Q: Do the restrictions on blended care placements just relate to movement between more than one setting on the same day, or does it include childcare delivered by more than one setting over the course of the week?
The current guidance states that
blended placements may be permitted where this is the only option to support critical childcare arrangements, for example, for keyworker families. In such cases, this would be a matter for childminder discretion, following a risk assessment and consultation with the families and the other setting concerned.
However, in all other circumstances, blended care placements are to be avoided – whether this is provided by more than one provider in the same day, or over the course of the week. This is based on the current public health advice developed to support the re-opening of settings during Phases 1-3. This could change as we make more progress in suppressing the virus and as more public health advice is developed on the safe wider mixing of households.
Following contact with SCMA the Scottish Government has confirmed that they will seek further public health advice on blended placements (including at different times of the week) in advance of updating the childminding guidance in Phase 3.
We will keep members informed of any development and you may also find it helpful to refer to this
video update from Graeme McAlister.
Q: I am currently closed, when can I re-open?
All childminding settings can re-open from Wednesday 3 June, if they wish to do so. There is no requirement for you to reopen if you wish to remain temporarily closed at this stage.
The Scottish Government has published guidance to support the re-opening of childminding settings. The
Childminder Services Guidance, published by the Scottish Government and created in partnership with the Care Inspectorate, Health Protection Scotland and SCMA, continues to advise childminders to prioritise spaces for critical childcare. Beyond that, childminders can use their discretion to allocate available spaces to other families.
There will continue to be restrictions on numbers during the early phases of recovery. The guidance states that childminders who wish to reopen during phase one should limit the number of households for whom they provide childcare to a maximum of four, in addition to their own, at any one time. This is an increase from the restriction of two households during the lockdown phase.
Q. Do I need to inform the Care Inspectorate I have re-opened?
Yes. Prior to reopening, you must contact the Care Inspectorate to advise of your updated operational status.
To do this, you must complete a 'Changes to Service Delivery due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)' notification online. This is a new notification that services must use to inform the Care Inspectorate about changes to how they operate that are specifically related to COVID-19. This is only available through
eForms. If you do not update your status, the Care Inspectorate will still consider your service as closed.
Q: When we re-open, will there be restrictions on capacity?
There are some restrictions on numbers during the early phases of recovery. The new guidance states that childminders who wish to reopen during phase one should limit the number of households for whom they provide childcare to a maximum of four, (excluding your own) at any one time and within the existing limits of registration.
However, to be absolutely clear, you can support more than four families throughout the course of the week but the children you look after within your home at any one time must be from a maximum of four households (excluding your own).
For many childminders, and given where we all are, we hope this is encouraging news, as it may not be far off your normal registered capacity. However, it is important to remember that you should never exceed the numbers for which you are registered.
For further information on capacity, please visit out
YouTube channel where Graeme McAlister provides a quick update on this.
The restrictions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. It is expected that restrictions on capacity within childminding settings will be lifted no later than alongside the wider reopening of early learning and childcare (ELC) provision in Phase 3, depending on the public health advice.
Q. When we re-open, what new guidance will I need to follow to ensure I am operating my childminding practice safely?
The Scottish Government has published
new guidance which helps to clarify the procedures that should be followed for re-opening, as well as any restrictions on numbers etc.
The Childminder Services Guidance includes information on:
• enhanced hand hygiene and cleaning practices
• caring for children in small groups
• minimising contact between those groups, where possible
• maximising use of outdoor spaces, where possible
• physical distancing between adults in the setting, including parents at drop-off and pick-up times.
There is no requirement for you to re-open in phase one if you are temporarily closed. It is important that you take time to implement measures to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the setting, and to prepare to welcome back children and families.
It should also be noted that all childminders must undertake a risk assessment based on the new guidance before opening. Please access the guidance and read it carefully in full. It is not a long document.
Q. Is there any help available for childminders carrying out risk assessments relating to COVID-19?
In response to your feedback and enquiries regarding this, SCMA has developed a COVID-19 Risk Assessment Blank Template, which you can use, refer to and adapt to suit your unique childminding setting.
In addition, we have developed support tools to ensure childminders feel confident when completing risk assessments during COVID-19, with general guidance and support for writing risk assessments.
We have emailed all SCMA members with links to these support tools, and they can also be access from the 'Resources, Guidance and Documents' section of the Membership Dashboard.
