Parents and carers have the right to choose the type of childcare that best suits their needs based on a provider neutral model. This means that one provider type should not be promoted over another.
If childminding is not given as an option by your local authority, we would suggest the parent/carer raises this with the local council and MSP. To assist with this, SCMA has developed a
template letter and a list of MSPs can be found
here.
The COVID-19 crisis may have had a significant effect on the mental health and wellbeing of children of all ages. Childminders continue to provide vital support to children and families – and can play a key role in offering positive support, engagement and activities to help children and young people feel safe, secure and as stable as possible during these unsettling times.
We’ve collated weblinks to some useful resources and tools you can access to benefit children’s mental health and wellbeing within your childminding setting:
CAMHS Resources is a great place to start when you’re thinking about mental health and wellbeing – for both you minded children and yourself. CAMHS is able to signpost you to a range of resources designed to help you and young people cope with such stress and uncertainty at this time.
The
Natural Health Award was launched a few years ago for childminders in the Forth Valley area to encourage and recognise the health benefits of getting outside into nature at an early age, and the importance of being active and leading healthier lives.
A new COVID-19 version of the Natural Health Award has been developed by NHS Forth Valley for all childminders and families across Scotland to use and focuses on good health and mental wellbeing in the great outdoors where at all possible.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Woodland Trust has been sharing ideas to help families keep children engaged and entertained while at home, including 'Nature Detectives' which has activities for nature-loving kids.
It's a fantastic way to discover the wildlife that's right on your doorstep too and includes a range of simple, nature-based activities that you can enjoy together at home, in your garden, or in your local wood.
Read more about Nature Detectives from the Woodland Trust
The
Virtual Nature School is a service offered by the non-profit organisation called ‘Living Classrooms’ and they became virtual as a direct response to the needs of families when schools and nurseries were closed due to COVID-19.
The aim of the Virtual Nature School is to equip early years practitioners with skills to work outdoors with young children through nature-based, inquiry-led learning – whilst providing children with fun, engaging daily activities and interaction with their peers from home.
The
Parent Club website is a really useful resource from the Scottish Government and is also worth sharing with the parents and carers that use your childminding service. During COVID-19 they have developed a range of resources and tools to support children and you people’s mental health.
Parent Club has also developed a new content hub on their website (
parentclub.scot/startback) which includes information about the new guidelines, a wide range of Q&As and how to support children.
Children in Scotland has produced a new resource for teachers and practitioners to support children and young people’s understanding of their wellbeing. Their free resource ‘Improving Children and Young People’s Understanding of their Wellbeing’ aims to provide a hub for information on wellbeing, promote easy and open access to practical tools and information and complement other, existing resources and approaches.
Salvesen Mindroom Centre has developed a ‘Back to School’ toolkit to support children and young people with learning difficulties as they transition to school.
Lucy's Blue Day is a resource that was highlighted to us by some of our members, which is a story about Lucy with magical hair that changes colour with her emotions. At
lucysblueday.com you can access a range of videos, free resource and tips - plus a free e-book version of 'Lucy's Blue Day', which is designed to help children realise they’re not alone in the current conditions with COVID-19.
The
Mental Health Foundation has a quick guide that aims to outline the scale of the challenge that pupils and schools are facing, whilst providing practical advice and support for parents, teachers and other practitioners supporting pupils as they prepare to return to school in August. The website also contains other useful publications such as
Tips for Parents and Caregivers.
Childminders will already be familiar with the on-going self-evaluation procedure with the Care Inspectorate; already having systems and paperwork in place as part of previous self-assessments and updating these regularly. This new question ‘Key Question 5’ is purely an extra element that is specific to COVID-19.
This additional question is asking you to evaluate how you have been supporting children and families during COVID-19, by gathering information and evidence to support how you have implemented the national guidance for COVID-19, whilst ensuring positive outcomes for children and keeping them safe during this time.
The Care Inspectorate has developed a step-by-step guide to help you with this, and it is very easy to follow, where you will be able to identify and recognise your strengths and possible areas for improvement. The guide also provides a selection of ‘very good’ and ‘weak’ examples to help you when you are reflecting on your own setting and practice.
Read the Care Inspectorate’s guide to self-evaluation during COVID-19
We would encourage childminders to read the above guide carefully, and then complete the Care Inspectorate’s Key Question 5 Self-Evaluation Tool as soon as possible. This will form part of your on-going and continual self-evaluation.
Download the Key Question 5 Self-Evaluation Tool from the Care Inspectorate
Completed self-evaluations that are requested by the Care Inspectorate will be used to assess how well the setting is managing the COVID-19 situation. Consideration will be made as to whether further scrutiny is required and support on-going improvement.
Need more support?
The Care Inspectorate has a series of online bitesize resources on the
Hub, which will support services to complete their Key Question 5 self-evaluation.
The sessions share some pointers and reminders which will help raise knowledge on the information and detail required to ensure settings facilitate self-evaluation.
Read more and access the bitesize resources
Do I need to complete the new Key Question 5 if my setting is closed?
If your setting is closed, you don’t need to conduct self-evaluation. However, if and when you re-open your service, you will need to ensure you are assessing your setting on an on-going basis.
More information is available from the Care Inspectorate, and if you have any specific queries about this, please email
information@childminding.org.
SCMA members may be aware that the union, UNITE, has established a childminding branch in Scotland. For clarity, the UNITE branch is not connected with SCMA – both are separate, independent organisations.
Individuals can choose to join as many membership organisations as they wish and are eligible to, and where they believe there is value in doing so. Membership of SCMA or UNITE does not affect membership of the other in any way, nor does SCMA need to know if our members are also members of any other organisation.
SCMA works constructively with a wide range of stakeholders. We received contact from UNITE and offered to meet with them; however, the organisation decided it would prefer not to meet at this time. Our offer to meet to discuss childminding remains open.
SCMA is the only national organisation in Scotland dedicated to, and specialising in, providing childminding-specific support to childminders in all areas of childminding practice and representing the views and experiences of childminders. We will continue to do so.
The Scottish Funding Council, who provide guidance for Childcare Payments for colleges, has stated that payments to childcare providers should continue as usual, providing the childcare provider is open and available, and the student is attending and participating with their college programme.
If you are having issues with a college regarding Childcare Payments, we would encourage you to get in touch with them, to clarify the position for childminders and highlight the information from the Scottish Funding Council, which states that payments should be made. You can access the relevant information from the Scottish Funding Council
here.
To help you with this, SCMA has produced an email template, which you can use to contact the college and support your claim.
Download the email template here
No – childminding settings are not required to have a CO2 monitor. Detail and guidance on ventilation has been provided by the Scottish Government for school and larger group settings, but this will not apply to most childminders.
The list of mitigations, provided with the Care Inspectorate Provider Update email, states that where settings have CO2 monitors, they should use them to assess their setting. However, there is no requirement for childminders to have CO2 monitors in their setting.
Using outdoor spaces, opening windows whilst you are indoors and keeping as much fresh air moving through your setting is ideal to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 indoors. This is something that we have all become familiar with, and this will be continuing to be encouraged for all settings.