Belconnen Community Service and the YWCA of Canberra are strongly committed to the employer based Family Day Care model in the ACT and ensuring that choice continues within the Family Day Care sector.

We believe there is a place in the Family Day Care sector for schemes that provide workers with work security, provision of employee entitlements and the security that comes with employee connection to an organisation. BCS and the YWCA of Canberra are two of only four organisations within the ACT and two out of six nationally who directly employ Family Day Care Educators.

The changing nature of family needs and a reduction in the number of carers available to provide this form of childcare has seen a decline in the use of family day care nationally and locally. This, with increased complexity in the regulatory and industrial landscape has led BCS and YWCA to conclude that in the longer term there is not enough scope in the ACT to sustain the current number of multiple providers. As such, Belconnen Community Service has made the decision to transfer its Family Day Care service to the YWCA. We believe that the Family Day Care scheme is best placed with the YWCA as a territory wide service provider. This transfer will support the growth and sustainability of the scheme in the ACT and continue to provide quality options for families seeking this care option.

It is both organisations belief that the transfer of the BCS Family Day Care scheme to the YWCA will enhance the viability of employer based models in the ACT.

BCS and the YWCA of Canberra fully support this initiative and clearly see this as having very positive outcomes for Child Care in the ACT and particularly Family Day Care schemes. We are excited about the future for employer based Family Day in Canberra and look forward to continuing to work in close collaboration.

Dira Horne	Rebecca Vassarotti
CEO	Executive Director
Belconnen Community Service	YWCA