Tue, 05 Aug 2025

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 Families pushed out of work due to childcare costs

Many parents are choosing not to work to be able to care for their children, a report finds.
High childcare costs in Wales are driving families into poverty and forcing some parents out of work, according to new research from the Bevan Foundation. The study found that many families can't afford the rising costs, with some even limiting their family size due to financial constraints. Parents are calling on the Welsh government to extend funded childcare to children between nine months and two years old, like in England. Currently, three- and four-year-olds in Wales qualify for 30 hours of free childcare per week, but this is not available to younger children unless they live in disadvantaged areas. Many new mothers are struggling to cope with the costs, with one session leader saying that parents often have to go without childcare because it's too expensive. "People are living further away from their families, so they don't have support," she said. A mother of two explained that she and her husband had decided to only have two children due to the rising costs, adding that balancing work and family life is "really hard". The Bevan Foundation's head of policy described the childcare system as "onerous, complex and overly bureaucratic", while the Children's Commissioner for Wales said poverty among children in Wales has reached a "new low". The Welsh government responded by saying it was investing over £150m in childcare initiatives, including funding for disadvantaged communities. However, critics argue that this is not enough to address the problem, and that more needs to be done to support families with young children. A group of childcare providers have also joined calls on the Welsh government to fund childcare earlier, pointing out that there is currently a lack of support for families with children under two years old. The system, they say, is unfair and creates a "postcode lottery" for eligible two-year-olds. The issue has been highlighted as a major concern in Wales, where poverty among children has reached record levels.
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