@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all Welcome Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all WELCOME Sarah Jackson, CEO, Working Families

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all WELCOME Carole Edmond, Managing Director, Bright Horizons

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all Launch of The Modern Families Index sponsored by Bright Horizons

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all How Life is for Families in 2015 Julie McCarthy, Head of Policy, Research and Communications, Jonathan Swan, Policy & Research Officer, Working Families

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Off Balance: the parents of disabled children and paid work Nine out of ten work would like to return to work at some level Four out of ten have been out of work for 6 years or more 98% are limited in the pattern of work they can undertake

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Off Balance: the parents of disabled children and paid work

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Off Balance: the parents of disabled children and paid work Seven out of ten parents describe finding suitable, affordable childcare as ‘very difficult’ or ‘impossible’ One in three are paying more than £10 per hour

Working time 25 h/pw and above increases likelihood of staying late A particular issue for reduced hours workers who need flexibility for childcare?

Access to flexible working

Reasons for staying late at work

Impact of working time on family life

Impact on health and wellbeing

Parental priorities In conflict with working time? 35 per cent would downshift into a less stressful job 28 per cent feel resentful towards their employer about their work life balance n=495

Fathers hesitant about discussing work life issues Particularly younger fathers under 36 n=495

Gendered expectations?

Childcare 34 per cent used childcare

Impact of childcare breakdown

SPL: the great unknown?

Eldercare Two in five anticipate a caring responsibility in next 10 years Parents in their 30s and 40s were expecting to become carers in next 10 years. 36 per cent of parents expected this 37 per cent not thought about it yet. Realistic?

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all The Political Horizon  Alison McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South  Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke  Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all The Political Horizon Alison McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all The Political Horizon Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all The Political Horizon Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all Coffee Break

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all The 21st Century Working Family  William McDonald, Chair, The Fatherhood Institute  Sam Smethers, Chief Executive, Grandparents Plus  Fiona Weir, CEO, Gingerbread

Time The government elected in 2015 should: Establish a new right to a period of adjustment leave, to enable families to weather relatively short-term life crises such as the death, serious illness, or onset of disability of a partner, parent or child, or other major change in their caring responsibilities, without having to give up work. Adopt a flexible by default approach to job design and recruitment in the public sector, so that all jobs in central and local government are advertised on a flexible basis unless there is a specific, good business reason not to. Ministers should act and recruit business leaders as ‘flexible working’ champions, and should encourage private sector employers to adopt the Happy to talk strap line. A ‘families & work’ manifesto for 2015: Making work work for all

Equality at home and at work The government elected in 2015 should: Increase the current statutory entitlement to paternity leave from two weeks to six weeks, with four of the six weeks available to be taken at any point during the child’s first year. Make paternity leave a Day One right like maternity leave so more fathers can benefit from it. And increase the first six weeks of statutory paternity pay to 90 per cent of earnings to make it equivalent to statutory maternity pay for qualifying employees. Reform the new right to shared parental leave – due to come into force in April 2015 – so as to simplify the legal framework, open eligibility to all fathers from Day One of their employment, and enable statutory paid leave to be taken on a part-time basis. A ‘families & work’ manifesto for 2015: Making work work for all

This manifesto is supported by: (Equality at work and at home section only)

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all Tackling In-Work Poverty  Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group  Sam Royston, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, The Children's Society  Ellen Broome, Director of Research, Policy & Communications, Family & Childcare Trust

Money The government elected in 2015 should: Restore the real value of statutory maternity and paternity pay, lost as a result of the one per cent cap on annual uprating since April 2013, and set out a programme of annual, real terms increases so as to raise such pay to at least the level of the national minimum wage within ten years. Enhance the potential of Universal Credit to ensure that work really does pay for all working families, by (a) introducing a work allowance for second earners, and (b) strengthening safeguards to prevent parents being pushed into family-unfriendly jobs by the threat of sanctions. A ‘families & work’ manifesto for 2015: Making work work for all

Childcare infrastructure The government elected in 2015 should: Appoint a cabinet-level, cross-departmental minister for childcare. In recognition of the fact that good childcare infrastructure boosts economic activity as well as child development, this minister should be based in both the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. He or she should lead on developing a new national strategy on childcare, aimed at delivering universal access to good quality, affordable childcare within ten years. Appoint a minister with specific responsibility for urgently driving up the supply of good quality, affordable and appropriate childcare for disabled children. At present, only one in four local authorities report sufficiency of childcare for disabled children in their area. A ‘families & work’ manifesto for 2015: Making work work for all

This manifesto is supported by: (Equality at work and at home section only)

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all CLOSE Sarah Jackson CEO, Working Families

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15

@WorkingFamUK #WFPolicy15 Working Families Policy Conference 2015: Making work work for all