Live webchat about childcare reform with Liz Truss, Education & Childcare Minister, Thursday 7 February, 1pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello hello,

We'll be welcoming the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare - Elizabeth Truss MP - for a webchat on Thursday Feb 7th (tomorrow) 1pm - 2pm.

As the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, Elizabeth Truss lives in Downham Market with her husband and two daughters. She was brought up in Yorkshire and, before entering Parliament, worked as the Deputy Director at the think-tank Reform. She also worked in the energy and telecommunications industry for 10 years and is a qualified management accountant.

Elizabeth recently wrote a Mumsnet guest blog on the Government's plans for childcare reform, which generated this recent thread - and childcare expert Penelope Leach responded to the proposals here.

Do post your question in advance on this thread, or join us live on Thursday 1pm-2pm.

And, as ever, a gentle reminder to all to stick to our webchat guidelines.

Many thanks.

OI MNHQ, you deleted my post - presumably the one that said, "are you stupid?" - that is not a personal attack, it's a question. On that basis you could never try anyone for a crime because it would be considered MEAN to ask the person in the dock if they had done it.

with regards to the ratio changes being voluntary: childminder A does not want to change her ratios as she believes she can provide the best possible care and learning opportunities as she can with a smaller number of children.

Childminder B increases her ratios and lowers her fees to £2 less an hour than childminder A. Childminder B cannot take the children on outings and cannot provide them with as good a quality of care that she used to as she's unable to meet their individual needs.

Parents need affordable childcare so choose childminder B. Minder A goes out of business as do others in the area so there are less childminders working, the level of local childcare drops and children are developmental at a disadvantage when they start school as their early learning needs haven't been met adequately due to higher ratios.

I think the amount of people that you have consulted in regards to these proposals does not come close to the 40,000 that are telling you that they do not want the changes.

Parents already have a choice of childcare, there are already nurseries that offer a more structured learning environment and ones that offer a child led approach.

How on earth can it be quantified that other Europeans with higher ratios are happier going to work than in the UK. That's nonsense.

easilybored she didn't get given biscuits. Bad sign. Besides, you know it's serious when noone asks the biscuit question.

ElizabethTruss I look forward to being consulted. I can send you a list if my qualifications and experience if you like, and my knowledge of the country you seem to hold in such high esteem. My invitation is still open any time you want to come to Normandy.

You just know this is going to be spun into 'well I went on MN and addressed parent's concerns'.

I hope they were rubbish own brand ones, and not posh ones.

bob567 I think most childminders are constrained by space as well as capability and none I know will be looking after more children than they currently do.

Most see the opportunities which will arise from offering a far better service than the pack-em-in nursery down the road.

They certainly won't be charging any less than they currently do. There's still a shortage of childcare places in most areas, and that's what drives the market.

So over 12 pages and only a very small handful of replies. Says it all really :-(

Don't you think her comment about the sandwiches and crisps was extremely trite? Or was that just me?

I bet most of those responses were pre-prepared and she just picked the questions they fitted best with. She dodged all the others.

My DD is 2.3 and has recently started at her new nursery. Overwhelmingly, what she wants is cuddles whenever she feels like it. Every one that works there remarks that DD shouts HUG! and comes running over. This is not an isolated point as when I viewed the nursery all the children I saw there in that brief visit wanted hugs and cuddles. Every nursery worker was approachable and loved by all. There are loads of child led activities but with structure around it and lots of teaching of the basics like washing up, buttering sandwiches, table manners etc. DD can count to 5 (well she would say 10, but skips 6,7,8 & 9), knows new nursery rhymes, is getting there with colours and is very polite. None of these skills she is learning requires a genius to teach, but someone loving, with patience who is flexible to a child's needs and, most importantly, fosters a home from home environment that the child is comfortable in.

I loathe the idea of my DD competing for attention due to increased ratios. However, what I find the most terrifying is the idea of my little DD being 1 of 6 toddlers being led out of the burning building by 1 nursery worker. 1 of 6 children at risk of not being noticed silently choking, 1 of 6 children at risk of being harmed by another child because the nursery worker had his/her hands full while my child was being bitten, 1 of 6 children.

