Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers, Grass Roots Group and Sodexo Pass will consult with employers and childcare representative bodies such as the Daycare Trust to gather opinions on how best to administer childcare vouchers, come up with more effective payment methods and how to protect parents' payments.
Resulting from this the companies propose a Code of Practice that will clearly set out a standard of service for employers and parents. It will operate on a voluntary basis but is intended to be a ‘quality mark' for the industry.
Paul Bartlett, head of benefits and reward at Grass Roots Group, said: "We are proud of the success of childcare vouchers so far but we must not be complacent. As an industry we must listen and respond to all our customers' feedback and to that of childcare providers to ensure the system is effectively meeting their needs."
And Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, added: "We believe a set of industry standards will be a welcome step forward in ensuring the system works effectively for all involved and look forward to learning more about this as part of the consultation process."
Childcare vouchers are offered by more than 95% of employers with an employee benefits scheme, delivering £500 million of secure childcare payments to registered and approved providers every year.
Campaign launched to set industry standards for the provision of childcare vouchers
Childcare voucher providers have joined forces to campaign for minimum standards in childcare.
