A: 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

For the latest updates, visit the Parent Club website

A: It’s likely that local authorities will be able to offer some expanded places when ELC settings reopen fully, but it’s too early to say where these places will be or how they will be allocated.

Local authorities will be sharing this information as soon as possible.

A. All parents and carers are entitled to flexible Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) that meets the needs of their children and family circumstances.

If a childminding service could better meet your needs but isn’t available as an option in your local area, please raise this issue with your local council, councillors and MSP. Ask them why childminding isn’t an option for your child’s funded ELC and how they plan to meet the needs of families like yours who require local, flexible ELC.

We have a handy template letter designed to help you write to your local councillor or MSP. Download the template letter to request childminding be included in your funded ELC entitlement.

A. A blended model of ELC means that a child would spend part of the day with a childminder and part of the day with another childcare provider, e.g. a nursery, with a clear focus on what is best for the child.

A. To be eligible to deliver funded ELC, childminders must:

- meet the National Standard quality criteria 
- be working in partnership with their local council
- have a space available within the setting

Your local council is responsible for commissioning funded ELC places. To find out if your area is contracting with childminders to deliver funded ELC, please contact your local council.

Further information can also be found at the Parent Club website

A. All funded ELC providers must meet the National Standard, which is a set of mandatory quality criteria from the Scottish Government. In relation to training and qualifications, the National Standard states that funded ELC providers must: 

• Achieved or be working towards the benchmark qualification (SCQF Level 7 qualification with 68 credits) to be completed within five years. This could be an HNC Childhood Practice or SVQ Social Services (Children and Young People). Plus the Complete Childminding Learning Pathway is a SQA Work Based Award which can be used to achieve recognition for prior learning and then used as an access path for those working towards the benchmark.  
• Allocate 12 hours per year to Continuous Professional Learning (CPL)

In addition, the National Standard also states that all funded ELC providers must:

• Meet the recommended adult-to-child ratios, which depend on age groups
• Care Inspectorate quality evaluations (sometimes referred to as grades) of ‘good’ or higher across all themes
• New childminders (registered within the last year) need to have completed the appropriate induction programme, e.g. SCMA’s Complete Childminding Induction Support Programme.

A. Currently inspections will remain the same, whether you are a childminder delivering funded ELC or not, and you will be inspected by the Care Inspectorate, and they are responsible for visiting your home and evaluating your service. The Care Inspectorate is currently developing a new ELC Quality Framework to support this.

In addition, Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate will be developing a shared inspection framework in the future, once the expansion of funded ELC has been rolled out and established.

A. No. If you are registered with the Care Inspectorate, meet the National Standard criteria, your service is suitable to become a ELC partner provider with your local council.

A. Initially you should contact your local council to raise the issue. They have the responsibility for leading this work and commissioning funded ELC places.

SCMA can help provide you with information and guidance, so please contact our Helpline on 01786 449063 (Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm) or email information@childminding.org.

If you have already contacted your local council and have not received a satisfactory response, the next step is to contact your local MSP or councillor to ask them to pose the questions on your behalf.

Use our template letter to write to your MSP or councillor

A. Your child could be eligible for funded ELC hours if your family receives any of the following benefits:
• Income Support
• Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
• Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
• Incapacity or Severe Disablement Allowance
• State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (CTC), but not Working Tax Credit and your income is less that £16,105
• Both maximum Child Tax Credit and maximum Working Tax Credit and your income is under £6,420
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit

Or if your child (in terms of legal status):
• Is ‘Looked After’
• Is under a ‘Kinship Care Order’
• Has a ‘Parent Appointed Guardian’

For full information on the eligibility criteria, please visit the Scottish Government website.

Childminders are unable to accept funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) payments when providing care for a child who is a relative, due to the legislation regarding ELC which follows the definition of a childminder, in line with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

In line with the Act, the definition of a registered childminder is a care service that is “looking after at least one child, for more than two hours a day on domestic premises for reward where the child minder is not a relative, a foster parent, a kinship carer or someone with parental responsibilities and where the child is not looked after in a parents’ home.” Therefore, a childminder cannot include a child who is a relative as being in receipt of their funded ELC provision. 

This was raised previously with the Scottish Government to alert them to the challenges this can pose and we will continue to highlight the difficulties in relation to this situation.

Bookbug Explorer Bags are only available for three year olds, and these are usually distributed from the Scottish Book Trust via nursery settings. However, the Scottish Book Trust is aware that some childminders are now looking after children who don’t attend any other childcare settings, and as a result, these childminders are entitled to receive the Bookbug Explorer Bags to gift to their three year olds. 

If you’re a childminder who is looking after any three year olds who do not attend other settings, please get in touch with your local Bookbug Co-ordinator who will be able to provide you with some bags.

The Bookbug Explorer Bags include books and other resources to encourage singing, rhyming and book sharing at home. Bookbug also has a learning resource that links to each of the books in the bags, as well as a webinar recording on supporting early learning and development with songs and rhymes, which is very relevant for a childminding audience.