You will have received a letter from the Care Inspectorate today (24 June) following the First Minister’s statement to Parliament regarding phase 3 of the easing of lockdown from 15 July onwards.
Key implications for childminding and your setting include:
·
nurseries and larger settings will be able to
re-open from 15 July (they will be expected to operate with limited capacity
initially)
· childminder-specific guidance in place from 3 June 2020 remains in place, at this time, but will be reviewed during phase 3 when nurseries re-open
·
restrictions on capacity for childminding and
blended care will remain in place at this time
We are aware that it is now planned that schools will return
fully from 11 August if progress continues to be made in suppressing the
virus. We are also very aware that it is
vitally important to childminders to know if the current temporary restrictions
on blended care will be lifted in advance of the schools going back, as parents
are already needing to plan what childcare they will need at that time and you,
similarly, need to have clarity about what will be allowed.
Please be
absolutely assured that SCMA is aware how critical this is to the majority of
childminding businesses, that we continue to contribute to national discussions
about recovery planning and will be pressing for clarity from the Scottish
Government as soon as is possible regarding the expectations for blended care
in August.
We continue to update our Covid-19 FAQ page with further frequently asked questions, which you can access here and will update you as soon as we can with any further information as the situation evolves.
A full copy of the letter sent to ELC providers is available to download as a PDF below.
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