Child care responsibilities and participation in continuing education and training: issues relating to motivation, funding and domestic roles

Changes in the organization and funding of health services and in the educa tion and training of NHS staff have placed increased influence in the hands of employers and individual students as users of continuing professional d evelopment. Against this policy context an interview study was carried out with students participating in a range of continuing professional developme nt activities. The sample included 89 participants attending a range of cou rses. Approximately half of the sample had children. Many of the participan ts were attending courses in their own rather than in their employers' time and several were self-funding. The influence of domestic responsibilities on motivations, along with the impact of course participation on home and f amily life, were examined, Results revealed that those with children were l ess likely to perceive continuing education in a positive light compared to those without. The impact of course participation on home and family life was invariably negative and for some the consequences were serious. The pol icy implications of findings are discussed.