I recently attended a report launch on childcare vouchers, involving research undertaken by Joanna Konings, a young and bright economist, formerly of the Social Market Foundation. Now the Treasury can count itself lucky to have her.

The report fills a gap on what we know about child care voucher users. Because most people believe childcare vouchers are for the high earning well-off middle class, the research results are even more interesting: the majority of users (83%) pay income tax at the basic rate. Childcare vouchers appear to be used more intensively by working lone parents than couples. The report also states that “there is no evidence that their use is dominated by professional. Indeed the data suggests that manual and unskilled workers are the best represented group.” Who would have thought? Not Gordon Brown obviously when he announced changes to the system of child care vouchers. But he now might think again (and again).

The launch was attended by the MPs of all three major parties - Caroline Flint, Maria Miller and Annette Brooks - as well as Sarah Jackson, CEO of Working Families and the following discussion focused on affordability and accessibility of childcare as well as more flexible working to make it easier for struggling working parents. In fact, we all know what the obstacles for working parents are and what can be done about this. But nothing had prepared me for what was coming next. When I switched my mobile phone back on, I had a message from our nanny (who wasn’t technically working for us on that day) that our son’s nursery school had called her as they couldn’t reach me, she had to come in and change him as he had soiled himself - which I believe is normal to happen at the age of 3 - even when the child in question has been toilet-trained. As she was in the area, she went to the nursery school and changed my son, but she couldn’t understand why the staff weren’t able to do it. Neither could I.

The next morning I spoke to the staff and they told me they are not allowed to wipe my son’s bottom because of ‘safeguarding children’ guidelines. One told me it is a national guideline, another told me it is a guideline that is in place just at this school. I asked her, “are you expecting me to leave work and come in to clean my son and then go back to work?” The answer was of course not a yes or a no, but “these are the rules.” I was angry but also felt sorry for the staff. Surely, if you want to work in the Early Years sector it is because you like children and are interested in their development. And then you are told you are not allowed to touch them, hug them, let them sit on your lap at story time? Whatever happened to trust? And all of these restrictions are in the name of ‘safeguarding children’! Or is there someone out there on a crusade to destroy trust between children and adults?

A telephone conversation and a meeting with the nursery’s head followed. And I didn’t like what I heard. A member of staff is not allowed to help a child on the toilet (they can encourage by talking, but not by lifting the child on the seat or any other measure that includes touching), they cannot touch a child’s bottom and they indeed have the policy that they call the parents and ask them to come in to clean the child.
If a parent can’t come in (or simply refuses which I did when it happened again two days later) two members of staff have to be present to clean the child and this apparently takes up too much staff-time. Yes, I was informed that children have to be toilet trained when they start at the nursery school but not in my wildest dreams I would have thought that this means I have to come in and clean him if there is an ‘accident’ (as they call it).

The head teacher said they receive their advice on staff-children relationships including issues around ‘touching’ from Cambridge Education, so I next turned to them with my queries). Islington Council has outsourced the running of the schools to Cambridge Education a “company which has provided expert educational advice and support services in the UK, USA and around the world for more than 20 years,” according to their website. The problem is there is nobody to talk to. There is not a single telephone number on the website and having used the contact form I have yet to receive a reply. At last, I managed to get hold of one number through the council but that person never called me back although I left numerous messages. At the very last, I spoke to someone else at Cambridge Education, told her that I would like more information on staff-children relationships in my son’s nursery school, and she directed me to the Early Years Inclusion Manager as the “right person to talk to” – and this was someone at the council! Back to square one. Although the head teacher has told me she is advised by Cambridge Education they do not seem to be aware of this. Kafka says hello. More than two weeks later I still haven’t spoken to someone who seems to be even remotely responsible for these rules – or should I say nonsense? It seems the only solution is that my son cleans up his act.