The advancement of the "24-hour society" means that more people are now working outside a traditional nine-to-five day. Increasingly, employers rely on round-the-clock availability of their workers, often at short notice or on unpredictable shift patterns. As a consequence, many parents have jobs that require flexible working hours. Finding childcare that is both affordable and available for the hours needed is often difficult. This timely report considers how childcare services are meeting the needs of parents working atypical hours. Using information from a survey of Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships in England, a survey of childcare providers from two local authorities and a number of case studies, the report looks at what helps and what hinders the development of such services. Published in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the book will be invaluable to policy makers, employers, academics and organizations with an interest in developing childcare se