Amendment to Child Care Benefit Act Fathers participation in child care to be increased 44 The State Secretary for Families does not share the AOB’s misgivings and refers to Supreme Court case law. According to it, the claim to child care for the older child ends in any case – including if it is being collected by the father – no later than with the birth of another child. With the most recent amendment to the Child Care Benefit Act, it was clarified that for the time period prior to the birth of another child the father’s child care benefits are not suspended while the mother is receiving the maternity benefit (if it is the mother who is receiving the child care benefit, it is suspended while the mother is receiving the maternity benefit). For the period after the birth, child care benefits equal to the amount of the maternity benefit are suspended. Therefore, the AOB continues to uphold its misgivings. By creating the child care benefit, the legislator intended to generate a positive impulse toward a partnership-like participation by the father in the care of the infant. The office of the State Secretary for Families confirmed, however, that the percentage of male recipients of child care benefits still remains very small. For example, in December 2009, 95.3 percent of the 155.605 recipients of child care benefits were women. Only 7,323 fathers, a 4.7 percent share, stayed home with their children. Based on these statistics it is the AOB’s opinion that every effort should be undertaken to increase the percentage of fathers participating in child care. The remedy of the problem described here – in addition to the introduction of income-based child care benefits – would represent an additional step in this direction.