Login to the Membership Dashboard
Q. How can I follow social distance from my mindees while ensuring the children feeling safe and secure in my childminding setting?
The overall number of children and families you can care for has been limited during phase one, precisely because physical distancing is not desirable or practical for children in childminding settings. It is important for children to feel secure and receive warmth and physical contact that is appropriate to their needs, in particular when they are receiving personal care.
Childminders will need to be close to the children, particularly young children and should feel confident to do so. The new
Childminder Services Guidance states that physical distancing will not be expected between children, but that measures must be put into place to limit additional parents or carers entering your childminding setting - and to maintain physical distancing when adults may interact, for example at pick up and drop off times, or if the childminder employs an assistant that is not a member of their household.
Q. Some parents have approached me to provide childcare but they are not key workers - can I look after their children?
The new
Childminding Services Guidance continues to advise childminders to prioritise spaces for critical childcare (key workers and vulnerable children). Beyond that, childminders can use their discretion to allocate places to families.
Watch our video message which explains this in more detail.
Where possible, critical provision should be delivered as part of a coordinated local authority-led emergency response. If you are supporting key workers through private arrangements it would be helpful to keep local authorities informed of this so they are aware of what support is being provided for key workers in their
area.
Q. Should grandparents be involved in providing childcare for their grandchildren?
No - grandparents are not currently permitted to provide childcare for their grandchildren as families should not be mixing indoors - meetings are only allowed outside and within social distancing guidelines.
Over the next three phases of the Scottish Government’s route map, there will slowly be more freedoms for people to go inside other people’s homes again. It is expected that phase three will allow people from more than one household to meet indoors with physical distancing and hygiene measures; however, this will continue to be under review.
Q. I have been providing critical childcare for key workers, but they are not my regular clients. What happens when my regular families want to return?
The new Childminding Services Guidance continues to advise childminders to prioritise spaces for critical childcare (key workers and vulnerable children). Where possible, critical provision should be delivered as part of a coordinated local authority-led emergency response. Each childminder can use their discretion to allocate any remaining spaces to other families.
If you are already open and are currently supporting key workers or vulnerable children you should continue to prioritise the provision of these spaces and then use any spare capacity for other families.
As you bring families back on, this could involve looking next at any other key worker families within your regular families who you weren’t able to support during lockdown due to the more limited capacity or the prioritisation within key worker categories at that time, or who didn’t require your service. However, if there are no other key workers or vulnerable children within the families who would normally use your setting, then you could bring any families back in within capacity restrictions.
Where possible, critical provision should be delivered as part of a coordinated local authority-led emergency response.
If you have regular families that also want to return to your setting, please ensure that you are operating within the new guidelines which state that you can support more than four families throughout the course of the week but the children you look after within your home at any one time must come from a maximum of four households (excluding your own).
Q. Can a child from a key worker family return to their original childminder who is now re-opening?
This would need to be negotiated between the parent, the two childminders and the local authority (where applicable). If the key worker parent’s critical childcare is being funded by their local authority, then the local authority would need to agree that this arrangement could be transferred to the original childminder.
If this was not agreed by the local authority the responsibility for paying their original childminder would then potentially fall back to the parent to pay. Consideration would also need to be given to the current childminder providing the critical childcare to ensure they are not financially disadvantaged.
It is important that the child’s needs are central to any decisions being made. These should be explored to ensure a smooth transition if they return to their original childminder.
Q: Do all childminding settings have to re-open during phase one?
No, childminding settings are not required to re-open. The decision to re-open is a personal one, entirely voluntary and you must do what is right for your health and wellbeing and that of your family (particularly if you are shielding and/or you or a family member has a pre-existing condition).
We recognise there may be financial pressures associated with remaining closed and we are in on-going discussion with the Scottish Government regarding this. Alongside the publication of the
Childminder Services Guidance, the Scottish Government has advised that the UK Government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is open to any childminder who is eligible and whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 (e.g. while working reduced hours or not working) and who meets the eligibility criteria.
We are also involved in on-going wider discussions across the sector looking at the financial sustainability of all types of provider settings and what support may be required in the future.
For those who choose to re-open there is also no expectation that your setting must re-open immediately as of 3 June, this is just the starting date from when childminding settings which were previously closed are allowed to re-open. It is important to take the time you need to read and digest the new guidance to implement measures to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the setting, and to prepare to welcome back children and families.
