Introduction Research Design and Method Findings & Discussion References For further information please contact Eva Mikuska at or visit The aims of the research were to explore and analyse the discourses of volunteers or unpaid staff in policy documents and their possible impact on the early years provisions. Qualitative methods of data collection was used, including twenty five face-to-face semi-structured interviews with: 5 EY Teachers (graduates), 5 EY Educators (L3 qualified), 5 volunteers, 5 managers/owners and 5 Early Years Educator or Early Years Teacher (ITT) assessors. Participants are from different providers, both private and voluntary organisations all based in southern coastal LA’s. The study has been given ethical approval by London Metropolitan University’s Ethics Committee in February The Department for Education commissioned research to collect information about childcare and early years provision across England in In-depth analysis of childcare and early years sector was provided including similarities and differences between specific types of provider, the breakdown of staff by staff type and average hourly pay of early years workers. The ‘absent presence’ of the exploration of unpaid staff or volunteers within the early years environment has not been addressed (not even mentioned). Where are the principles of the Big Society? Conservatives (2008) A stronger society: voluntary action in the 21st century, London: The Conservative Party Fyfe, N., Timbrell, H. and Smith, F. M. (2006). The Third Sector an a Devolved Scotland: From Policy to Evidence. Critical Social Policy. Vol. 26 (3) pp Hustinx, L. and Meijs, L. (2011) Re-embedding volunteerism: in search of a new collective ground', Voluntary Sector Review 2 (1) pp Smith, D. (1982). Altruism, volunteers, and volunteerism, cited in Harman, J. [ED] Volunteerism in the Eighties. Washington: DC University Press pp Wilson, J. (2000). Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology. Vol. 26 pp Woodhouse, J. (2015). The voluntary sector and the Big Society. London: House of Commons The voluntary sector and the Big Society Big Society is an element of the Conservative Party Manifesto of 2010 and the Coalition’s Programme for Government of May The concept involves three main strands: opening up public services, social action, community empowerment. In other words encourage volunteering and their involvement in social action. PARADOX The Labour Government strategy was “paid employment for all” including women with children; this was underlined in policies such as the New Deal and the National Childcare Strategy (DfES, 2007). Who these volunteers are? Interested in researching dad’s involvement with their children Migrant lawyer who felt ‘worthless’ sitting at home Retired practitioners who do not want to give up their job Employed early years workers who must volunteer (including Saturdays) to maintain their job – ‘compulsory’ volunteering To gain access to HE course (FD in Early Childhood for example) To gain experience in order to adopt a child To ensure the nursery is the right one for her/his child (parent helpers) Sociological – motives behind volunteering Behaviourist – rational decision of the volunteer that is based on weighting of costs and benefit Volunteering is an instrumental (to maintain current position) activity (not necessarily selfish), done to achieve ends which the volunteer find rewarding Most early years settings employ volunteer(s). Beside the financial gain, as one EY owner states ‘I don’t have to pay her [volunteer], as she is doing it because she is alone…’ (nursery owner); however, the training, co-ordination and support of volunteers’ work requires accountable management, clarity about the purpose to which their time and skills can contribute most meaningfully and safely to children's care and development. Therefore behaviourist and sociological volunteers have a considerable impact on the EY sector. The following quote links with Hustinx and Meijs (2011) findings, that 'new' volunteers give up their time on a compulsory basis. For example: ‘I have to come and help on Saturday. It doesn’t matter which Saturday but I have to come in and help. It is like compulsory work. We have a rota; we can swap the days, but at the end of the day everyone will have a turn… and it can be really hard, as we all have kids’ (volunteer). As society adapts to a more marketised form of altruism it can be argued that future volunteering ‘will be rewarded more and to some extent will become obligatory' (Hustinx and Meijs, 2011, p.17). In Britain, while the governing Conservative Party argue that compulsory volunteering 'is a contradiction in terms and an abuse of government power' (Conservatives, 2008, p. 31), programmes within the coalition government's Big Society agenda have recognised the need for reward. Yet as shown above, while not formally, compulsory volunteering increasingly can be understood as a non-negotiable necessity within the early years sector. Furthermore, the power relationship between EY workers and volunteers can shift as one parent helper states: ‘I observe them [EY practitioner] within the group, what they do with the children and I see what they were doing with my daughter’ (parent helper).