“I managed to find my voice”: Speaking at a Childcare roundtable at the DfE

I have just returned from a roundtable event hosted by Changing Realities at the Department for Education in London, where we had a meeting with Minister Alison McGovern (DWP-Employment) and Minister Stephen Morgan (DfE-Early Education) and other relevant civil servants. The event was an amazing experience! Although I was very nervous and apprehensive I am so glad that I was able to be part of this.

The whole experience was incredibly positive and empowering. Meeting members of the cabinet and high-ranking civil servants to talk about policy fixes to inform their child poverty strategy is not my typical day! Our group talked about the difficulties of finding childcare for children with SEND needs, access to childcare, and the affordability of childcare, for instance, even when you are given the full entitlement under Universal Credit, it does not cover school holidays.

All of our group gave powerful testimonies about their lived experiences to do with childcare access and affordability. Group members shared about having to turn down employment opportunities, struggling to pay for childcare during periods of unemployment – and the shame and stigma they have had to face because of this – and the difficulties of looking for employment, whilst paying all the childcare costs, as their entitlement had ended.

Group members also talked about the difficulties of finding childcare for employment purposes, whilst being the primary caregiver for children with SEND and the associated difficulties that can sometimes accompany this. The speeches given by the group members were incredibly moving and powerful, whilst being underpinned by a real positive call to the government for change.

From being so nervous to thinking that I would not be able to read out my speech, I managed to find my voice and even gently disagree with one of the civil servants at the event about not paying 100% of childcare to eligible low-income families, and I felt that my argument might even have persuaded them to look into this. There was even confusion amongst some of the government officials about their childcare policies, and one of the Changing Realties parents was able to confidently contribute to the debate. Again, this is a positive, because events like this enable government members to actually see problems in their policies.

The team at Changing Realities were so helpful and supportive, and looked after all of us participating in this event. I am just a normal mum from Wales and never have I ever expected to be sat in a meeting with ministers from the government. I felt all of our views were listened to and even provoked some probing questions from the ministers and civil servants. As I mentioned before, the event was focussed on childcare, and I felt our group clearly identified flaws in the current system. The ministers and civil servants seemed to be really interested in our suggested policy changes.

Reflecting back on the experience, I feel proud and privileged to have had this opportunity. I also feel hopeful for change for the better. As the old saying goes “nothing changes if nothing changes”, and I feel Changing Realties is all about change for the better. My advice, if you are unsure whether you want to do an event like this with Changing Realities, is to go for it!