Transforming Childcare and Listening to Families

Wendy Ball

Description

This book presents original ethnographic research into the connections between childcare, family lives and social policy in Wales.
Introduction Sheila's story: a mother's reflections on care, work and family Setting the scene: personal influences Researching families, childcare and policy Chapter One: Shaping Childcare Policy in the United Kingdom Introduction Approaches to policy analysis New Labour's childcare policy The Coalition, the 'big society' and welfare reform Conclusion: who benefits from childcare policy? Chapter Two: Devolution, Gender and Childcare: a Distinctive Policy Agenda in Wales? Introduction Policy innovation in post-devolution Wales: key political values The shaping of childcare policy in Wales, 1999 to 2012 Policy officers' perspectives: doing things differently? Conclusion: disconnections in policy? Chapter Three: Mothers' Perspectives on Childcare, Gender and Social Support Introduction Mothers' reflections on care: from sensitive to intensive mothering? The educational role of mothers: the pressure to be 'constantly creative' Well-being, support and stress Conclusion: personal accounts and public policy Chapter Four: Different Neighbourhoods, Unequal Support? Local Childcare Services and Networks of Informal Care Introduction Childcare and neighbourhood inequalities Parents' childcare strategies: values, challenges and informal care Parents' use of other services for families and children Conclusion: respecting diversity, providing universal services Chapter Five: Listening to Mothers and Fathers, Disrupting Policy? Introduction Review and reflections Hearing parents? Perspectives from policy officers Conclusion: making childcare policy work in Wales Conclusion: Parenthood, Gender Relations and the Care Ethic in Wales Introduction Shaping a childcare ethic Diversity, material hardship and family lives 'Hands on' dads: embracing fathers' perspectives on care Coalition and Welsh Government policies in an age of austerity Time for an alternative

Sujets

• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Sociology
• Wales

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780708325520
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Politics and Society in Wales

Transforming Childcare and Listening to Families Policy in Wales and Beyond

Wendy Ball

University of Wales Press

Politics and society in Wales

Transforming Childcare and Listening to Families

Politics and society in Wales seRies sErIES EDITOrS: PàuL chàNEY àND aNDrEw thOmpSON

PrEVIOuS VOLumES IN ThE SErIES:

PàuL chàNEY, tOm HàLL àND aNDrEw PIThOuSE (EDS),New Governance – New Democracy? Post-Devolution Wales

nEIL sELwYN àND sTEphEN GOràrD,The Information Age: Technology, Learning and Exclusion in Wales

Gràhàm dàY,Making Sense of Wales: A Sociological Perspective

RIChàrD RàwLINgS,Delineating Wales: Constitutional, Legal and Administrative Aspects of National Devolution

MOLLY sCOTT càTO,The Pit and the Pendulum: A Cooperative Future for Work in the Welsh Valleys

PàuL chàmbErS,Religion, Secularization and Social Change in Wales: Congregational Studies in a Post-Christian Society

PàuL chàNEY, FIONà MàCkàY àND làurà MCaLLISTEr,Women, Politics and Constitutional Change: The First Years of the National Assembly for Wales

eLIN ROYLES,Revitalizing Democracy? Devolution and Civil Society in Wales

cOLIN H. WILLIàmS (ED.),Language and Governance

RhYS JONES àND càrwYN FOwLEr,Placing the Nation: Aberystwyth and the Reproduction of Welsh Nationalism

thE POLITICS àND sOCIETY IN WàLES SErIES ExàmINES ISSuES Of pOLITICS àND gOV- ernment, and particularly the eects of devolution on policy-making and ImpLEmENTàTION, àND ThE wàY IN whICh WàLES IS gOVErNED àS ThE nàTIONàL aSSEmbLY gàINS IN màTurITY. iT wILL àLSO INCrEàSE Our kNOwLEDgE àND uNDEr- STàNDINg Of WELSh SOCIETY àND àNàLYSE ThE mOST ImpOrTàNT àSpECTS Of SOCIàL àND ECONOmIC ChàNgE IN WàLES. WhErE NECESSàrY, STuDIES IN ThE SErIES wILL INCOrpOràTE STrONg COmpàràTIVE ELEmENTS whICh wILL àLLOw à mOrE fuLLY INfOrmED àppràISàL Of ThE CONDITIONS Of WàLES.

