Mother on maternity leave left ‘terrified’ about future

MATERNITY leave should be a happy, joyful time, where new mothers can put the world to one side and focus on spending quality time with their young families.

But for Kesh mum-of-three Alison Mcquade, the looming problem of childcare costs when her maternity leave ends has proven to be a major source of stress and worry.

As a mum of five-month-old twins, Lily and Ella, and four-year-old Jayden, Alison knows all too well the large costs that she – and husband Darren – will have to pay for childcare.

For the twins alone, nursery costs of £105 per day are never far from her mind; this is over and above what she earns as a Day Worker within the Western Trust.

She doesn’t know if it is worthwhile returning to full-time work. She struggles daily with a decision that will soon have to be made.

“Before I had the twins, I was working five days a week for the Trust,” she explained. “But now, even if I reduce my hours, it will still leave it at a loss when accounting for childcare.

“For the girls, the cost will be £105 per day at a nursery, and I will soon have my little boy in P1 with an afterschool cost. When you take a step back and evaluate the situation, it’s crazy what we will have to pay.”

For Alison, who described the looming situation when her maternity leave ends as “scary”, she also has to be mindful of income given that her husband’s line of work, as a self-employed builder, is often slower in the winter months.

“To be honest, I am terrified; we have a mortgage to pay, a house to keep, and two vehicles, and the Trust pay isn’t exactly fabulous. Things are very uncertain,” she said.

Alison has called for more support for working parents and pointed to the English model – which provides either 15 or 30 hours of free childcare, depending on age, as an ideal solution.

She added: “Those in power should be stepping in.” she said. “While there is a registered childminder in Belleek, she has no availability, there is no creche, and the pre-school closed last year.

“As a result, I had to go south, and I have Conor on a waiting list in Ballyshannon. However, there is a serious waiting list there, so I ended up having to take a career break from work.

“I was something that I didn’t want to have to do. Everyone has to go back to work to earn a few pounds, but it just wasn’t viable for me.”

Tracey says the situation is the same for many other local mums in Belleek, who have been forced to put their employment on hold for the sake of their children.

While some respite is received from programmes such as Surestart, she feels pressure would be eased by a dedicated creche or more childminders.

Another mother, Patrice Cox, agreed, saying: “I think it is an absolute disgrace that there are no childcare facilities in Belleek.

“I’ve two kids, one in primary school and another who is due to go to playschool, and it has been shut down because the numbers aren’t there. Our nearest then is in Garrison, but they are full.

“Stormont needs to work with our community to bring childcare facilities to our area.”