Earlier today (16 July), the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education, John Swinney MSP, provided a statement on childcare during the First Minister’s Daily Briefing.
Within this he –
- expressed his thanks to everyone involved in the childcare sector in Scotland and recognised the crucial role of the many childminders and outdoor nurseries who have remained open throughout the pandemic in order to provide critical childcare for key workers;
- confirmed that new public health advice has been received which will enable the Scottish Government to work with the sector in revising childcare guidance by the end of July. Importantly, he noted that a small group bubble model in childcare will no longer be required when schools and nurseries return in August and that restrictions on blended care will be “eased”. However, he stressed that this will not represent a full return to normal for childcare;
- announced a new £11.2 million fund to help childcare settings to re-open; and
- announced the new joint Scottish Government and SCMA Childminding Workforce Support Fund which opened today. Further details of Childminding Workforce Support Fund which we launched today. Applications are encouraged as soon as possible.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, SCMA, said,
“We welcome confirmation that new public health advice has been received which will hopefully lead to a relaxation of restrictions on childcare in August. While noting that the restrictions on blended care will be “eased”, we are aware that childminders and the families they support require these restrictions on blended care to be lifted in full, or as much as possible, in order that childminders can deliver blended care and are also able to drop off and pick up children from nursery and school in response to parental demand. SCMA will continue to contribute constructively to national discussions regarding this.
“We also welcome the announcement of the £11.2 million funding package to support the re-opening of childcare settings and look forward to learning more detail about what this will cover and who will be eligible. In parallel, we were pleased to launch our Childminding Workforce Support Fund in partnership with the Scottish Government today”.