THE average cost of paying for two children in full-time childcare in Northern Ireland is approaching £25,000 a year, new research suggests.
A survey of 3,000 people by the grassroots campaign group Melted Parents, found families paying on average £2,058 per month for two children in full-time childcare, almost the equivalent of the average monthly wage in the north.
The latest official data put the median monthly wage at £2,103 in July.
The campaign group, set up in March this year, believe it makes Northern Ireland the most expensive place in Europe for childcare.
The overwhelming majority of those surveyed (75.8 per cent) said their childcare bill is more than their mortgage or rent.
Launching the new study at Stormont on Monday, Melted Parents have called on the north’s political parties to prioritise the delivery of a childcare strategy by an incoming Executive by putting it on the agenda on day one and publishing a timeframe for delivery in the first 100 days of a new government.
According to the survey, 82.3 per cent of parents identified childcare costs as a key factor in the decision not to have more children, while some respondents said they had terminated pregnancies due to not being able to afford additional childcare bills.
Just over 83 per cent said the cost of childcare had impacted their mental health, while three-in-four said their relationships had suffered.
Almost 88 per cent said the cost or availability of childcare has had an impact on their career.
One parent who took part in the study, spoke of her struggles.
“I’m returning back from maternity next month, from having our second child. I applied for a career break and it has been refused due to the staffing crisis in the NHS,” she said.
“We are now in £19,000 debt and our marriage is at its end, with arguments due to money stress. We feel we’re the only people struggling so much.
“We can’t do anything with our children all summer to save money for food. My mental health is at its worst.
“My husband feels he has let down our family, but he’s amazing.
“He has been having suicidal thoughts because of the stress. It’s not the doctors help we need, it’s financial help.”
Almost seven-in-ten of those surveyed said they may leave the workplace or reduce their working hours in the next 12 months.
Rebecca Harper of Melted Parents said: “Our families are feeling the effects on their mental health, their relationships, their careers as well as their ability to even have children in the first place.
“A childcare strategy has supposedly been in development for the past decade, with a commitment in New Decade New Approach to the delivery of a strategy in 2020, but nothing has been delivered. This isn’t good enough and we demand action.”
The campaign group is calling for parents to be put at the centre of a new childcare system for Northern Ireland, and for the Barnett consequential funding for Stormont, arising from the expansion of free childcare in England, to be ring-fenced for childcare.
As it stands, there is no obligation for the extra funding arising from the free childcare plan for England to be spent on a similar package here.
Melted Parents is also calling for the removal of the tax-free childcare cap and a cost-of-living style payment to support working parents.
“Families cannot wait any longer,” said Rebecca Harper. “So we are calling on politicians to form an Executive and prioritise the delivery of a childcare strategy on day one and ensure that families are given the same support as others across the UK.”
