Catalonia will finance “for the first time” public babysitters for children up to 14 years

The Ministry of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat has announced that it will finance “for the first time” public babysitting services for children and adolescents up to 14 years of age.

In a statement this Thursday, the department explained that it will transfer 20 million euros to town halls and county councils to offer local childcare services outside of school time.

Councilor Tània Verge has asked that Catalonia “recognize the responsibility of governments, local communities and all people towards care, democratize them and make childcare policies sustainable”.

Generate time for women

The Government seeks to become jointly responsible for care because it wants to “generate time for the people they care for, who are especially women”, which will enhance their participation in the labor market and leisure spaces.

One-parent families, mothers and guardians who are victims of sexist violence, women in long-term unemployment or over 52 years of age, migrant women, families with other accredited care responsibilities and families with low income level “, although universal access to services will be promoted.

Verge has celebrated that “quality occupation is created for people who were already engaged in caregiving, who are above all women, or want to dedicate themselves to it,” he reasoned. The professional experience of people who are dedicated to childcare will be recognized and accredited, and local and proximity exchanges will be created.

The transfer will be financed through a plan of the Ministry of Equality

“We want care work to come out of informality and precariousness”, has wished the general director of Care, Time Organization and Equity, Núria Vergés.

The secretary of Feminisms, Montserrat Pineda, has defended that the services are offered by town councils and county councils: “It has been decided to promote local policies because they are those that are close to the citizens. We want to create a network of municipal and proximity care” .

The transfer, financed through a plan of the Ministry of Equality, will be made to municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants and to county councils, distributing it according to the population aged 0 to 14 in each territory and the average number of single-parent families in Catalonia, assessing other particularities such as geographic dispersion or rurality.