Q. Can I use my car and/or public transport as part of my childminding service?
Scottish Government guidance states that childminders must ensure they follow the
latest travel guidance and should stay at home wherever possible and use local areas for exercise.
Where it is necessary to use public transport e.g. to attend a planned health appointment, care must be taken to minimise risk, by travelling out with peak travel times, and ensuring hand washing immediately on arrival at the destination.
Where childminders offer a pick-up service from a child’s home in their own car, childminders should operate physical distancing from any adults, use alcohol hand gel, and wash their hands thoroughly when they return home.
Q. I am choosing to remain closed during phase one - can I still charge fees to parents?
SCMA is a professional membership organisation and we have around 3800 childminder members in Scotland. We are not a governing body in the sense that we cannot mandate or enforce practice. Instead, we operate within official guidance for childcare and provide a range of support, advice and information to support childminders in their practice and business activities.
The subject of fees and what to charge parents during these exceptional times is an area on which we have received an increasing number of requests to provide advice to members recently. In parallel, we have also received some requests from parents regarding this. In aiming to do this, we fully recognise the individual nature of members’ businesses and that the final decision regarding what to charge is a personal decision. As such, our advice is only suggestive.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive of SCMA provided a full statement on the subject of childminder fees and charging parents on 30 March 2020. The full statement is available on our website
here
Q. What financial assistance is available to me if I don’t want to reopen my childminding setting just now?
We are very aware of financial concerns.
The Scottish Government has advised that the UK Government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is open to any childminder who is eligible and whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 (e.g. while working reduced hours or not working) and who meets the eligibility criteria.
Further information is available here
Q. Does my SCMA PLI Insurance provide indemnity if a child in my setting contracts Coronavirus?
SCMA’s insurers are clear that you are covered, so long as you implement the appropriate steps and actions that are set out in
government guidance and
Health Protection Scotland guidance. This guidance is evolving all the time so you should regularly review this and ensure your systems and procedures are up to date.
As always, we would advise you to keep written records of the steps you have taken in your setting to ensure so far as is practicable, that children and any staff you have remain safe in your care. This would include adequate risk assessments and other appropriate measures put in place to avoid the spread of any infections, including COVID-19.
SCMA has also produced an information sheet for parents that outlines key infection control measures that childminders will be using within their settings. The aim of this is to reassure parents and set out requirements for childminders to ensure settings meet public health and social distancing guidance during COVID-19. Please use the links below to access:
We are also regularly monitoring the guidance and advice being issued in Scotland to ensure members are up to date with any changes.
In the event that a child or member of staff contract COVID-19 whilst at your setting, it will be important to have this documentation to evidence the steps you have taken to ensure safety and compliance with guidelines. This would be key to successfully defending any possible claim.
If you are not insured with SCMA, you need to check any requirements with your chosen insurance provider.
Q: I usually provide childcare for the children of a parent who attends college. Will I still be paid by the college?
It has been agreed with the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Government that:
• where childcare providers are still open and the student’s child/ren are continuing to attend (they may meet the Government’s criteria for being able to continue to do so), then, yes, colleges should continue to pay these childcare costs
• where childcare providers are closed, or not available to the student’s child/ren any more (if they do not meet the Government’s criteria for being able to continue to do so), but the student has provided evidence to the college that the providers are requesting that all or some of the fees are still due as part of their standard COVID-19 fees policy then, yes, colleges should continue to pay these childcare costs.
SCMA has produced a
template that childminders can use to get in touch with the college. To access this and further information, please
click here.
PLEASE NOTE: we have received some reports indicating that there is a lack of clarity with some colleges, regarding cases where notice may already have been served. We have shared this information with the Scottish Funding Council and will update members as soon as we can.
We are also working to clarify the position with university students
Q: Do I or the children need to wear any PPE?
No, the current guidance is that childminders do not need any additional PPE for caring for children and they should continue to use their routine PPE – such as gloves for nappy changing or toileting children.
Please refer to the following Health Protection Guidance:
•
COVID-19: guidance for non-healthcare settings
Q: I’m finding it hard to source the routine PPE items I would normally use in my setting – where can I get these?
Current guidance states that childminders do not need any additional PPE for caring for children and they should continue to use their routine PPE – such as gloves for nappy changing or toileting children.
