagramme is quite large.
The references to ‘massive profits’ supposedly made by the employer usually give it away. As in, the people complaining that care is too expensive and simultaneously think that the staff delivering the care should be paid more don’t intend to pay more themselves for that care. No. The wicked businesses should pay, them with their massive fat cat profits. I don’t work in the care sector but I do work in finance. It is really difficult to make money in childcare and care homes.
Most of that is because the people buying the services - childcare or care of the elderly - are incredibly price sensitive. In a nursery they want a high ratio of fully qualified staff to children, for example, and expect the nursery to be open early and late, but can’t see why they should pay more than £50 a day, and even that is considered too expensive.
In the care home context, the local authorities can’t pay high fees for elderly people with no assets (really or purportedly) because everyone is so keen to hide elderly people’s assets from the council, meaning that the cost of care, for most councils, quickly becomes unmanageable. So the care homes don’t make much from that type of resident. When the elderly person’s money is used towards care fees, there is outrage at the cost. How do you think that carers can be paid properly in this scenario?