Politics and society in Wales

Transforming Childcare and Listening to Families

Policy in Wales and Beyond

B

y

Wendy Ball

Published on behalf of the University of Wales

UniveRsity oF Wales PRess caRdiFF 2013

© WENDY BàLL, 2013

BrITISh lIbràrY càTàLOguINg-IN-PubLICàTION dàTà. a CàTàLOguE rECOrD fOr ThIS bOOk IS àVàILàbLE frOm ThE BrITISh lIbràrY.

isBn 978–0–7083–2551–3 E–isBn 978–0–7083–2552–0

aLL rIghTS rESErVED. nO pàrT Of ThIS bOOk màY bE rEprODuCED, STOrED IN à rETrIEVàL SYSTEm, Or TràNSmITTED, IN àNY fOrm Or bY àNY mEàNS, ELECTrONIC, mEChàNICàL, phOTOCOpYINg, rECOrDINg Or OThErwISE, wIThOuT CLEàràNCE frOm ThE UNIVErSITY Of Wales Press, 10 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardi CF10 4UP. www.uwp.co.uk

The right of Wendy Ball to be identiîed as author of this work has been asserted bY hEr IN àCCOrDàNCE wITh ThE cOpYrIghT, dESIgNS àND PàTENTS aCT 1988.

PrINTED bY MPG GrOup, BODmIN, cOrNwàLL

1.

tàbLES sErIES eDITOrS’ FOrEwOrD PrEfàCE aCkNOwLEDgEmENTS GLOSSàrY

iNTrODuCTION

Contents

shàpINg chILDCàrE POLICY IN ThE UNITED KINgDOm

2. dEVOLuTION, GENDEr àND chILDCàrE: a dISTINCTIVE POLICY agENDà IN WàLES?

3.

MOThErS’ PErSpECTIVES ON chILDCàrE, GENDEr àND sOCIàL suppOrT

4. Dierent Neighbourhoods, Unequal Support? Local chILDCàrE sErVICES àND nETwOrkS Of iNfOrmàL càrE

5.

lISTENINg TO MOThErS àND FàThErS, dISrupTINg POLICY?

cONCLuSION: PàrENThOOD, GENDEr RELàTIONS àND ThE càrE eThIC IN WàLES

Appendix 1: Socio-Economic Proîle of the Three nEIghbOurhOODS appENDIx 2: thE sàmpLE Of MOThErS àND FàThErS appENDIx 3: càrINg fOr chILDrEN iNTErVIEw thEmES Appendix 4: The Sample of Policy Oïcers Appendix 5: Policy Oïcers’ Interview Themes Endnotes BIbLIOgràphY iNDEx

VI VII Ix xI xII

1

15

35

68

102

133

151

173 175 181 182 183 184 187 203

Tables

 0.1: KEY STàgES IN ThE rESEàrCh àND SOurCES Of DàTà  2.1: Childcare policy in Wales, 1999–2012  4.1: Managing childcare through formal and informal support