However, many childminders are experiencing difficulty in sourcing these items due to demand across the country.
To offer a route to buying PPE for private, voluntary and independent early learning and childcare services, including childminders and out-of-school care, the Scottish Government has set up a framework agreement with third-party supplier Lyreco.
Lyreco offers a range of products to purchase, including face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, hand sanitiser, goggles and safety glasses. All products are subject to availability and prices are updated regularly on the Lyreco website.
If you wish to open an account with Lyreco, please first read the privacy notice, then complete the form, which must include your Care Inspectorate CS number and email it to
PPEDirectorate@gov.scot.
Once your CS number is confirmed as being a registered care service your account will be set up. This may take a few days depending on the volume of forms returned. Lyreco will then give you access to their online ordering site, where you will be able to see the full range of products available and current prices.
Opening an account does not place you under any obligation to place an order.
Q. Do children need to bring their own plates, cutlery and cups?
Childminders should ensure that each child has their own identified water bottles and cutlery and any other objects which may be put in the mouth. Care must be taken to ensure they are not shared.
Q: My setting is open but I / a member of my family has developed mild symptoms of coronavirus – what do I need to do and can I get a test?
If you or a member of your household becomes has symptoms of Covid-19, you must cease to operate the service and follow the Health Protection Scotland
guidance for households with possible COVID-19 infection.
You should also contact the NHS to arrange to be tested at 0800 028 2816 or
www.nhsinform.scot. You can find more information on the
COVID-19 Test and Protect webpage.
Childminders must also notify the Care Inspectorate in the event of any confirmed or suspected outbreak of COVID-19, notifications are available through
eForms. The childminding service can only resume once the period of isolation is over.
Q: What is meant by the term ‘key worker’?
Key workers are those in posts which ensure that essential services can be delivered and cover tasks within the local community which support the vulnerable and aid community resilience.
This may be slightly different in each community to allow the country to address local priorities. Whilst decisions will be taken at the local level, we would expect this to include consideration of:
· Category 1 – Health and Care workers directly supporting COVID response, and associated staff; Health and Care workers supporting life threatening emergency work, as well as critical primary and community care provision; Energy suppliers.
· Category 2 – All other Health and Care workers, and wider public sector workers providing emergency/critical welfare services (e.g. Fire, Police, Prisons, Social Workers, etc.) without whom serious damage to the welfare of the people of Scotland could be caused.
· Category 3 – All workers without whom there could be a significant impact on Scotland (but where the response to Covid-19, or the ability to perform essential tasks to keep the country running, would not be severely compromised).
Q: How do I sign up to provide emergency childcare to key workers?
Where possible, critical provision should be delivered as part of a coordinated local authority-led emergency response. The latest guidance on
critical childcare provision for keyworkers is available here.
Please contact the
Early Years Team at your local authority to find out about the arrangements they are putting in place.
Q. Can I deliver funded hours as a result of childminding re-opening during Phase 1?
Local authorities have been asked to prioritise the provision of critical childcare for key workers’ children and vulnerable children, and funded entitlement places are generally not available more widely at the moment.
Childminders and fully outdoor settings who are in partnership with their local authority to provide funded ELC places to eligible children will still be receiving funding for this, and should contact their local authority to discuss local arrangements for Phase 1 if they choose to reopen.
Q: How do I get paid for emergency childcare for key workers?
Please contact the
Early Years Team at your local authority for guidance on this.
Q: I currently mind children of key workers. If they need additional childcare hours, will this continue to be a private arrangement, or will there be funding to support this?
Please contact the Early Years Team at your local authority for guidance on this.
Q. I employ assistants - how do I get financial support for my employees when the setting is closed?
Where it is possible to furlough rather than make an employee redundant, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced on 20 March 2020 that the Government is to pay 80% of wages for employees unable to work due the coronavirus pandemic, up to £2,500 a month.
The Coronavirus Retention Scheme will be relevant to any childcare provider employing staff who has had to close their setting or is at risk of making their staff redundant due to the Coronavirus. Any employer in the country – small or large, charitable or non-profit – will be eligible for the scheme.
Q: If I need to exclude a child or close my childminding setting entirely, would I be covered if a parent seeks compensation for having to seek alternative childcare, or for their own loss of earnings?
