Those who need it most - the poor, solo parents, and Maori and Pacific Island families - are not getting easy access to out-of-school services, a report released today by the Families Commission says.
Cost, lack of information about locally available services, lack of information on their eligibility for subsidies, and difficulty in finding services appropriate for their culture, were barriers they faced, said Families Commissioner Gregory Fortuin.
The Government is reviewing out-of school-services, also called Oscar services, which provide care to children 5-13 years of age, before and after school and during school holidays.
The commission's report following a survey of parents, called Caring for Kids - Parents' views on out-of-school services and care, showed that most parents who used out-of-school services were happy with the service provided. It fulfilled a vital role in the care and support they give their children.
But the report said parents who most needed the support of out-of-school services to help care for their children were often not able to get ready access to it.
"This is critical information for our leaders and decision makers as they grapple with the issue of how to provide, fund and ensure equitable access to out-of-school services in New Zealand," Mr Fortuin said.
He said he was confident the research would lead to "fruitful discussions by government, service funders and service providers to see how these barriers can be overcome".
Access to services was particularly important for work-seeking parents and the research confirmed that the availability of services helped parents on a benefit get into the workforce, he said.
