Around the Clock: Childcare Services at Atypical Times (Family & Work) Book

The advancement of the "24-hour society" means that more people are now working outside a traditional nine-to-five day. Increasingly employers rely on round-the-clock availability of their workers, often at short notice or on unpredictable shift patterns. As a consequence, many parents have jobs that require flexible working hours. Finding childcare that is both affordable and available for the hours needed is often difficult. This report considers how childcare services are meeting the needs of parents working atypical hours. Using information from a survey of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships in England, a survey of childcare providers from two local authorities and a number of case studies, the report looks at what helps and what hinders the development of such services. The report offers: a multi-method approach to investigating the development of childcare services for atypical working hours; an analysis of the barriers to developing childcare services for atypical working hours; and recommendations for policy and practice. "Around the Clock" will be valuable to policy makers, employers, academics and organisations with an interest in developing childcare services.Read More