Childcare for All?

This report presents the findings of a survey which consulted families whose child(ren) have a disability and/or special needs on the barriers they face in accessing childcare and employment.

The survey indicated that families perceive there to be a limited supply of suitable childcare provision, meaning that many parents cannot work.  The majority of the parents not in employment stated that this was due to caring responsibilities relating to their child(ren) with disabilities and/or special needs.

The survey results also revealed that an alarmingly high proportion of employed respondents do not use any form of childcare.  For those that do use childcare, informal provision was the main source of provision for such families, with grandparents being the most common choice.