Media release
Who’s looking after the kids?
3 October 2008
Shiftworkers often have to juggle complex childcare arrangements to make sure their young children are well cared for while they're at work. But with careful planning, they have told Families Commission researchers that it can work.
The Commission's latest report, Juggling Acts - How parents working non-standard hours arrange care for their pre-school children [PDF, 848 KB], focuses on this little-known area. Researchers talked to 22 freezing workers, seasonal horticultural workers, midwives, rest home carers, airport quarantine officers and recruitment personnel. Several employers also provided input into the research.
When asked what their ideal childcare arrangements would be, there was a range of answers. Some would have preferred to not work, others wanted to work fewer hours. Some parents felt pressured to work because they needed the money. Some preferred their child to be cared for by family, while others wished for more flexibility in early childhood education services. Most said they would like to pay less for childcare. A few parents said they already had their ideal childcare arrangements. Many admitted feeling stressed, tired, and well aware of how precious their limited time with their family could be.
Families Commission Deputy Chief Commissioner Sharron Cole said, "Work life balance is a huge issue for families and is a major focus of the Commission. These parents had early starts, worked overnight or through the weekends and were sometimes on call. Making sure their children were well cared often took a mix of family, partners, friends and formal childcare services. "
One airport quarantine worker said "Although we have day-care, it doesn't really help us at all with work as such, the hours just don't cover what we do...it is not ever going to cover the hours that I work, so you are always going to need that other person to be there as well. "
Ms Cole said "Parents are making active choices about how their children will be cared for. In one family both parents worked shifts. Each January, they sat down and sorted out their holidays and childcare for the entire year."
As a result of the research, the Commission will be encouraging early childhood education services to consider how they can support parents in their community who work shifts, part time, or weekends.
"Employers could also talk to staff about their childcare needs and offer information on local and government services, subsidies and support. They could also consider whether they were able to offer more flexibility - for instance allowing shift swaps, job sharing and different start and finish times," said Ms Cole.