Your PLI policy would not cover you for compensation. We know that childminders are dedicated to working closely with families to provide flexible, childcare. Recognising the unique nature of this particular situation, SCMA would recommend that childminders and parents should be supportive by exploring if compromise arrangements can be reached which does not adversely affect the childminder or parents.
Q. Will the expansion of funded ELC be going ahead in August 2020?
The Scottish Government has confirmed that it has temporarily suspended the statutory duty on local authorities which would have required the 1140 hours of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to be available for parents by August 2020.
This has been in recognition of the fact that local authorities face legal commitments in implementing ELC which could not be delivered at this time when the country is affected by the coronavirus outbreak and national and local government efforts are required to respond to this crisis.
For clarity, this is understood just to be a temporary suspension of the legal timescale and a revised timescale will be agreed once the coronavirus situation has passed.
The Scottish Government has stated that it is their expectation that existing contracts and those planned to run from August will still do so. Early feedback from a number of local authorities has also suggested that they are trying to proceed as much as possible with their plans for ELC
Read the latest information from the Parent Club website
Q: In light of the impact of COVID-19, how much funded ELC will parents now be entitled to?
All parents and carers are entitled to flexible Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) that meets the needs of their children and family circumstances. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, local authorities had been working towards 1140 funded hours being available to all three and four year-olds and eligible two year-olds by August 2020. It is still the intention that this commitment from the Scottish Government will be implemented when possible, but given the current situation the statutory obligation to deliver 1140 hours by August has now been removed.
However, children are currently still entitled to up to 600 hours of funded ELC and in some areas, may be able to access up to 1140 hours if capacity and funding allows. Local authorities will be contacting parents and carers directly to let them know what is happening in their area.
Please also keep checking
www.parentclub.scot/elc as this page is updated regularly with the latest information.
Q: A parent/carer wants to use my childminding service for their funded ELC, but the local authority has not presented this as an option for them. What can we do?
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.
Q: Under the new guidelines, can I care for children who receive a 'blended' model of childcare – eg two days at nursery and two days with me?
The guidance states that blended placements (where children are attending two or more settings), should be avoided where possible, but may be permitted where this is the only option to support critical childcare arrangements, for example, for keyworker families.
In such cases, this would be a matter for childminder discretion, following a risk assessment and consultation with the families and the other setting concerned.
Q. Can parents provide a bag with a change of clothes?
If this is necessary for the child then this can be provided. However, the guidance recommends that childminders should limit the exchange of resources or items brought into the childminding setting.
Q. If a parent who I regularly provide a service for has been paying a retainer fee, but still doesn’t want their child to return to my service - can I take on new children?
If a parent has been paying you a retainer fee then it is not good practice to fill that space with another family. The retainer fee should keep that space open for the family when they wish to return to the setting.
The subject of fees and what to charge parents during these exceptional times is an area on which we have received an increasing number of requests to provide advice to members recently.
In parallel, we have also received some requests from parents regarding this. In aiming to do this, we fully recognise the individual nature of members’ businesses and that the final decision regarding what to charge is a personal decision. As such, our advice is only suggestive.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive of SCMA provided a full statement on the subject of childminder fees and charging parents on 30 March 2020. The full statement is available on our website
here
Alongside this, SCMA has a meeting scheduled with the Competition and Markets Authority to discuss contracts, consumer cancellation and refunds; and following this we will review our ‘Statement on Fees’ to reflect the current situation.
Q. What about notice periods for children coming back and my new families?
We would encourage all childminders to carefully read and digest the guidance and prepare for re-opening your service. Please discuss with each of your families their current requirements as their needs will vary depending on their own individual circumstances.
Q. If I continue to take retainer fees from regular families, does that mean that as soon as they want to bring their children back, I will have to stop minding for my new families?
The guidance states that childminders should continue to prioritise the children from key worker families and vulnerable children. It is up to the childminder’s discretion to allocate any additional spaces you have within your capacity.
We would recommend that childminders discuss the situation with each of your families, as their needs and requirements will vary depending on their own individual circumstances.
The subject of fees and what to charge parents during these exceptional times is an area on which we have received an increasing number of requests to provide advice to members recently.
In parallel, we have also received some requests from parents regarding this. In aiming to do this, we fully recognise the individual nature of members’ businesses and that the final decision regarding what to charge is a personal decision. As such, our advice is only suggestive.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive of SCMA provided a full statement on the subject of childminder fees and charging parents on 30 March 2020. The full statement is available on our website
here
Alongside this SCMA, has a meeting scheduled with the Competition and Markets Authority to discuss contracts, consumer cancellation and refunds; and following this we will review our ‘Statement on Fees’ to reflect the current situation.
