Today we are writing to all SCMA members to advise that as with everyone, SCMA is experiencing increased running costs due to the significant increase in the cost of living (fuel, energy and supply chain costs) - but we recognise the financial pressure that members are experiencing and are trying to absorb as much of this as possible, rather than passing on to our members through price increases.
In particular, insurance prices have risen across providers, and we have now been notified that the SCMA Practitioner Insurance (which is currently included in your SCMA membership fee) will be going up by £10.19 per member per year, from 1 April 2023.
However, we feel that this is too much of an increase to pass on to our members at this challenging time, when the cost of everything is rising, so we will be contributing £17,000 of our own funds to absorb over half of this cost. This means that the
increase to you is only £4.00 per year (and SCMA will pay the remaining £6.19).
Our membership/renewal prices will therefore be adjusted as follows:
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Current Membership Renewal Fee:
£95
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Membership Renewal Fee (from 1 April 2023):
£99
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Current Membership Fee for New Members:
£112
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Membership Fee for New Member (from 1 April 2023):
£116
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There is no need for you to take any action on this now, your renewal reminder will be sent to you one month before it is due.
We are also reviewing the products and publications available from our online shop (where the prices have remained unchanged since 2012) and we may need to increase some prices to cover rising printing and postage costs. We hope to keep any adjustments as minimal as possible and will continue to provide as much additional value within your membership fee as possible - such as providing access to a range of free CPL courses and attending our free annual virtual conference - the details of which will be shared very soon.
In parallel, we will continue to represent members’ concerns and experiences. Over the last few months we have been particularly active and published a series of reports and recommendations through our response to the consultation on the future of inspection (October), our SCMA ELC Audit 2022 (November) and our Childminding Cost Pressures and Business Sustainability Report (January 2023). This has produced a considerable body of evidence in support of change, we continue to engage with the Scottish Government who are considering our recommendations and we will update you on this.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding the upcoming changes, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on
01786 445377 or email
information@childminding.org.