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Child care in the United Kingdom is supported by a combination of rights at work, public sector provision and private companies. Child care is usually undertaken by the parents, and more often the mother who takes leave from employment. Early childhood education in a crèche or nursery is not freely available from the public sector, while fee-paying pre-schools are.
The first pre-school institution was opened in 1816 by Robert Owen in New Lanark, Scotland.[1][2][3] The Hungarian countess Theresa Brunszvik followed in 1828.[4][5] In 1837, Friedrich Fröbel opened one in Germany, coining the term "kindergarten".
Marie Hilton started a creche for the children of working mothers in a house in London's Stepney Causeway on 22 February 1871.[6] By 1889 it was Mrs's Hilton's Creche, Infirmary and Orphan's Home and it occupied three houses.[7] In 1896 Hilton died when there was 120 children in the creche.[6]
Since the United Kingdom is a mixed economy, the government provides free healthcare, pensions, and some free child care, making people less involved with the market economy relative to nation such as America. Consequently, there is a direct correlation between a family-wellbeing and its welfare. Because of the child poverty rate the United Kingdom experienced in the mid- to late 1990s, the government had to change taxes and imply the benefits, increasing the employment rate and supporting working families. For example, the Child and Working Tax Credits were introduced. Rights to leave from work to care for children have important consequences for career advancement and gender equality. The United Kingdom provides 11 months of a legal maternal/parental leave.[8] There is a dependency between the atmosphere a child experienced while growing up and his/her future life.[9] The people who take care of a child can vary: kid's own family, in which mother or/and father takes a leave in order to take care of a child, nannies, foster care, and nurseries; and, consequently, child's experience of transformation into a teenager can vary. Moreover, a child's future perception differs depending on who spent more time with a kid: a mother or a father. Historically, man is a breadwinner and 'good' father is a financially successful man but the father-child relations are crucial and essential in a child's growing up.[10] However, the British parental leave system assumes, first of all, mother's responsibility to take care of children (maternal leave) while father's care (paternal leave) is seen as a question of individual choice.[11]
The major right, which goes beyond the minimum set by the Pregnant Workers Directive,[12] is a mix of paid and unpaid maternity leave. A contract of employment can always be and often is more generous. Otherwise, the minimum right to paid maternity leave arises for women employees after 26 weeks' work, though the right to unpaid leave has no qualifying period.[13] Under the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999[14] mothers must take compulsory leave at the time of child birth for two weeks. After that comes a right to 6 weeks' leave paid at 90 per cent of ordinary salary. Then is 20 weeks' leave paid at a rate set by statute, which was £123.06 per week in 2010. This has to be at least the same level as statutory sick pay.[15] Then she may take additional but unpaid maternity leave for another 26 weeks.[16] She must tell the employer 15 weeks before the date of the expected birth, in writing if the employer requests it. Except insofar as they administer the payments, employers do not bear most costs of maternity leave as they are reimbursed by the government according to their size and national insurance contributions.[17] Along with different forms of leave, mothers have the right to not suffer any professional detriment or dismissal while they are absent, and should be able to return to the same job after 26 weeks, or another suitable job after 52 weeks.[18]
For fathers, the position is less generous. To redress the balance between how much of child raising each partner bears, under the Additional Paternity Leave Regulations 2010[19] it will be possible for a woman to transfer up to 26 weeks of her leave entitlements to her male partner. Otherwise the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 state that a man is entitled to a minimum of just 2 weeks off, at the statutory rate of pay.[20]
Both parents may also benefit from "parental leave" provisions in the MPLR 1999, passed after the Parental Leave Directive.[21] Until a child turns 5, or a disabled child turns 18, parents can take up to 13 weeks' unpaid leave.[22] Unless there is another collective agreement in place, employees should give 21 days' notice, no more than 4 weeks in a year, at least 1 week at a time, and the employer can postpone the leave for 6 months if business would be unduly disrupted.[23] Otherwise similar provisions apply on employees not suffering detriment or dismissal and having a right to their previous jobs back.[18]
"Emergency leave" is, under ERA 1996 section 57A, available for employees to deal with birth or a child's issues at school, as well as other emergencies such as dependents' illness or death, so long as the employee informs the employer as soon as reasonably practicable. In Qua v John Ford Morrison Solicitors[24] Cox J emphasised that there is no requirement to deliver daily updates.
Contemporary Western society is witnessing a major expansion of early childhood services.[25] One of the ways of taking care experience for a kid in the UK is a in-home child care, which is a government supported, non-familial care provided in the child's home.[26] Historically, nannies took care of children in private homes of nobles. To continue this tradition in modern society, the government began to subsidise and regulate such arrangements. Since the number of employed women increased, it was necessary for the government to create programs that would benefit both women and their kids. In 2009, it was estimated that there were 63,000 nannies or non-relative careers to help families in the UK.[27] Even nowadays, nannies are considered to be a privilege of wealthy families, putting the limitations on the working class sample.[28] That is one of the reasons why the UK has different programs that help lower- and middle-class families to take care of their children. Since the UK is a liberal market economy (LME), it relies heavily on market mechanism to deliver the programs.
Beyond the period around child birth, after EA 2002, employees gained the right to request flexible working patterns for the purpose of caring for a child under the age of 6, or a disabled child under age 18. The right to make the request is contained in ERA 1996 section 80F, and despite the fact that employers may decline the request, statistics show that under the obligation to consider, employers grant requests in 80 per cent of cases. An employee must make the request in writing, the employer must reply in writing, and can only decline the request on the basis of a correct fact assessment,[29] and within 8 grounds listed in section 80G, which generally concern business and organisational necessity. In Commotion Ltd v Rutty[30] a toy warehouse assistant was refused a reduction to part-time work because, according to the manager, everyone needed to work full-time to maintain "team spirit". The Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that because "team spirit" was not one of the legitimate grounds for refusal, Mrs Rutty should get compensation, which is set at a maximum of 8 weeks' pay.[31]
Children's Centres are expected to provide:
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