Inherent Problems in childcare (coursework)

[KatyMac]

What are the inherent problems with childcare in this country?

A homework questions and I need some brainstorming (so I will also post in chat):

I think there is conflict between quality and cost

Lowest cost can be the deciding factor on choice

Childcare workers are perceived to be low status/low paid

There are so many different ways of providing care there is no cohesion between the choices offered to parents

'Care' and 'Education' are often confused

At least that's what I think - can I have some more views please??

Childcare workers are seen as 16 year old school leavers
The food's crap
The hours are restrictive

yy flexibility too

if you work long hours/shifts/weeekends then basically unless you can find a CM willing to do them you are shafted as nurseries don't offer these hours

Yes if you work in childcare you wouldn't get a childcare setting open long enough to look after your own children

Conflict between economic motivations (i.e. the government would prefer to have parents working and children cared for as cheaply as possible) and human motivations (i.e. many parents would prefer to be at home for an extended period and actually caring well for young children is very expensive).
Childcare workers aren't just perceived to be low paid, they are.
Therefore the people who do it are often those who can't do anything else and are not genuinely motivated by love of working with children.

Thanks

Any more comments?

Are you wanting conflicts in the system?

Low qualification levels required for carers means low entry level into the profession means it's perceived as something a 16 year old with no GCSEs can do, so it's perceived as something they will do, so it's perceived as something bright people shouldn't do which then means that in a drive to get everyone qualified there is some compromise on standards

Which leads on to low quality childcare in some cases, exacerbated by the fact high quality childcarers often leave nurseries and become nannies (earn lots and lots of money and have more social cachet).

Too many differing types of care with different rules, regulations and bureaucracy put people off entering childcare even when they want to.

Paperwork against play - does your average nursery nurse spend more time planning/doing obs/evaluating or actually playing.

Mass childcare or individualised childcare

This is great

Thanks everyone so far (& hopes for more)

what age group children?

I think predominantly under 5's but I do right up to 16 so any age really

I know care for 8+ & 11+ becomes tricky

For older ones - independence vs safeguarding! Ready made conflict in the system

Oooh and my personal fave at the moment:

Govt guidelines (for SIDS, FF etc) vs parent's right to do as they see fit and not be dictated to by a childcarer they employ

I like that one

I have a mulitple cause diagram on my profile - does anyone want to comment

can you shoehorn in the impact of legislation/changes ie eyfs?

I don't really know anything about this! I see how they connect logically but what are you pulling out of it?

For example redundancy you have feeding to demand but surely it reduces demand and floods the market with childcarers as more people stay home?

If you're doing it as a feedback system biology style there's no positive/negative feedback on there to show balance points.

Then there are the points about the availability of qualified childcarers (not seeing the direct link between women working and qualified childcare btw) like legislation.

Is there a way to relate cost of living more directly to cost of childcare? Also govt management of the labour force eg min wage.

Also why women working rather than parents?

Of course the above points may be completely not what you were asking, in which case please ignore!

MCD's imply a positive unless marked with a -

So redundancy leads to less childcare demand

I think more women working would lead to more qualified childcare workers in 2 ways
a) childcare workers are often women therefore more women in work leads to more women in childcare
b)More women working means more childcare needed

but I see there maybe more steps in between

Women rather than parents - I think because childcare isn't normally needed until the second parent goes to work (usually the mum)- but I guess I need to change it to dual income families mind you that ignores single parent families....again more thought

Where legislation goes I'm not sure tbh - I got lost somewhere

I have to analyse a 'mess' or a 'wicked problem' - this is something that has no solution, every time you fix something you cause another problem.

The things which typify a mess are:
Priorities called into question
Longer, uncertain timescales
Uncertain but greater implications, worrying
Can?t be disentangled from it?s context
More people involved
Don?t know what needs to be done
?Not sure what the problem is?
No ?solutions?

I see..... I think.

I guess it just needs padding out a bit with single parent families, more steps to childcarers etc.

Women work - demand - higher profile - pushed up govt agenda - more legislation - 1. more qualified childcarers but 2. fewer as some don't want to comply.

You could go on forever really...

That's part of it

It's really a diagramming bit of the course but I'd rather do 'real' problems iyswim

I'm struggling with my control diagram somewhat - but I'll have another go when I get home

I have also done a 'Rich Picture' and a 'Systems Map' - I'll post them later

wrt legislation;

minimum wage would slot into wage costs?
all law regulating childcare would slot into quality of childcare?

Maybe - I'll draw it when I get home & see (I anticipate a late night tonight - I am sat outside DD's music lesson tying in the car)

On my control diagram I need inputs & outputs

I am inputting:

Staff with how well trained & experienced they are as an Actuator (or modifier)

Children (no Actuator as you can't change/alter children)

& something else?????

The outputs are:

OFSTED Inspection (with a comparator of the OFSTED report)

Is the ooutput for children "Tired and Happy children"?????

I think the output for parents is Satisfied parents

Any suggestions

How's it going, KatyMac?

Finished & in

Now waiting to see if we pass