As an employer, how your employees organise childcare will probably not be on your list of priorities......but it should be.
Following the publication of the Government's Green Paper "Meeting the Childcare Challenge: A Childcare Strategy for Scotland" in May 1998, it has been a requirement of the Council to bring together all those involved in childcare to deliver that strategy.
The South Lanarkshire Childcare Partnership was set up by South Lanarkshire Council a year ago with representatives from a wide variety or organisations and agencies, including the local business community.
Its aim is to increase the level, choice and quality of childcare provision, raise awareness of employee childcare needs with local businesses and provide accessible, up-to-date information on childcare and pre-school provision.
So how do local businesses become involved? You have an important part to play. A sub-group of the Partnership was set up specifically to find the most effective ways of providing support and information to employers wishing to adopt family friendly policies in their workplace. These could include initiatives such as flexible working hours, part-time working and career breaks.
The sub-group recently organised a questionnaire which was circulated around SMEs and the results of that will be used to put together a booklet and workshops for employers. These will cover a number of issues such as Legislation, including the Employment Relations Act 1999; the business case for being family friendly; how to become a family friendly employer; and best practise case studies.
The Partnership also proposes to introduce a South Lanarkshire-wide "Family Friendly Award Scheme' in recognition of the achievements of local businesses who introduce family friendly initiatives.
Carol Lee of the South Lanarkshire Childcare Partnership said: "It's important businesses adopt family friendly policies if they are to retain skilled employees with families. Family friendly policies in the workplace leads to happier, more productive employees which can only benefit the company."
A service the Partnership has just launched is the Childcare Information Service, which provides interested parties with access to a wide range of information on childcare and pre-school education provision. As well as a telephone helpline, information can also be accessed through a database linked to the national childcare internet website and South Lanarkshire Council's own website.
Telephone helpline number - 01698 454522
The website address is:
www.childcarelink.gov.uk/southlanarkshire
or you can contact:
Carol Lee
Childcare Partnership Co-ordinator
Education Resources
Floor 6, Council Offices
Almada Street, Hamilton
(01698 454723)
Employees Can Now Apply for New Childcare Tax Credit
If you have employees who have children in childcare, you may want to draw their attention to the new Childcare Tax Credit initiative.
The initiative gives financial help to working parents who have one or more children in registered childcare.
Eligible claimants must have at least one child in registered childcare, be working 16 hours a week or more (both partners if you are in a couple) and have gross family earnings of less than £22,000 (with one child in childcare) or less than £30,000 (with two or more children in childcare).
The amount paid will depend upon family circumstances and the number of children in childcare and lower income families will receive more than families on higher incomes.
Information can be obtained from your local Benefits Agency or you can pick up a claim pack from the Post Office, Inland Revenue Tax Office, Benefits Agency and other places.