9 47 117

Series Editors’ Foreword

thIS IS ThE TENTh VOLumE IN ThE POLITICS àND sOCIETY SErIES.WITh à fOCuS ON childcare policy it explores an enduring issue, one that reects wider social àTTITuDES àND pràCTICES àND IS à kEY INDICàTOr Of ThE ChàNgINg NàTurE Of gENDEr rELàTIONS IN SOCIETY. iN ThE DISCuSSION, WENDY BàLL hEEDS EàrLIEr CàLLS fOr ‘gENDErED SOCIàL pOLICY àNàLYSIS TO bE TràNSfOrmED frOm à uNI- Or EVEN bIfOCàL INTO à muLTI-fOCàL LENS’ (lISTEr, 2000: 33). shE prESENTS àN ExàmIN- àTION Of ThE ImpLICàTIONS Of CONSTITuTIONàL rEfOrm àND whEThEr DEVOLuTION IN WàLES hàS ENàbLED ThE EmErgENCE Of à DISTINCTIVE SOCIàL pOLICY àgENDà ON ChILDCàrE – àS wELL àS ThE ImpàCT ThàT WELSh pOLICY màY hàVE ON ThE wELL- bEINg Of mOThErS, fàThErS àND ChILDrEN. thE rESuLT IS à ThOughTfuL àNàLYSIS Of rECENT pubLIC pOLICY rESpONSES TO àSYmmETrIC gENDErED bEhàVIOur whErEbY wOmEN hàVE ENTErED ThE LàbOur màrkET TO à muCh grEàTEr ExTENT ThàN mEN hàVE INCrEàSED ThEIr ChILDCàrE rOLE. thEOrETICàLLY INfOrmED àNàLYSIS IS uSED TO LOCàTE pOST-DEVOLuTION DEVEL- OpmENTS wIThIN ThE CONTExT Of ThE ChàNgINg ChILDCàrE pOLICY LàNDSCàpE IN ThE UNITED KINgDOm (UK). thE VOLumE IS bàSED ON rICh rESEàrCh DàTà DErIVED frOm INTErVIEwS wITh mOThErS àND fàThErS IN ThrEE urbàN NEIghbOurhOODS with contrasting socio-economic proîles. This enabled the construction àND àNàLYSIS Of ChILDCàrE ‘LIfE hISTOrIES’. thESE pErSONàL àCCOuNTS wErE ThEN COmpàrED wITh EmErgENT ThEmES frOm UK, WELSh àND LOCàL àuThOrITY pOLICY DOCumENTS àND COmpLEmENTED bY INTErVIEwS wITh rEgIONàL àND LOCàL policy oïcers. thIS COmprEhENSIVE mEThODOLOgY hàS DELIVErED àN àCCOuNT whICh CON- SIDErS TENSIONS IN ThE pOLICY ShIfT wITNESSED OVEr pOST-wàr DECàDES frOm ThE màLE brEàDwINNEr mODEL TOwàrDS ThE àDuLT wàgE-EàrNEr mODEL. aTTENTION is given to how this may conict with the wishes of many mothers to give prIOrITY TO ThE CàrE Of ThEIr ChILDrEN. suCh à fOCuS àLSO uNDErpINS ThE STrONg CàSE prESENTED bY ThE àuThOr fOr àN ‘EThIC Of ChILDCàrE’ whICh LEàDS TO à mODEL COmbININg uNIVErSàLISm wITh ChOICE àND SuppOrT. iN ThIS wàY, ThE DISCuSSION uNDErLINES ThE NEED fOr rECOgNITION Of DIVErSITY àmONgST pàrENTS and cognizance of the impact material inequalities have on their childcare àrràNgEmENTS. Transforming Childcare and Listening to FamiliesIS àN ImpOrTàNT àND TImELY contribution to contemporary policy debates. It înds evidence of a dierent

VIII

Series Editors’ Foreword

pOLICY STYLE àND VISION IN WàLES àND ThàT ThIS màY prOVIDE OppOrTuNITIES TO SàfEguàrD ThE rIghTS àND wELL-bEINg Of mOThErS, fàThErS àND ChILDrEN. yET ThE àuThOr àLSO ShOwS hOw ChILDCàrE pOLICY IS à LONg wàY frOm fuLLY prOmOTINg gender equality, supporting parents and meeting the interests of all children. nOT LEàST IT hàS bEEN CONSTràINED bY à LImITED uNDErSTàNDINg Of ThE CON- NECTIONS bETwEEN gENDEr àND ChILDCàrE. iNSTEàD IT hàS pLàCED àN EmphàSIS on supporting role equity in paid work and an assumption that improved àCCESS TO ChILDCàrE wILL ENàbLE mOThErS TO ENTEr pàID wOrk. thE DISCuSSION OuTLINES hOw ThIS hàS bEEN àCCOmpàNIED bY à gENEràL fàILurE TO uNDErSTàND ThE VàLuE Of uNpàID CàrE. thE àuThOr COgENTLY ObSErVES hOw,inter alia, ThIS IS à fuNCTION Of gENDEr-NEuTràL pOLICY LàNguàgE ThàT DOwNpLàYS Or IgNOrES ThE DISCOurSES àND SOCIàL CONDITIONS Of mOThErhOOD àND fàThErhOOD àND fàILS TO fuLLY àpprECIàTE ThEIr ImpLICàTIONS fOr pOLICY. The îrst title in the series,New Governance – New Democracy?, CONCLuDED ThàT ‘ThE CrEàTION Of ThE nàTIONàL aSSEmbLY fOr WàLES hàS àLTErED ThE DEmO- CràTIC LàNDSCàpE IN WàLES . . . [IT] prOmISES INNOVàTION IN gOVErNàNCE àND there are high expectations that devolution will bring about signiîcant improvements in Welsh life’ (Chaney et al., 2001: 43). Notwithstanding signiîcant developments witnessed over intervening years, one of the EmErgINg mESSàgES Of ThIS bOOk IS ThàT grEàTEr pOLICY DIVErgENCE bETwEEN Wales and Westminster may be necessary if a fully eective policy response IS TO bE DEVELOpED ThàT rECOgNIzES DIVErSE NEEDS, màTChES ThE INITIàL hIgh ExpECTàTIONS àSSOCIàTED wITh DEVOLuTION àND DELIVErS ON ThE pOST-1999 SOCIàL policy discourse of equality and social justice.

PàuL chàNEY àND aNDrEw thOmpSON sErIES eDITOrS