Q: Now that outdoor restrictions have started to ease, can I take the children on trips to the park etc?
Trips outside the home are permissible and encouraged providing they do not increase mixing with other individuals.
Childminders should plan for children to enjoy active energetic play across the day and this may include making use of other areas near to the childminder’s home such as nearby green spaces.
The current advice is that play park equipment should not be used.
Childminders must plan for fun activities that children can enjoy without increasing the risk of mixing with children from other households, taking account of the most up to date physical distancing guidelines. Recommendations for use of shared resources such as play areas, libraries etc. where children are more likely to mix with others will be reviewed and therefore the
latest advice should be checked regularly.
Q. Could I take my minded children to meet another childminding setting in a park?
No – although phase one of the route map to relaxing some of the COVID-19 restrictions does allow one household to meet with another in an outdoor space – the guidance for childminding settings states that meeting up with another childminding setting must be avoided to limit the number of people you and your minded children are in contact with. In addition, the use of play parks is still not allowed at this stage.
Q: When playing outside, can children share equipment such as sand, playdough, water tray etc?
The guidance discourages the use of shared resources that cannot be cleaned such as sand, water and playdough in the childminding setting unless it can be ensured that it is allocated to a single child.
Childminders should limit the exchange of take home resources or items brought into the childminding setting.
Where childminders have access to a garden, they should try to use this space as much as possible across the day. Childminders should take the necessary precautions to protect children from the elements. This should include suitable clothing, head coverings and sunscreen.
Advice on sun safety is available from the NHS.
Q: What resources are available to help me support my mindees (of various ages) with their home schooling and learning?
All schools will have their own systems in place for supporting home learning and there is no expectation on you to deliver a formal curriculum.
However, if you are looking for additional resources to support home learning, please visit Scotland Learns on the Education Scotland website. Here, you will find a range of ideas and suggestions of activities to help parents, carers and practitioners support learning at home. The activities are aimed at a variety of ages and you can also sign up to a weekly newsletter. Further resources can also be found on the parentclub website.
In addition, outdoor play and learning opportunities are encouraged at this time and there are many resources available to support this, such as the Natural Health Award, which has been adapted for childminders to use during the COVID-19 restrictions. This might also be a good time to re-visit the STEM activity pack that we sent to members last year as it provides a great selection of ideas for both indoor and outdoor learning.
You may also find it helpful to refer to our guide on Getting to grips with the Curriculum for Excellence. This can be accessed via the membership dashboard, within the “Guidance for Childminders” category. Training is also available – please call us on 01786 445377 or email information@childminding.org to find out more.
Q. Is there any interruption to the nursery milk scheme?
The new Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme was due to coincide with the expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in August 2020 and replace the existing UK Nursery Milk Scheme.
However, as the planned expansion plans for funded ELC have been paused due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Government has agreed to also delay the rollout of the new milk and healthy snack scheme.
This will not impact on childminding services that already use the current UK Nursery Milk Scheme, as this will remain in place as usual to deliver the milk provision to childcare settings across Scotland.
Read more
Q: What is happening with SCMA network meetings, training and events?
SCMA has temporarily suspended all external training and Network Meetings with immediate effect.
Our popular ‘Childminding Day’ event at Blair Drummond Safari Park on Sunday 10 May was also postponed.
SCMA Conference 2020
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our members and staff team during these uncertain times, we have taken the decision to reschedule our October 2020 conference to the new date of
Saturday 24 April 2021 at the Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline.
We will also be contacting members shortly with details of our upcoming AGM and nominations for Elected Members.
Read more
Q. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, is SCMA reviewing the contracts that members use?
During this unprecedented time SCMA are working with the legal team to review our contracts and to ensure they meet the needs of our members whilst keeping in line with any legal obligations. We will keep members up-to-date with any developments.
Alongside this SCMA recently had a follow-up meeting with the Competition and Markets Authority to discuss contracts, consumer cancellations and refunds -
see update.
Q. Can I still order business aids from SCMA?
Yes, you can order from our range of business aids, or visit our online shop via the
Membership Dashboard. There may be a small delay due to current restrictions but we will process and dispatch your order as soon as possible.