Civil service employees with children could have greater access to childcare in school holidays.
Bupa Childcare has been awarded a contract to supply holiday clubs to 36 government departments, including Treasury, the Cabinet, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Metropolitan Police.
Initially running for three years, the contract will provide 96 places at four sites throughout the school holidays, equating to 5,184 childcare places per year for children aged between five and 12 years.
The holiday clubs will be based on-site at the Treasury, the Cabinet, DfES and the Department for International Development.
All Bupa’s playworkers will receive training specifically for the role and at least half of all the holiday club workers will have professional childcare qualifications.
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Toni Rose, senior development manager at Bupa Childcare, said: “Our childcare services allow employees to concentrate on their work, without the distraction of childcare worries.
“Our research shows that it also improves overall staff morale, efficiency, absenteeism and commitment which, in turn, reduces the costs of recruiting and training replacement staff.”
