Daycare Trust: Reaching BME children - childcare workers speak out

CONTACT: DAYCARE TRUST PRESS OFFICE, 020 7840 3350 EXT 217, MOBILE 07834 360870. DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY OF THE REPORT FROM www.daycaretrust.org.uk

Daycare Trust today calls for a childcare workforce that better represents the ethnic diversity of the children being cared for, and for better communication with parents whose first language is not English. This follows the results of focus groups with black and minority ethnic (BME) childcare workers. Daycare Trust believes action in these areas could help address the problem of BME families missing out on the benefits of the government's flagship children's centre programme.

The focus groups were carried out in six children's centres in areas of high ethnic diversity, as part of the national childcare charity's Ensuring Equality project, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The results are published today in a briefing paper, Ensuring Equality - The black and minority ethnic childcare workforce, available from Daycare Trust.

Aoife Fitzpatrick, the researcher who conducted the focus groups, said: "Many of the workers believed that some black and minority ethnic families are not using childcare because they see it as something for middle-class white people." she said.

"The research shows that, to promote a sense of belonging and entitlement to childcare services, BME families need warm, welcoming childcare settings with staff from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Excellent communication between parents and staff is essential, which may include access to interpreters."

While some children's centres are making efforts to engage with BME families who are missing out, however, the childcare workers surveyed felt that this was most effectively done through people from the same community. Workers interviewed suggested a number of ways to effectively engage with BME families. These included:

- outreach/information provision, carried out by people from the same ethnic background or from the same locality
- creating a welcoming, inclusive childcare environment provided by an ethnically diverse workforce and
- open communication between workers and parents, especially when the family first approaches the setting, including the use of interpreters where necessary.

"Having an ethnically diverse workforce has a number of advantages," said Aoife. "It helps BME families feel that they belong, helps families interact with people from ethnic backgrounds that they might not otherwise encounter, and helps children prepare for a multicultural society, particularly important when they start school."

However, the workers felt that the precise ethnicity of a particular worker was not as important as (a) the diversity of the staff group as a whole and (b) employing good childcare workers who responded to the needs of the individual child and family. They also called for more men to be employed in childcare, something that many parents would endorse.

"All the childcare workers interviewed for the report had been childcare workers for many years, loved their jobs and saw childcare as a vocation. They also wanted to point out that they were qualified educators and carers. They felt that their jobs had low status, and that their professionalism was not often recognised by the public," said Aoife.

"They also stressed the importance of good terms and conditions in retaining high quality workers, and felt that childcare workers themselves had a role to play in promoting childcare as a career."

The report will be available from Daycare Trust on Monday 17th March at a cost of £5. Email publications@daycaretrust.org.uk to order your copy.


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NOTES TO EDITORS

About Daycare Trust
Daycare Trust is the national childcare charity, campaigning for quality affordable accessible childcare for all and raising the voices of children, parents and carers. We advise parents and carers, providers, employers, trade unions and policymakers on childcare issues. We recognise that everyone is unique and we value difference in our communities. We listen to all views and are committed to act without prejudice. We oppose all discrimination and promote equality in all we do.

Daycare Trust is calling on the Government to
1. Meet parents' aspirations for universal childcare services by:
- expanding free places for two, three and four-year olds to at least 20 hours a week, for 48 weeks in the year and
- subsidising out of school activities for all 11-14s and for younger children from poorer families, aiming ultimately to make them free.
2. Tackle the affordability crisis by giving local authorities the means to develop sustainable services in poorer areas and provide free places for those missing out, including places for disabled children, parents needing out of hours care, Further Education students and parents of under-threes who want to train.
3. Set new standards for the pay of childcare workers, either through national benchmarks or incentives such as the Graduate Leader Fund.

Daycare Trust runs an information line (020 7840 3350) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am-5pm. Parents can also visit www.daycaretrust.org.uk for information.
Daycare Trust is a member of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, www.ecpc.org.uk.
For further information, contact press office at Daycare Trust on 07834 360870.