Policies

Child Care

Child care is primarily a parental issue. We believe that the family is the natural and fundamental unit of society.

Wherever possible, a child should be cared for by the family. Federal and State Governments should act as a matter of priority to relieve the financial burdens on families which often force both parents to seek employment. Where children are placed in the care of others they have the right to quality child care.

A comprehensive range of children's services, including facilities for occasional child care and infant and children's health and welfare services should be available to meet the needs of families.

The provision of affordable, high quality children's services on an equitable basis should be a key plank of a government family friendly policy.

In the provision of such services the needs of the child must be the paramount concern.
The primary objective of government in the area of childcare should be to enable families to function more effectively in the interests of all their members.

As different families have different needs the range of childcare services provided should be comprehensive.

The achievement and maintenance of high quality children's services can best be achieved through the establishment and maintenance of an effective and comprehensive National Accreditation System, for all service types with such a system having a mandatory link to Child Care Assistance.

In the provision of childcare there needs to be a proper planning process which links need and cost.

There is evidence of a significant unmet need in the vacation care area.
A significant unmet demand clearly exists for non-work related occasional child care.

Child care services should:

• aim to meet, as first priority, the needs of children with regard to physical care and emotional, social and intellectual development
• be community based
• be provided in small unit care
• involve parents and child-care workers in the control and management of services
• be accessible to parents in both unpaid and paid employment - those in greatest need should have highest priority
• be subject to legislation which will ensure the highest quality care possible, including:
  
  • the maintenance of the National Accreditation System, for all service types, which has a mandatory link for Child Care Assistance (fee relief) funding purposes and the extension of the Accreditation system to home based care and Out of School Hours Services;
  • adequate child/staff ratios in order to provide the necessary individual attention to children;
  • an adequate proportion of staff with formal qualifications in child care;
  • compliance of childcare services with minimum standards regarding physical environment, equipment, cleanliness and hygiene.
  • be provided at affordable cost for parents;
  • proper award wages and conditions and training for all workers employed in the delivery of children's services, including the introduction of award wages and conditions for home based care as a pre-requisite to accreditation.
  • be subject to development of proper planning mechanisms to ensure children's services are provided where necessary on an equitable basis for all families.

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