Public Servant Lifestyle

Tayside Police Chief Constable John Vine QPM is saluting a new initiative aimed at assisting the force's staff with their childcare costs.

The Childcare Voucher Scheme could mean a saving of up to 10% on annual childcare bills because of exemptions from National Insurance payments. It applies to any form of legal childcare, including childminders, nurseries, nannies, out of school clubs for over fives and family relatives.

Tayside is the first force in Scotland to offer their staff such a service.

?As a husband and father, I fully appreciate the importance, and indeed the difficulty, in establishing the equilibrium between work and family life," says Mr Vine. "Inevitably there are financial implications in striking a sustainable and satisfactory balance between the two."

Mr Vine says that the force research leading to the introduction of the initiative revealed that "...the voucher scheme was an excellent way of making childcare more cost effective for staff, without taking any of the choices concerning their children?s welfare away from them. The vouchers are available to all staff with childcare costs and will save parents money and allow them to choose their own child care provider."

The scheme is designed to be flexible, easy to understand and cost effective for parents and the vouchers represent freedom of choice as the parent still has the right to their preferred choice of childcare.

?The scheme is cost effective for parents and cost effective for Tayside Police," adds Mr Vine. "Any savings that are made by the Force as a result of this initiative - once administration costs have been met - will go towards providing further benefits in terms of striking a work life balance."

Participating staff will also have free use of a telephone research service which helps to find the best childcare option locally. The service also offers support and information on a wide range of parenting and childcare issues.

And in what is understood to be a first for a police force in the UK, Tayside are linking up with the Dundee Sitter Service to provide child care facilities use by staff resident in Dundee in the event of an emergency. The service is jointly funded by Dundee City Council Social Work Department, Dundee Childcare Partnership and the New Opportunities Fund, and provides registered childcare in the family home.

It does not provide daily childcare on a permanent basis but is primarily for families with changing and unpredictable care r

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