A quarter of new mothers are returning to work earlier than they would have wanted to access the ‘free hours’ childcare scheme, research suggests.
From September, eligible working parents will be entitled to 15 hours of childcare support for children aged nine months to three years.
But parents can only sign up for the scheme quarterly — meaning those who are due to return to work in October, November or December will need to go back earlier if they want to access free childcare before January.
They are also only able to access the scheme the term after their child turns nine months old — further affecting when parents can return to work.
Research by the Pregnant Then Screwed charity found 28 per cent of mothers felt forced to return to work early to access the free hours.
Only seven per cent said they would return later than they would have liked to so they can fit in with the scheme’s start date.
The survey also revealed half on maternity leave are facing issues with the scheme, while a third said it was influencing when they return to work.
And 26 per cent of mothers on maternity leave said they have been told they cannot apply for the free hours, even though they are eligible for the scheme.
The survey also found a third of parents have also been told to expect extra costs outside the funded hours to increase over the next six months.
Only one in four parents said their provider does not charge any additional fees on top of the funded hours — but 30 per cent say they pay at least £10 a day on consumables.
Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: ‘Maternity leave is a hugely sensitive and important time, yet our research finds that the new childcare benefit is forcing many mothers to return to work before they are ready.
‘This could have an adverse impact on women and their careers.
‘We know that if women return to work before they are ready, they are more likely to underperform and to ultimately leave their job.
‘We doubt this was an anticipated outcome of the scheme, but that’s because no one in Government appears to be looking at the holistic experiences of new families.’
She added: ‘Parents are hugely disappointed that the savings from this scheme are not as much as they anticipated.
‘Nurseries don’t want to charge parents more; they have to, otherwise they run the risk of closure.
‘Until the funding from the Government matches the cost to deliver places we will continue to see many families unable to afford the childcare they need to survive and thrive.’
Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 3,149 parents who are eligible for the new nine-month funding from September 1.
Of the respondents, 835 were on maternity leave.