Struggle to find childcare

The poll, carried out by Ipsos MORI, found that 30% of parents surveyed who had recently looked for childcare had found their search difficult, with 17% describing their search as ‘very difficult’.

Parents in rural areas were most likely to report difficulty in seeking childcare.

The survey, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, looked at public attitudes towards childcare, and at parents’ experiences and preferences in choosing childcare.

Among the survey’s main findings were the following:

• more than half of all parents (52%) said the quality of care was an important consideration in seeking childcare, compared to 26% who said cost was an important factor
• there was a strong preference among many parents for care provided by someone who knows the child – 52% of parents said this was a key consideration for them
• word of mouth recommendation was by far the most favoured method of finding childcare – 74% of parents said this was their preferred means of sourcing childcare
• by contrast, just 11% said they would prefer to telephone an organisation like NICMA to find a childcare provider, while a mere 1% said they favoured searching for childcare via the internet
• among all respondents (parents and non-parents), day nurseries were viewed more favourably than childminders in terms of the quality of care they were perceived as providing, but there appeared to be less awareness of what childminders can offer

Speaking as the survey findings were published, NICMA’s Director, Bridget Nodder, said her organisation was pleased that parents here clearly value quality, but was concerned that many families are having difficulty finding childcare.

The survey also found strong public support for action by the Northern Ireland Executive on childcare:

• more than four-fifths of all respondents (83%) wanted the Executive to prioritise the provision of good quality, affordable childcare.
• a similar proportion (81%) wanted the Executive to take action to address the ongoing shortage of childminders.

1,024 face-to-face interviews aged 16 and over were conducted by Ipsos MORI across Northern Ireland between 27 November and 18December 2007. Quotas were set by age, gender, social class and location to ensure that the sample was representative of the Northern Ireland.

A report on the survey findings, Childcare Matters: what the public thinks about childcare, is available to download.