The
Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund will
open for applications at 2pm today (Tuesday 8 March). This will provide important business support grants of £950 to all childminders (with larger grants for larger childminding settings).
While we understand that some of you may not wish to apply, as these grants will be taxable and you are already having to pay tax back on earlier COVID-19 grants,
we would strongly encourage you to apply.
It is our understanding that self-isolation restrictions could continue for some months, during which childminders could easily find themselves having to close their setting resulting in loss of income. As such, these grants (while taxable) could provide very important assistance with cashflow as we emerge from COVID-19.
Additional information
As you may know, Scottish Government is making up to £9.8 million available through the Fund to provide one-off grants to childcare providers this financial year. These will be available to all private and third sector day care of children services and all childminding services who were registered with the Care Inspectorate on 31 December 2021.
SCMA has been advised that services that are currently inactive, or were inactive on 31 December, can still apply for a grant provided they were still registered with the Care Inspectorate on this date.
The one-off grants are being made available in recognition of the challenging circumstances in which childcare sector providers have been operating during the Omicron wave.
You should have received an email in the form of a Provider Update from the Care Inspectorate yesterday (7 March 2022) which highlights the individual links which can be used for applications from 2.00pm on Tuesday, 8 March.
In order to ensure all childminders receive these links the Scottish Government has also asked SCMA to send out an email to all childminders. This will also be sent out today.
Please note there are two separate links for applications,
one for childminders with a registered capacity for 1-10 places, and one link for those with registered capacity of 11 or more.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, SCMA, said: “
We very much welcome this additional financial support from the Scottish Government which will be vital to childminding businesses and the wider childcare sector. Many childminding businesses have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and in particular by the impact of self-isolation both before and during the Omicron outbreak.
"Throughout the pandemic SCMA has been, and continues to be, heavily involved in national recovery discussions along with colleagues in the Scottish Out of School Care Network, National Day Nurseries Association, Early Years Scotland and Care and Learning Alliance. We are pleased that the Scottish Government has listened and responded to the evidence presented by us collectively and we believe these grants will make a difference for many childminders."
Please Note: The Fund will close to applications at 11.59pm on Thursday 17 March.
More information on the Fund is also available on the Scottish Government website
HERE and questions on the Fund can also be emailed to
ELCPartnershipForum@gov.scot