Child Care Issues
As part of its support for parenting the University has introduced child care vouchers to make work for people with children more financially manageable. The vouchers allow tax-free childcare both for pre-school children and for before- and after-school care and holidays clubs. This scheme was recommended by the Action Learning Set pilot report and a WiSET survey of child care provision. Take up rates are high as the on-site day nursery, the third largest University nursery in the UK, is already used heavily by University staff whose children make up over half its population. The scheme allows working parents to better manage their time and finances by purchasing vouchers for childcare services free from national insurance and income tax. This scheme was proposed by the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology group (WiSET) as part of a range of measures to encourage family-friendly working practices in the University, which is a key part of the Universities mission to recruit, retain and promote the world class scientists. More details on the child care vouchers can be accessed from the Busy Bees website.