1 of 6. Thats bananas and makes me massively uncomfortable. No qualification in the world makes you better at looking after 6 toddlers.

I have always voted Conservative. I know that the Coalition Government cannot always conform to the individual election manifestos of 2010, but where possible, they should stick to introducing the changes that got them voted in and stop fiddling about with the lives of tiny children.

Getting ms truss to LISTEN, like banging your head against a brick wall

olgagaThu 07-Feb-13 14:19:57
FWIW this is what the NCMA actually says about the proposals.

Liz Truss: please note vote at bottom of page - speaks volumes!

Having informed the NCMA of Ms Truss's comments regarding who she consulted and her decision not to publicly clarify if they had supported or not supported her proposals, I am hoping they will be publishing a statement later today for members.

In the current vote on whether members believe the agency model is a good or bad idea the overwhelming response is that it is a bad one. I hope this information is passed on to Ms Truss as a reflection of child minders feelings regarding agencies.

Dawnev - I emailed NCMA and look forward to reading response later.

The only scrap of hope I have obtained by being involved in this webchat is that nobody actually agreed with her.

Thank you Mumsnet Towers for arranging this and bringing it to more peoples attention.

PLEASE PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION/S, SHARE & TWEET THEM!

yes nice very trite. Not to mention a whole web caht full of buzz words and very little actual content. So much of it was glib nonsense that I couldn't begim to C&P it all into one post.

From the document. 'Childcare is vital to ensuring we can compete in the global race.' I think this says it all! It's all about competing and the economy and not about children's welfare at all. Encouraging schools to take on much younger children?! Using phrases such as 'early education' doesn't disguise the fact that this is purely about childcare while parents work. I am a happy SAHM and happy to be one thank you very much. There are many like me who will not go back to work purely because we are 'encouraged to' by you or the government. And higher ratios will do nothing to tempt us back, if anything they put us off...

MNHQ -be sure to send her private secretary a full copy of the original thread about the proposals.

I know we could expect no difference, but reading this has practically reduced me to tears.

Parents where I live already have little 'choice' over childcare, as settings are full to bursting. Businesses (for that is what private nurseries are) will leap on this opportunity to take more children for less staff. Quality will decline. Parents will have no choice whatsoever if no businesses choose to keep to the current ratios -and why would they?! Even if any do, they will charge through the roof for it, as places will be so sought after.

I agree it will widen inequalities, as those with less money will have even less choice (less able to travel to better childcare, needing to take-up cheapest options).

I am angered. Actually angered. Did you hear me, I'm angry that ANYONE thinks a "well qualified" person can give four babes in arms sufficient attention, or two toddlers. Looking after 6x 2 years olds is just crowd control. I foresee a LOT of miserable under 3s

Don't you dare go back and say you've consulted 200+ people on Mumsnet, when to a woman all agree with your distasteful, poorly-thought through, potentially damaging proposals to create baby farms.

It is utterly vile.

I remember when my twins were babies/toddlers it was a real nightmare going to the park etc as they would run in different directions, I had 2 other young children also-one a lively toddler. Can't imagine 6!

She's not taking into consideration cultural issues. I happen to like the way nurseries in France are managed, but I am aware that they would not necessarily suit what British parents have come to expect from childcare. Which is fine, but goes to show that what works in one country might not work in another. I also have very little faith in this government being able to pull off a move towards more continental nursery styles - there is a lot of good which could be done from learning from our neighbours - and vice versa- but this is a government which has proven again and again that those who need help the most are not taken into consideration, and that costcutting will be made at every opportunity. The children's needs will not betaken into consideration by them, and neither will the parents or the workers.

Did she answer the questions about her own childcare arrangements?

hear hear Flowery

Please find a response from NCMA here:

www.ncma.org.uk/news/news/february_2013_news/ncma_responds_to_mumsnet_chat.aspx