Au Pairs not the answer. AU pairs are not the answer to the childcare crisis and calls for them to be allowed to stay in Australia for up to a year should be ignored, the Australian Nannies Association says. The group says au pairs should not be entrusted with the full-time care of children, but instead be used solely for before- and after-school care. It also says taxpayers should subsidise the employment of nannies, but a suggestion that both parents should work or study for at least 24 hours a fortnight to qualify for the subsidies is discriminatory. “ANA believes that the hours required should be less to accommodate those parents who are returning to work for short amounts of time. For example, shift workers working short but regular weekend shifts,’’ the group says in its submission to a Productivity Commission inquiry into childcare. “Consideration should also be given to stay-at-home parents who may need some respite from the full-time parenting role.” The association argues that au pairs — typically young, inexperienced people on a working holiday — are in demand simply because they are affordable and flexible care is so difficult to find. “Au pairs are most appropriately utilised as before- and after-school care for school-aged chil-dren, or as a part-time helper for a stay-at-home parent,’’ the submission says. “Au pairs should not be used to provide sole-charge, full-time care, and there are several safety concerns with inexperienced, untrained au pairs being used in this way.” The association does not support a suggestion, made in the commission’s draft report, that visas for au pairs be extended from six to 12 months, citing the “unregulated, unqualified and inexperienced type of care that is provided by an au pair”. “Once a regulated and subsidised nanny model is in place, ANA believes the demand for au pairs will decrease as families who require professional in-home care will be able to afford to move into the regulated nanny model,” it says. The association recommends a licensing program be introduced for subsidised care by nannies, separate to the one covering approved childcare services because of the differences in providing care in the family home. It calls for nannies to be subsidised at an hourly base rate covering the care of up to two children, with the rate rising for additional children. Vice-president Annemarie Sansom said that families employing a professional nanny should receive subsidies equivalent to those applied to other forms of childcare. “When families have two or three children in childcare, the cost is comparable to that of employing a nanny. What makes employing a nanny more expensive at the moment is the lack of any subsidy,” she said. Family Day Care Australia wants to co-ordinate a new system of childcare workers who offer care in the family home, with Tony Abbott saying he is open to the idea, but nannies are opposed. “We believe that regulated nannies could fit under national family daycare legislation,’’ Ms Sansom said. “However, we would like to see a broad and open marketplace of providers. This would keep fees down and ensure availability of services to ... families in rural and city areas.” The Australian - Patricia Karvelas Tuesday 9 September 2014
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 22:30:00 +0000
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