General Election 2015

[kt88]

Hello, first post!

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, but as a political novice I was wondering what people's thoughts are regarding the effects on childminders in the upcoming election in May.

I know for example Labour plan to increase free childcare hours, but also want to guarantee 8am to 6pm care in primary schools....and is anything likely to happen regarding childminder agencies?

If anyone has any knowledge or opinions on how each party's policies will effect childminders, I'd love to hear them!

Katy

[sarah707]

I came across this the other day it might be of interest!

General election 2015 fact-sheets on childcare | Family and Childcare Trust

Welcome to the forum

[bunyip]

The problem with elections is, no matter who you vote for, the government always gets in.

We only used to have 2 different types of self-serving morons to worry about: now it looks like they come in at least seven different varieties.

Of the door-knocking idiots I've had in the last 2 weeks................

Neither the Toryscum nor the Lie-beral Demo-ron appeared to know if they even had a childcare policy.
The New Lie-bour apologist for illegal wars was very excited by their "Free" Childcare policy until he had to listen to my exposition of how it wasn't "free", wasn't for all 3yo's, etc. etc. and especially how many CMs are likely to drop out of the scheme altogether if we're expected to subsidise even more hours of care for parents who are better off than us, whilst we scrape by on profits which barely equate to half the national minimum wage.

The UK Intolerance Party guy was very happy to tell me it's all the fault of immigrants and that Jerusalem will definitely be builded here in England's green, unpleasant land..........................just as soon as we send 'em all back and brick up the entrance to the Channel Tunnel. No wonder they're the BNP and National Front's party of choice.

Still waiting for Plaid Cymru and Plaid Tartan to show up.

[HTSMumma]

Vote for the Greens and get solar panel roads with led lights*! Who cares about their childcare policies?!?!


*this may be fiction.

[Simona]

Hello, first post!

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, but as a political novice I was wondering what people's thoughts are regarding the effects on childminders in the upcoming election in May.

I know for example Labour plan to increase free childcare hours, but also want to guarantee 8am to 6pm care in primary schools....and is anything likely to happen regarding childminder agencies?

If anyone has any knowledge or opinions on how each party's policies will effect childminders, I'd love to hear them!

Katy

The Tories will continue to push agencies because it is such a good idea and CMs back them fully!!!
They have already demanded that schools provide 8-6pm care...Truss did because she was a bit clueless and is not doing a better job at her new govt dept trying to save our cheese!
They know we are underfunded but blame the LAs for keeping their hands on govt funding instead on passing it to us
They want school led Early Education
Gove wanted children in schools all day and shorter holidays
Nicky Morgan is still thinking about what British values stand for so we can answer Ofsted.
Sam Gyimah wants us to be 'creative' with funding we get because ...there is no more coming!

Labour have costed the 25 hrs via the bank levy but will not tell us if it means more funding for us...if not it will be a joy to sustain our business.
They will reopen the Sure Start and make more childcare available
On agencies...there is not a clue there despite their reservations at the start.
They want to reduce Ofsted remit...uh!!

Lib Dems have promised 'free childcare' for all 2 year olds and an increase for the Pupil Premium for EY.
Agencies...they agreed on them
They too know about underfunding but blame the LAs too.

All 3 agree on Baseline Assessment, all seem to agree 2 year olds are better in school.

The Greens want formal schooling to start at 6...no Ofsted inspections...no testing children...all good ones!
UKIP...I have not got a clue

Roll on May 8th!

[rickysmiths]

Golly some of you are lucky. Not had a knock on the door yet mind you with the average intelligence of most of the candidates they don't see a front door on the drive side of the house and can't work out it is round the side!!

We have had one Consevative leaflet for a candidate I have never heard of in the 10 years I have lived here but she is an ex childcare worker. Yipee!

[Mouse]

Golly some of you are lucky. Not had a knock on the door yet mind you with the average intelligence of most of the candidates they don't see a front door on the drive side of the house and can't work out it is round the side!!

We have had one Consevative leaflet for a candidate I have never heard of in the 10 years I have lived here but she is an ex childcare worker. Yipee!

