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Scottish Household Survey Analytical Topic Report 2006: Childcare Module

This report covers the analysis of the childcare module of the Scottish Household Survey. The Scottish Household Survey ( SHS) is a continuous survey based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. Since 1999, the survey has provided representative information on the composition, characteristics and behaviour of Scottish households, both nationally and at a more local level. The survey covers a wide range of topics including transport, social justice and housing. The childcare module was added in April 2003 and covers various issues related to childcare such as details of childcare arrangements and satisfaction with childcare. The analyses in the report look at differences in childcare arrangements, satisfaction with childcare and reasons for using childcare in relation to demographic characteristics of households and examines whether satisfaction with childcare varies with the type of childcare provider used.

Main Findings

• Forty five percent of all children were in receipt of some kind of childcare. Informal childcare was much more commonly used than formal care with the overall most common type being care provided by a relative.
• Overall predictors of use of any kind of childcare were area household type, household working status, gender of highest income householder, annual household income, age of child and access to a car.
• Area: children living in the Central, Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire areas were particularly likely to be in receipt of childcare.
• Household type: children from single parent families were particularly likely to be in receipt of childcare, whereas those from large families were less likely.
• Working status of parents/guardians: use of childcare was more common among working parents.
• Gender of highest income householder: households where the highest income householder was female, mainly single parent families, were more likely to use childcare.
• Household income: use of childcare was most likely in the highest income households.
• Age of child: use of childcare was more common in households with children aged 1-4 years compared with those containing older children.
• Access to car: although most families did have access to cars, those who did not have access to a car were slightly less likely than those who did have access to a car to use childcare.
• Regression analysis indicated some key indicators of the use of particular types of childcare as outlined below.
• Informal childcare only: certain geographical areas (for example North Lanarkshire), minority ethnic children, lower income households, older children, parents not using childcare for work, study or child's development.
• Formal childcare only: certain geographical areas (for example Glasgow and Edinburgh), single parent families and families with 1-2 children, younger children, and higher income households.
• Nursery or playgroup - clearly, the age of child was the strongest indicator here as such organisations are aimed at children up to the age of five years. Nurseries or playgroups were more commonly used by working parents than non-working parents. Parental reasons given for using childcare were also predictors of use of this type of childcare, with use being most likely by those who reported using childcare for their child's development.
• Out of School Care - key predictors of the use of such childcare were area (Glasgow and Edinburgh), household type (with single parents most likely to use Out of School Care), income (higher incomes) and age of child (more common where child is aged over 11 years). Parents who used childcare for their child's development or to study or study more were also more likely to use OSC.
• For some types of childcare, none of the factors was found to be a significant predictor of the use of that type of childcare. However, some patterns emerged by demographic factors and by reasons for using childcare.
• Registered childminder - use of a registered childminder was more common among working couple households, higher income households and those with children aged less than 11 years old.
• Friend of parent or guardian - was more common in rural than urban areas, most common for children between 5 and 11 years of age (perhaps indicating the use of friends for pre- and post-school care) and used more by single working adults than by other household types.
• Relative - this was the most common type of informal childcare, with 28% of children being cared for by relatives. This type of childcare was more common among working households, particularly single working parents.

Reasons for Using Childcare

• Analysis of the SHS indicated that by far the most common single reason for using childcare was 'to enable self/partner to work.'
• The extent to which parents used childcare in order to enable themselves or their partners to work varied by the age of the child and the working and household status of the parents - more common among parents of children aged over four years old than parents of younger children. This was also more common among working parents, particularly households containing only one working adult.
• There were some key differences relating to reasons for using childcare by household demographics and by type of childcare provider. For example, the most common reason for using a registered childminder was to enable self or partner to work (or work more/earn more) while the most common reason for playgroup or nursery care was for the child's development.

Key Issues

• The Scottish Executive has several specific aims in relation to the improvement of childcare provision as outlined in the Childcare Strategy and 'A Partnership for a better Scotland'. Below is a summary of results from the SHS relating to each of the areas identified as key.

Quality

• Parents indicated high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care provided by their childcare provider; 68% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement, 'I am satisfied with the quality of care provided by my childcare provider' and a further 27% tended to agree, with only 2% of respondents disagreeing that they were satisfied. There were no significant differences in satisfaction levels across different childcare providers, with less than 3% of parents being dissatisfied with any childcare provider. The reasons significant in differentiating how satisfied parents were with their childcare included: whether it was difficult for them to get to the childcare they used; whether the childcare met the needs of their child; and whether the times of childcare were convenient. There were minor differences in relation to satisfaction by some household characteristics, with parents from working couple households being the most satisfied and parents in rural areas being more satisfied than those in urban areas.

Flexibility

• Although there was no direct data relating to flexibility, a useful proxy is whether parents felt that the current care met the needs of their child. There were high levels of agreement with the statement ' The childcare I use meets the needs of my child' (94%) with no significant variations in relation to different childcare providers.

Availability

• This was more difficult to assess as the SHS does not provide data on families who, for whatever reason, have been unable to access suitable childcare (as the questions were asked only of those using childcare). However, around a fifth of parents disagreed with the statement 'It was easy to get a place in the childcare that I use for my child' suggesting that a significant minority had some difficulty finding suitable childcare for their children and that this is probably an underestimation of the problem.

Affordability

• Levels of agreement with the statement 'Given my family income, I find it hard to pay for the childcare that I use' provide an indication of the affordability of childcare for different families. Overall, a quarter of households agreed with this statement (10% strongly agreed and 15% tended to agree) suggesting that the cost of childcare did represent a problem for many families. Around 1 in 5 (19%) of parents who used informal childcare reported that they paid for this care, particularly in households with higher annual incomes. It must be noted that no information is available in the SHS to indicate the number of households who use no childcare or informal rather than formal care owing to financial difficulties.

Accessibility

• In the SHS, parents were asked for their levels of agreement with the statement: 'It is difficult for me to get to the childcare that I use'. Overall, 12% of parents agreed with this statement. There were some minor differences in terms of the childcare provider, with 14% of parents using nursery/playgroups or other childcare arrangements agreeing with this statement compared with 9% using before school care.

Ease of information availability

• Parents were asked how much they agree with the statement: 'It is difficult to find out what childcare is available around here'. Almost a third of parents (31%) agreed with this statement, indicating that parents could benefit from increased information on childcare services and options within their area. There were no significant differences in terms of childcare provider. However, difficulties were more commonly reported among non-working single parents and those living in social rented accommodation.

If you have any enquiries about Education series Research Findings please contact:

Tel: 0131 244-0316
Fax: 0131 244-5581
Email: recs.admin@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/insight

On-line copies

This Research Findings along with a full report which accompanies the summary report can also be downloaded from the Publications section of The Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk.

Both reports are web only.

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Executive may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The site carries up-to-date information about social and policy research commissioned and published on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Subjects covered include transport, housing, social inclusion, rural affairs, children and young people, education, social work, community care, local government, civil justice, crime and criminal justice, regeneration, planning and womens issues. The site also allows access to information about the Scottish Household Survey.

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