The Confident Childminder: Supporting Every Child, Every Day
We’re thrilled so many SCMA members linked in from all over Scotland to attend this year’s SCMA Conference 2026.
Here’s a quick recap of our brilliant speakers and hosts who truly made the event empowering and memorable…
Graeme McAlister | SCMA Chief Executive
“Childminding is not something we can easily replicate in any other setting. Working with the Care Inspectorate we now have a childminding-proportionate quality improvement framework, which recognises that not all forms of childcare are the same.”
"We have a responsibility, if we let ELC boundary changes roll out further we will see impact in children in families and children. We will work with others to find further solutions. Please remember children are more than numbers." Read more
Audrey Donnan | Chief Inspector (ELC) at the Care Inspectorate
Emphasising how much Personal Plans can showcase the important work you do with children and how well you know children and families, she said: "
We love nothing more than looking at your Personal Plans with you – we’re not looking for lots of paperwork – just evidence that the meaningful conversations are showing how you support the needs of the child in your care."
Clare Josa | Soultuitive Leadership
Clare delivered a very hands-on, interactive presentation with practical ways to boost confidence, resilience and dealing with imposter syndrome. Discussing the important role her own child’s childminder played in her life, Clare said: “
Every action you take to show love, care and compassion makes a difference to the children and lives of the families you support.”
Karen Watson | The Scottish ASN Teacher
A truly inspiring session celebrating the unique and nurturing role childminders play in supporting children with Additional Support Needs (ASN), where we learned about regulation, strategies and the importance of visuals. Karen said:
"You have the individualised approach nailed - you rock at it!"
Nyree Cooper | Quality and Learning Lead at SCMA
A fabulous session exploring the different kinds of transition and practical insight on how this works within a childminding setting. We learned about the environment, language, transition anxiety as well as what parents expect and how transitions affect you, as childminders, too! Nyree said:
"When a child leaves your setting you haven’t lost them, you’ve successfully launched them."
Ben Kingston-Hughes | Inspired Children
Back due to overwhelming demand - once again Ben spoke with so much passion, humour, and enthusiasm about the rockstar role childminders play in children's lives. There was SO much to take in, summarised by eight reasons why childminders are invaluable in the lives of children, families, society and the future of humanity... Ben said:
"You change the future of humanity."
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It’s great to hear your feedback…
The feedback we’ve received so far from our members who attended the Conference has been fantastic! It’s wonderful to hear how much you value this event, and how inspired you feel…
- “As a newly registered childminder, I am delighted with the range of information within this four-hour Conference. This has surpassed my expectations, the speakers were excellent and the content was engaging and very informative.”
- “It’s the little hints and tips picked up throughout the Conference that I love learning! Labelling emotions, support strategies, three pages of notes taken which will also help me word some of my self-evaluation for my setting.”
- “What is my biggest takeaway?... I would say to be my own cheerleader and continue to build on the lovely relationships I have with my children and families.”
Have you added the Conference to your Learning Log?
For those who attended the SCMA Conference – don’t forget to add the event to your
Learning Log so you can track and log the four CPL hours you gained on the day. Plus, you’ll soon be able to catch-up with the breakout session that you didn’t attend, which will boost your CPL even more!
Did you miss the Conference this year?
The full recording of the annual event will soon be available to view on your
Membership Dashboard – we will let you know when it’s ready…
Once you’ve watched and caught up with the event, you’ll be able to add the event to your Learning Log so you can track and log the CPL hours you’ve now gained.