PROVIDING flexible childcare to working families was the key message childcare minister Caroline Dinenage spoke of during a visit to Swindon yesterday.

The minister visited the Co-operative Nursery at the Great Western Hospital where she was able to speak to parents benefiting from the government’s 30 hours free childcare offer – one year ahead of the national roll out.

Swindon Borough Council is just one of eight councils in the country taking part as an early implementer which sees parents of three and four year olds offered 30 hours of childcare. It was brought into motion in the town in September.

Caroline said: “I am often talking about childcare in debates within parliament and I thought it would be best if I came and saw it for myself and meet the amazing staff that are helping the scheme as well as the beautiful young children taking part as hear from parents who have benefitted from it.

“The motivation behind the policy is to raise the profile that families will be able to use quality, affordable childcare that enables parents to get into work or do more hours to make their lives a little bit easier.

“My children are 14 and nine and I remember those decisions over my children’s education and childcare were some of the hardest I’ve ever had to make and trying to juggle the demands of education and childcare responsibilities is difficult. This policy is about supporting parents and children to get the best support.”

It is hoped that Swindon, along with the other councils, will be able to inform the Department for Education about how the extra hours of childcare have worked in areas including special educational needs and disability, flexibility, availability of places, and making work pay.

Since being implemented in the town, only three early years providers have told the council that they won’t be able to accommodate the change come the national rollout next September.

One parent who has taken advantage of the extra childcare hours is Adam King, 28 who lives in Westlea and has worked at GWH for eight years.

He told the minister: “My partner works from 4am-9am and I come to work for 10am so it is quite busy in our house because we have to drop our daughter Eliza off before then.

“The change has been a huge help particularly for my partner and allowing her to catch up on sleep. Before we had the 30 hours, it was quite difficult to keep up with sleep and things were very stressful because of it but now it has been great.”

The free 30 hours of childcare a week will be rolled out nationally in September 2017.