The high quality of childminding services in Scotland is outshining other daycare services in terms of providing high quality care and support, according to the Care Inspectorate.
High quality care and support is the measure that really matters and has been proven to benefit the outcomes for children and their overall wellbeing and development – and 92% of childminders in Scotland achieved ‘good or better’ across all inspection grades.
The Care Inspectorate has today (Tuesday 19 September) published its Early Learning and Childcare Statistics for 2016. The statistics clearly evidence that the quality of childminding services are of a higher standard compared to other daycare services, including nurseries, out of school clubs, crèches and playgroups.
Key findings from the Care Inspectorate’s report include:
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92% of childminders achieved ‘good or better’ inspection results across all quality themes.
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49% of childminders achieved all ‘excellent or very good’ grades.
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33,440 children attend a childminding service, an increase from 32,660 in 2015.
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5,669 childminding services operate in Scotland, a decrease from 5,954 in 2015.
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Childminders provide the highest level of provision during school holidays, alongside holiday playschemes and family centres.
SCMA is delighted that childminders are once again in the ‘top of the class’ and continue to be recognised for the high quality, flexible care they provide to thousands of children across Scotland.
Maggie Simpson, Chief Executive of SCMA said: “I am delighted to welcome these statistics from the Care Inspectorate, especially as they reinforce the exceptional high quality care and support that childminders in Scotland offer to families and their children.
Aside from childminding settings being flexible and an affordable childcare option for families, these results further confirm that the quality of childminding services is very high and benefit the wellbeing of children – especially young children.”
The 2016 Care Inspectorate statistics also show that the number of childminding services in Scotland has decreased from 5,954 in 2015 to 5,669 in 2016. The Care Inspectorate has advised this is mainly due to changes within the organisation that no longer allow childminders to remain as ‘inactive’ for more than one year. However, the increasing number calls received by SCMA about childminding services closing their doors in past few months is more worrying.
Feedback from our childminder members has reported the expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) as the main reason for their loss of business, and the lack of local authorities commissioning childminders to provide funded ELC.
These figures - together with the feedback directly from childminders - further reinforce SCMA’s plea for more local authorities to work in partnership with childminding services. This is vitally important as the number of children attending a childminding service is increasing, and we must act now to protect the future of this irreplaceable professional ELC workforce.
Maggie added: “Childminding services offer a home-from-home nurturing environment - best placed to care for children of all ages. However, SCMA continues to campaign for more local authorities to work alongside childminders as partner providers and provide high quality, flexible funded Early Learning and Childcare places.”
“Parents must be given flexibility to arrange their funded ELC hours; including being able to choose a local childminder or continue to use their current childminding service to suit and benefit their family’s needs.”
Read the Early Learning and Childcare 2016 Statistics in full from the Care Inspectorate.