Today I had a Labour leaflet, a UKIP leaflet and a Pizza Hut leaflet come through the letterbox. Two went straight in the bin & one I kept...guess which one

[bunyip]

Today I had a Labour leaflet, a UKIP leaflet and a Pizza Hut leaflet come through the letterbox. Two went straight in the bin & one I kept...guess which one

I'd consider voting for them if only they'd put up a candidate.

[bunyip]

UKIP...I have not got a clue

You may find that sentence reads better without the "I".

[FloraDora]

I love all the Green Party policy ideas- but haven't a clue how they will fund it and unfortunately I am not sure that they do either!
Had lots of leaflets but no one knocking yet...I await this with my list of questions and my value judgement side!

Big discussions in our house, both boys studied politics within their degree subjects and so knowledgable and therefore keep me on my toes in debates!

I cannot see myself voting for any party who still gives Gove air time!

DH and I read the BBC everyday, then guardian, independent and I read Daily mail on line ( DH will not go any where near this!) then we discuss the daily round up...oldest Skypes or emails from South America and puts his argument forward, youngest phones and discusses.....I end up in a dilemma... Roll on May!

Want to concentrate on childcare ..but need to look at everything....and what will be affecting me in 5 years....and for my lads and their future.... Big decisions ahead....

[bunyip]

I love all the Green Party policy ideas- but haven't a clue how they will fund it and unfortunately I am not sure that they do either!

Maybe they could put a heavy tax on hand-knitted vegan muesli? (I hear the SNP will be funding their policies by increasing VAT on deep-fried Mars bars.)

The fact that the UK's largest oilfield has just been discovered a few miles north of a Green Party constituency and just before an election has me wondering if maybe there is a god after all............ and maybe she has a great sense of humour coupled with exceptional geological timing.

I just hope it doesn't mean we have to join the Americans and find a spurious excuse to declare war on ourselves.

[loocyloo]

We've had liberals and conservatives at the door. And had good chats even if not that clear on child related policies!

I was getting children out of the car and 6 yes 6 people with labour rosettes on walked past ... I was all ready to say 'sorry, no time to talk' but they didn't even glance in my direction!
So they can't have been local 'cos everyone here says hello to everyone ... whether you know them or not! My mum said they would have ignored our house as it's detached and not on a housing estate!

[Simona]

I love all the Green Party policy ideas- but haven't a clue how they will fund it and unfortunately I am not sure that they do either!
Had lots of leaflets but no one knocking yet...I await this with my list of questions and my value judgement side!

Big discussions in our house, both boys studied politics within their degree subjects and so knowledgable and therefore keep me on my toes in debates!

I cannot see myself voting for any party who still gives Gove air time!

DH and I read the BBC everyday, then guardian, independent and I read Daily mail on line ( DH will not go any where near this!) then we discuss the daily round up...oldest Skypes or emails from South America and puts his argument forward, youngest phones and discusses.....I end up in a dilemma... Roll on May!

Want to concentrate on childcare ..but need to look at everything....and what will be affecting me in 5 years....and for my lads and their future.... Big decisions ahead....

If the Green had a chance to win the election and they did indeed scrap Trident....they.....and the whole country.... would be awash with money and we could fund all their policies fromm NHS to education and the environment....and if Caroline Lucas had remained their Leader the chance would be even greater.

Did you see Lucas at Question Time next to Truss?...I wondered how Truss could ever be given any role in education
Sorry for the deviation everyone.

[FloraDora]

If the Green had a chance to win the election and they did indeed scrap Trident....they.....and the whole country.... would be awash with money and we could fund all their policies fromm NHS to education and the environment....and if Caroline Lucas had remained their Leader the chance would be even greater.

Did you see Lucas at Question Time next to Truss?...I wondered how Truss could ever be given any role in education
Sorry for the deviation everyone.

My oldest lived in Brighton before his world travels , he and a lot of Brighton think Caroline Lucas is wonderful...her MEP reputation is good too. Apparantly she stepped down from leadership due to big local issues taking up her time and to allow the Green Party to blossom beyond the Caroline Lucas party. Agree she outshone on QT. I never found Truss confident in a bigger than a few audience, she is more know the policies and not brilliant at talking beyond or out of the party rehearsed lines.

