Nursery workers offered golden handshake to fill gaps in Sunak’s childcare free scheme

NURSERY workers will be offered a £1,000 “golden handshake” to fill vacancies after Rishi Sunak was warned his expansion of free childcare could be scuppered by staff shortages.

A trial will launch in 20 local authorities in England in April to give new recruits and returners to the early years workforce the tax-free cash payment shortly after they take up post.

The prime minister has pledged to offer working parents of two-year-olds 15 hours of care a week from April while working families with children up to the age of four will eventually receive 30 hours of free childcare a week.

The Government recruitment campaign, backed by £6.5 million, will aim to encourage people who have worked in the sector to return, as well as increase new-starters.

The “Do Something Big” campaign across TV, cinema, radio, advertising and online will also attempt to highlight different childcare career routes and progression opportunities. Children and families minister David Johnston said: “One of the things that people in the sector say to me is that too often people feel that they’re seen as babysitters rather than what they actually are, which is early educators who are playing a vital role in a child’s first five years.

“So what we’re trying to do both with the financial incentives – but more with the big national campaign – is get people to understand just how important these roles are and the difference you can make in shaping young lives at the earliest stage.”

Neil Leitch of the Early Years Alliance said that “any suggestion that this campaign alone will be enough to drive up educator numbers in time to meet rising demand is ludicrous, and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the sheer scale of the staffing crisis facing the sector.”

He added: “What’s more, while a £1,000 cash incentive may encourage more people to join the early years in the short term, it does little – if anything at all – to retain both new and existing staff in the long-term. As such, if there is any chance of this campaign having a lasting impact, there must be just as much focus on staff retention, and ensuring that we do not continue to lose knowledgeable, experienced educators at the rate that we have been over recent years.”

More than 100,000 parents have registered for free childcare codes ahead of the expansion of the scheme.

Research by the Early Education and Childcare Coalition at the end of last year found that 57 per cent of nursery staff and 38 per cent of childminders were considering leaving the sector in the next year.

The coalition, which includes childcare providers and campaigners, found that only 17 per cent of nursery managers said they would increase the number of places they offered as the Government expanded its childcare support. Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association said: “It’s important to stress that this campaign comes too late to support nurseries with the first phase of the childcare expansion which begins in two months. Campaigns like this take time to have a positive impact and the sector needs qualified and experienced staff now.”