Childcare Bill

I support all these amendments. Clearly, it is important that parents are seen to have the main responsibility for children. Most parents want to have the main responsibility for their children, even those who may not be able to do the job adequately. We should always start from that situation. The points made in a number of amendments about workless households are crucially important. There will be a need in some, but not all, of those households for extra support and help. It is crucial that, from the earliest possible age, professional help should be available and paid for out of the arrangements. However, there are two aspects to this. First, as we know, it is crucial for the parent—mother or father—to have time out. But it is also crucial for the parent to be available for some of the time to learn and to watch the way in which the child gains the benefit of the expert and to get advice. It is very difficult to do that if parents are not there for at least part of the time, absorbing what needs to be learnt. That is very important. I am sure we will hear much more on this for disabled and autistic children. I can remember it being discovered in the period when Geoffrey, my husband—my noble kinsman, I should say—was Chancellor of the Exchequer. Our first party involved an attempt to raise awareness as well as money and support—we had a Father Christmas and so on. We must concentrate on such areas and make certain that there is sufficient supply and that the money to provide it will be there. My last point is about learning through voluntary effort. In the early days of the pre-school playgroup, it was magic to watch how mothers who came in—it was almost entirely mothers in those days—gradually gained confidence and awareness. They went off to conferences and learnt from experts what was required. Subsequently some of them became involved in childcare. It would be interesting to do a survey of teachers to see how many of them started out from that background. I support the idea that that is regarded as going out to work within the limited area that we have now, even though we all want childcare to be available to the widest possible range of children.