15 March 2023

The government has today announced a package of reform for childcare provision in England. This has a huge impact on families with multiples.

Shauna Leven, Chief Executive of Twins Trust, said: “We’ve heard time and time again the challenges faced by families with multiples because of the huge cost of sending two or more children into childcare at the same time. Across all socio-economic segments of our community, women have been struggling to get back into the workforce because of the cost of childcare. This has been impacting parents (including their mental health), children’s development and has a negative impact on the economy as highly skilled individuals are kept out of the workforce.

“It’s positive that the government is committed to changing things for parents by focusing on early years, particularly the offer for one and two-year-olds. The costs are currently insurmountable for our families. For this new policy to work, it needs to be fully funded, workforce issues need to be addressed and the most disadvantaged children need to be included and have adequate support - which doesn’t happen in the current system. We hope to work with the government to ensure that this is the case.

“Our families often struggle to find places at a childcare provider to accommodate their twins, triplets or more. Giving proper investment to early years’ providers must align with ensuring that families with multiples have access to provision that’s suitable for their particular needs. It’s also vital that the needs of families with multiples are met across all of the UK.”