Who can apply?
The Childminding Workforce Support Fund is open to all childminders in Scotland, who meet the eligibility criteria detailed below:
- Applicants must be registered childminders in Scotland who are currently open, or who are temporarily closed but planning to re-open
- Applications will be considered from childminders who have been ineligible for other funding
- Applications will be considered from childminders who have received some financial support, but this was less than anticipated
- Applications will be considered from childminders experiencing hardship while working to re-establish their business operations
Priority will be given to applicants who can demonstrate that they are ineligible, or have reduced eligibility, for other external sources of financial support.
How to apply
The Childminding Workforce Support Fund has now closed for applications. All applicants should have now received an email from us, regarding the outcome of their application. If you haven’t received this, please email information@childminding.org.
Please note: There are only a limited number of grants available, so applications meeting the criteria for eligibility will be allocated by order of date received. Only one application per childminding setting may be submitted.
Q&As
Q: I applied to the Childminding Workforce Support Fund previously (in July) but did not receive a grant, can I try again?
A: If you applied previously for the funding, but were unsuccessful at that point, you do not need to apply again as your application is still in the system as ‘pending’, and you will have received an email from SCMA to confirm this.
Q: I received a grant award from the first round of the Childminding Workforce Support Fund, but I am still experiencing financial difficulty - can I apply again for another grant?
A: Only one grant is available per setting to enable as many childminders as possible to benefit. If you require additional financial support, there may be other options still available to you. Please click here for the latest information.
Q: Why has SCMA been given £60,000 by Scottish Government to administer the fund?
A: The additional £60,000 provided by Scottish Government for the administration of the fund means that all of the £330,000 award for the Childminding Workforce Support Fund will go directly to childminders, rather than a portion of it needing to be absorbed by administration and staffing costs.
Although SCMA undertook the administration of the first phase of the Childminding Workforce Support Fund, we have a fairly small team and are unable to manage the scaling up of the fund within existing staff capacity. SCMA will continue to oversee and manage the process, but with the significant upscaling of the fund it will be necessary to bring in additional, external administrative and assessing support.
We have been exploring ways to do this as cost effectively as possible and it is very unlikely that the full £60,000 will be required. Scottish Government has agreed with the SCMA request that any unused funds will be added to the Childminding Workforce Support Fund, thus enabling more grants to be awarded.
The Childminding Workforce Support Fund has now closed for applications (from 5pm, Monday 19 October), and all applicants should have now received an email from us, regarding the outcome of their application. If you haven’t received this, please email information@childminding.org.