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Childcare Bill

I assume that the noble Lord, Lord Northbourne, is raising this matter at this point in the Bill in order to raise a debate on the value of kinship care. My great worry is that all those mums that I know in the North Country who look after children for part of the time when the rest of their family go to work would find themselves under quite serious regulation. I would like to protect all those families and extended families who hold themselves together—despite the myth, it still goes on in many communities—and ensure that they are not overburdened by regulation. Having said that, having no child of my own but finding myself a founder of the Grandparents’ Association for reasons that I have still to work out, I recognise the huge value of what the noble Lord, Lord Northbourne, is trying to achieve. Many families would value the capacity to have some of the training that they see other people having who are paid for child minding. Although not being paid, they, too, would like to join some of those courses. If local authorities could be encouraged to do that, that would make a huge contribution towards the nation’s childcare.