Derry City and Strabane Council pass motion supporting Childcare for All charter

Derry City and Strabane District Council has unanimously backed an SDLP notice of motion supporting the Childcare for All charter and calling for an affordable, accessible and high quality childcare system.

The motion was brought forward by Councillor Mary Durkan (SDLP) who called for Council support to ensure that a restored Executive prioritises legislation for an affordable, accessible and high-quality childcare system in any new Programme for Government.

The wording of the motion is as follows:

This Council notes the contents of the Employers for Childcare NI’s tenth Annual Childcare Survey.

This Council recognizes that childcare costs are creating barriers for working parents and their families.

This Council supports the Childcare for All Charter, calling for a universal, child-centred childcare system to meet the needs of children, parents, childcare providers and communities.

This Council calls for any restored Executive to prioritise legislation for an affordable, accessible and high quality childcare system in its Programme For Government.

This Council resolves to write to political party leaders calling for support for 30 hours basic free childcare for working parents.

Aoife Hamilton, Policy and Information Manager at Employers For Childcare, and co-convenor of the Childcare For All campaign explains: “Our research with families and childcare providers show the increasing challenges the sector faces. We need to make sure our childcare system can work for everyone”.

“This motion is a really positive development, demonstrating the growing reach of the Childcare for All campaign. Next month, Councillor Pete Byrne will bring this motion to Newry, Mourne and Down Council and we are delighted to see more Councils recognising that parents and providers need more and better support with childcare”.

Last year, Mid and East Antrim Council backed a motion to support the Childcare for All charter, calling for universal, child-centred childcare.

Full details of the Childcare for All campaign can be found here. Keep up to date on the latest news by following the campaign on Twitter.

If you are interested in joining the coalition please contact aoife.hamilton@employersforchildcare.org

The full Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2019 research report, and Executive Summary is available to download here.