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| Weekend and overnight child care
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A new search to cater to parents who don't work 9 to 5
Only a few years ago we published an article about overnight child care starting to catch on. It was actually just the beginning of our research into the need for overnight and weekend care and how many services were providing or intending to provide it.
The demand is such that we've now added weekend and overnight child care to our search. Weekend or overnight child care will generally be provided by Family Day Care, nannies, babysitters, au pairs and In Home Care services and is useful on an ongoing or ad hoc basis for those growing numbers of parents who work outside of normal business hours.
With the increase in the way we work and greater flexibility in work hours and the need to support families who work in hospitality, emergency services, shift work and those who simply work longer hours means that many parents' jobs fall well outside of child care centre operating hours.
It's not just hospitality and emergency services. shops, gyms, restaurants, museums, galleries and all sorts of service industries now have weekend openings and late closing times in the evenings requiring their staff to work at least one weekend or evening shift per month, even if the majority of their working hours are during the week.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of people working non-business hours is up 15 per cent. More than one in three work extra hours or overtime, and almost 60 per cent have no say in their start and finish times.
So some services are stepping up to the plate and providing flexible opening hours, which even include overnight stays and weekends in order to cater for this groups of parents who have unsociable working hours but don't qualify for "In Home" care.
Family Day Care services only take a limited number of children and are provided in carers' homes and therefore more easily flexible, as well as more economical and provide a family style environment, which is less formal and therefore easier for children to be in for longer hours of time.
Some child care centres are also starting to provide 24 hour care in city hubs, but these tend to be used by parents more for longer hours such as 7am-7pm as opposed to overnight and weekends.
While it has to be said that most parents would not relish the idea of leaving their children for 12 hours or overnight in child care, most would be more likely to start later and finish later or start and finish early.
Click here and select the type of care you need then pop in your postcode to search and filter by weekend or overnight care to find who provides this service in your area.
The options
Family Day Care – many family day care educators are more flexible than long day care centres with hours of operation. Family day care is a quality, home based early childhood education and care service for children aged from six weeks through to 12 years.
Search for Family Day Care »
Nannies and Au Pairs – a great option for those with odd working hours, especially when they live in. But most families don't have space for an au pair, or budget for a nanny.
Search for Nannies or Au Pairs »
Babysitters – although some people are now professional babysitters and pretty much operate the same hours and charge the same fees as nannies, babysitters are usually an ad hoc solution to out of hours care.
Search for Babysitters »
Occasional Care – this is a flexible service which provides high quality child care on an occasional or ad hoc basis from as little as one hour to a full day. Parents only pay for the time their children are in care. Occasional care centres are family grouped and are licensed for children from birth to five years old.
Search for Occasional Care »
In Home Care – this is another nanny-style option, is a flexible form of child care which enables families with unusual work, location or care requirements to access approved child care in their own home. It is subsidised and therefore requires families to meet certain eligibility requirements. Families where the parent/s work non-standard hours or do shift work are currently eligible (as long as other criteria are met) so it's definitely worth asking the Department of Human Services if you qualify for in home care if you work shifts.
The Productivity Commission has just handed down its final report which has recommended widening the eligibility for in home care, but currently In-home care is only available to families that are unable to access standard child care services and/or families in unusual circumstances:
- Families with a parent or parents with a chronic illness or disability
- Families with a child or children with a chronic illness or disability
- Families in rural and remote parts of Australia
- Families where the parent/s work non-standard hours or do shift work
- Families which have three or more children under school age
- Families which have three or more children born at the same time
For more information check out our Parent Guides or search for different forms of child care near you on CareforKids.com.au. For eligibility for in home care call The Department of Human Services Families Department on 136 150 or visit your local branch. |
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