I wish to object to this Bill. I have brought up ten children of my own and fostered many others over the past 30 years. I do not believe that it is essential to put any child into daycare. I believe it is the parents right and duty to train and educate the child at home. Indeed it is preferable for the child to be within the security of his/her parents for as long as possible.

My concern is that at any time someone may fall on hard times and will have to avail themselves of a benefit. They should not be doubly troubled  by having their child/ren forcibly removed from them and put into an institution if this is not their choice. The stress involved in separating a child from it’s parents is immense and the emotional trauma from having a parent enduring their own anguish from being jobless, having to be on a benefit, and then being torn from each other is even more emotionally damaging to a child. This will lead to ongoing problems in our society with more and more people developing PTSD etc from being subjected to unnecessary upheaval.

I also can see that even now there are not jobs available for people. In our own region there are imported laborers taking jobs from locals. So how can someone guarantee that they will be working for at least 15 hours a week if there is no work available.

A child’s right is to be with their parents. To be loved and nurtured and protected. A government organization or institution will never do this job as well as a good parent.