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There are a few 24 hour centres opening I believe. I think it would be great especially for single parents who work in industries like nursing, hospitality, freight, travel, fitness etc who don't necessarily work a normal 9-5 job. I know of a few people who are nurses who can't work where they want because they can't do shift work as a single parent due to the lack of child care.
Flexibility is also needed for parents of school age children. If anything I find the school years much more restrictive for work hours.
There are always the odd few who will abuse the system no matter how it is set-up. I would much prefer children are properly looked after than left with who ever can take them so a parent can work a non standard hours days.
I agree about the out of school hour care. I also think that childcare flexibility has to be approached from the opposite angle of encouraging employers to be accommodating because my experience of looking for work showed that really it was employers expecting flexibility from you rather than the other way round - actually with childcare you don't require flexibility but a set pattern that can be accomodated in childcare - not we can't give you set days each week but can give 5 days notice. Some jobs I am sure rotating shift patterns may be a necessity but others is just a matter of spending a little more time on working out shifts.
I see employer flexibility as in getting them to think outside of standard full-time hours. To consider part-time hours, the possibility of doing some work from home. There are definitely roles that cannot be part-time or very set hours, but there are plenty out there where the roles which can be done in a part-time capacity. Flexibility is also understanding that there will be days where there will be a late start or early finish due to schools (for some reason the last day of term finishes at 2:30 :wall:)