Childcare reforms don't help all

THE poorest families will see no direct benefit from the expansion of free childcare, a study has found, as the Government is accused of failing to prioritise inequalities in children’s development.

Changes announced by Jeremy Hunt in the March Budget represented an unprecedented expansion of free childcare, but the focus on parents who work rather than universal services or targeted support for low-income families means the biggest benefit will be felt in more affluent households, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Under the changes, by 2025 working families will able to access up to 30 hours a week of funded term-time care for all children from the age of nine months until they reach school age. Currently, funded 30-hour places are available only for children aged three and four in working families.