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Child Care Industry News
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February 3, 2015
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Hello and welcome back to another year with Child Care Industry News. This week learn about UK plans to charge early childhood education and care providers with responsibility for reporting children at risk of becoming 'radicalised' and learn about our new portfolio and the new minister responsible for early childhood education and care.
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Portfolio changes announced by the Prime Minister before Christmas mean early childhood education and care policy has been moved away from the Education Department and now falls under the responsibility of the Minister for Social Services Scott Morrison.
With the Prime Minister's decision to axe his signature Paid Parental Leave scheme $3 billion paid parental levy may now be directed towards an improved child care system.
Speaking to the Press Club in Canberra PM Abbott said:
"I accept that what's desirable is not always doable especially when times are tough and budgets are tight".
"We sought the advice of the Productivity Commission and I have listened to the feedback from my colleagues and from mums and dads around Australia - and they have said… the better focus now is on childcare if we want higher participation and a stronger economy."
The Prime Minister says more affordable and widely available child care will make it easier for parents to choose when they return to work.
"…a better child care policy is good economic policy as well as fairer family policy.
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| UK providers to report on potential for radicalisation
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ECEC staff in the UK may be required to report young children at risk of 'radicalisation' under plans currently out for consultation by the Home Office.
Under the proposal early childhood staff would receive training to help them identify children at risk of being drawn into extreme behaviour.
The plans are part of the UK Government's anti-terrorism strategy, Prevent, first published in 2011, and the proposal was released for a six week consultation just before Christmas. Other authorities being requested to provide feedback include schools, colleges, universities, the National Health Service, prisons, police and the probation service.
Under, the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, which is currently working its way through the British Parliament early childhood providers would have a responsibility to prevent people from being lured into terrorism from a young age.
The Home Office says the new responsibility would be part of an ECEC provider's duty of care and should be viewed as simply another way that providers work to safe guard children from harm.
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| Family Day Care
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| changes postponed
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Changes designed to address child swapping rorts in family day care have been postponed.
Minister for Social Services Mr Scott Morrison has delayed the changes to enable further consultation with the family day care sector to avoid any unintended consequences.
"Today I have revoked a determination that prevented family day care providers from obtaining a session of care for their children from a family day care provider whilst they were engaging as a family day care provider," Minister Morrison said.
"This measure, referred to as the 'child-swapping' rule, was aimed at stamping out serious non-compliance that had arisen as a result of a number of unscrupulous family day care providers.
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