Balancing work and family life is a 'key challenge'

Balancing work and family life is one of the principal challenges facing employees, employers and policy makers, according to An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney.

Addressing a seminar held in Ballina, Co Mayo, on 'Employer-Supported Childcare: Exploring the Business Benefits', the Tánaiste said tremendous progress had been made in recent years in the development of a strong childcare infrastructure. In response to increasing demand the Government, with EU assistance, was providing almost €437 million to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006.

"Indeed the programme has been so successful that it has now been awarded an additional €9 million in European Social Funding, making €446 million available in total and I understand that a further small amount of capital funding is also in the pipeline," said the Tánaiste.

The broad issue of childcare for working parents was currently under review by a partnership committee established under 'Sustaining Progress'.

"Officials in the Department of Justice, IBEC and ICTU have had meetings to consider the availability of quality childcare for working parents, including a review of the feasibility of establishing workplace childcare arrangements," she said.

Research published last year, by the National Framework Committee for Work Life Balance highlighted the potential benefits both to employees and employers of properly designed work-life balance arrangements, of which childcare was an essential component.

"From an employer's perspective the benefits include improved recruitment, improved staff retention, improved productivity, improved staff morale and loyalty. I believe it is an agenda that needs to be moved forward," she said.

Other speakers at the seminar, which is taking place at the Glasgow Kennedy Conference Centre, Ballina, and organised by the Mayo County Childcare Committee, include Ms Vivienne Rattigan, chairperson of the Committee, and Ms Breege Jackson of the Ballina Chamber of Commerce.

The principal objectives of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, administered by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, are to increase the number of childcare places and facilities, to improve the quality of childcare and to ensure a coordinated approach to the delivery of services throughout the state.

The role of the Department of Justice involves establishing structures at national and local level to facilitate planning and targeted investment, including a National Co-ordinating Childcare Committee and City and County Childcare Committees.

Total funding committed under the programme up to March 2004 was over €256 million of which €213 million was allocated to childcare facilities and €43 million to quality improvement.

This investment is expected to create some 28,400 new childcare places and support over 26,600 existing places.

A significant part of the remaining funding will go to meet the ongoing costs of supporting childcare services in disadvantaged areas.

(SP)