Trident? Agree about costs, but also don't want to be left behind in the Nuclear issues and feel happier when we can match the enemy in our weaponry....if only there was no chance of us needing it in the nuclear stakes around the world.

Sat reading the weekend round up of the parties this morning and again not entirely able to make a confident vote for one party yet! It doesn't help that locally my vote would be for one person who stands out for me as taking local issues forward ( I have had a professional relationship with all candidates - Chris Pincher and I often agreed to disagree over local education issues, I think he considered me a pain) but not their national party to lead the country!
This indecision will go on and on I think until May 8th .

[Mouse]

More support with childcare – The Labour Party

This gives details of the labour pledge on childcare.

I wonder where places would come from for each 3 & 4 year old to get 25 hours a week funding. Many nurseries offer 3 hour sessions 5 days a week - one lot of children in the morning, another lot in the afternoon. Would they be expected to offer 5 hour sessions, 5 days a week? They couldn't do that for 2 lots of children unless they offered sessions 8am-1pm and 1pm-6pm. I can't see them wanting to do that!!

And the primary childcare guarantee looks interesting - but the primary school heads will love being responsible for arranging wrap around childcare for every parents that wants it!

[bunyip]

Mouse, that's pretty much what one of my clients (a nursery deputy manager) also found risible about New Lie-bour's 25 hours "free" childcare pledge.

Her nursery offers 3-hour funded sessions and they cannot practically offer any more.

Our local preschool is only open 3 hours a day. They looked at extending this but cannot due to the prohibitive rental costs and/or other community groups using the premises.

I and most the local CMs to whom I've spoken cannot afford to subsidise an extra 10 hours for every 3&4yo whilst the LA continues to pay a ridiculously low rate for "free" childcare.

BUT the LA will only let settings onto the scheme if they agree to offer the full 15 hours entitlement. I imagine if the entitlement were raised to 25 hours, then the LA would only allow us to offer the full 25 hours or make us withdraw from the scheme.

So the net result of yet another ill-considered populist soundbite would be a severe shortage of settings able to offer any "free" childcare hours whatsoever.

[HTSMumma]

The Green Party:

SW304 Childminders will continue to be registered and monitored, with free training, including training in nutrition, given to all. We recognise that childminders often have a low income and are seen as having a low social status. We believe that bringing up children is a very important job, and would seek to improve the standing of childminders whilst making sure that they earn a living wage for what is a demanding job, while maintaining the affordability of care.

SW305 Nurseries and children’s centres will be monitored for quality of care and the information made readily available. Special attention will be given to ratios of adult carers to children. Nursery staff will be given adequate training, including training in nutrition.

SW306 Nannies will be registered on a national register, enabling families to check the suitability of their potential employee. The treatment of au pairs will be regulated to stop them from being exploited by their employers.

SW307 Working grandparents will be given the same right to request flexi-work as parents if caring for grandchildren.

SW308 We will provide free universal early education and childcare from age 1 up to age 6 (5 while that remains the age of formal education starting), with parental participation strongly encouraged for younger children. Universal provision will be designed to give parents and carers as much flexibility as possible in terms of times and locations. The provision of occasional ‘ad hoc’ care will be encouraged and facilitated. Special attention will be paid to the needs of disabled children. This will be overseen by a cabinet-level, cross-departmental minister for childcare.

SW309 Children’s centres will engage in active outreach work to make contact with socially excluded families to ensure that their children's development is not endangered and to encourage the parents and carers to access free local activities for children.

SW310 Parents and carers in a community will be encouraged to set up networks of babysitters and playgroups. This would aid both children’s development and community cohesion.

[bunyip]

OMG if the Greens are going to "train" us in nutrition we can all throw away our red chopping boards.

More lettuce anyone?

[Mouse]

I think the Green Party can promise the earth (excuse the pun) because they're never going to have to deliver on their promises

[FloraDora]

What a nightmare SW307 would be to employers.....it was very difficult to always accomodate parents on flexible working hours, let alone grandparents too!
Nice idea, but in reality the country cannot run ( especially public servants) on everybody working only 3 days a week.