Over 1,000 parents and children are expected to march in Belfast tomorrow (Saturday 5th April) alongside campaigners and charities to demand meaningful intervention from the Executive on a childcare strategy.
The aptly-named Melted Parents organisation has partnered up with Reclaim the Agenda, a well-known women’s collective that campaigns around 6 key themes: poverty, discrimination, domestic and sexual violence, healthcare, childcare, & equal representation.
Despite promises of urgent intervention from the Executive, campaigners say that there has been a lack of tangible progress, leaving families feeling abandoned and overwhelmed. For some parents bills have increased by £100s since the introduction of the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) in September, making any savings they gained redundant.
In a social media poll by Melted Parents this week, 80% of respondents said they considered leaving work or reducing their hours due to childcare costs. Rising childcare costs they say, are pushing parents, particularly women out of the workforce. This then has a ripple effect on the labour market, taxes paid into the system, pensions and the wider economy.
Stormont has promised a childcare strategy since 1999, with the Executive announcing it as one of their 9 priorities in their Programme for Government.
Melted Parents, a parent-led group, is the largest campaign for childcare reform in Northern Ireland with over 20,000 supporters regularly sharing real stories of families impacted by this crisis.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland without a childcare strategy, which is vital to support families and to enable the economy to thrive.
The protest is demanding the Executive:
- Expand the subsidy scheme to anyone using registered childcare. Including children all of all ages, for parents who are students, those made redundant, where one parent is a stay at home parent, those in receipt of Universal Credit/Vouchers, unpaid carers etc.
- The subsidy cap to be reviewed and increased, ensuring all families can access the full 15% – ensuring the scheme provides meaningful financial relief.
Raissa Balduino, core member of Melted Parents and lead organiser of the Melted Parents March, said:
“A core objective of our campaign is to politically mobilise parents and show them that they have the power to advocate for change. Last year, over 1,000 of them joined us in marching for urgent intervention, and shortly after, the Subsidy Scheme was announced – we welcomed the support but it didn’t benefit all families and was short-lived, as fees have quickly risen by hundreds of pounds. For those eligible, the subsidy has become almost redundant, and for the many who couldn’t access it, costs are higher than ever. This year we expect an even bigger crowd, and we’ll be louder than ever to make it clear to our representatives that we won’t settle for empty promises.“
Casey McGivern, co-founder of Melted Parents said:
“The expected turnout of almost 1,000 parents and children at the March for Childcare shows the Executive that parents have had enough, we cannot afford to stand idly by; immediate intervention is needed to support families and ultimately keep parents in jobs they’ve worked hard for. The Department must engage with parent representatives to ensure any policy is appropriately informed in order to prevent misguided policy decisions that limit the positive economic impact of government funded childcare and cause further economic distress for families and local businesses who are struggling to recruit and retain talent.”
Becca Harper, co-founder of Melted Parents added:
“The March for Childcare is about showing our Executive that it’s crucial they take action to address the escalating costs that are burdening families across Northern Ireland. Despite assurances from the Executive, we’re witnessing a troubling lack of tangible progress, leaving families left with no choice but to consider reducing their hours or leaving work altogether. The March for Childcare turnout paints a stark picture of the challenges families are enduring, our Executive talk about economic prosperity – with thousands of parents forced to consider leaving the workforce because childcare costs more than their wages – this crisis effects everyone from the NHS workforce to local businesses”