SCMA is continuing to work to secure financial support for childminding.
Childminders will be aware that while SCMA has secured a further £330,000 for the Childminding Workforce Support Fund since the spring to provide financial support for childminders experiencing financial hardship, this will not meet the level of need and is completely out of step with the much larger level of financial support made available to other providers.
We also believe the establishment of the Scottish Government’s Transitional Support Fund for other providers has been mishandled and divisive. Thank you to those of you who have emailed your MSPs or Ministers about this and shared the responses back to us. It is helpful to see this.
SCMA has not given up. We are actively working to build a stronger case for financial support for childminders, and need your help to take our work to the next stage.
Realistically, we are aware that the funding within the Scottish Government’s Transitional Support Fund has already been allocated to all 32 local authorities to administer applications from Daycare of Childrens’ Services in their area. We also don’t expect that the funding which is available will be sufficient to meet their financial support needs.
As such, we believe that if the Scottish Government’s Transitional Support Fund was to be opened up to childminders it would either need a significant increase in further funding or for separate funding to be identified to support childminding. This is why we are focusing our energies on strengthening the case for financial support for childminding and then discussing options with the Scottish Government as to how this could be delivered (through an increased Transitional Support Fund or other method).
The Scottish Government has stated that when they set up the Transitional Support Fund for other providers they did not believe there was evidence that the operating guidance for childminding had increased costs for childminders and they have also stated that childminders have had the opportunity to earn income either during lockdown (for those who stayed open to provide critical childcare) or since re-opening from early June, ahead of other providers. We don’t believe these statements reflect the full picture.
When information was captured earlier in the year, this was at a time when the guidance was changing regularly, many settings were just re-opening, restrictions on capacity were still in place and did not reflect full operating practice or costs. We are also aware that many members have reported that there is a mismatch between stating that there are opportunities to earn income and the reality which they are experiencing in practice.
SCMA is particularly aware that many of you may still be operating at reduced levels (below normal capacity) within your settings, and that demand for childcare has been affected by a range of factors including parents on furlough and as a result of employees still being advised by the Scottish Government to work from home, where possible, to reduce the risk of transmission of infection. Capturing evidence on this will be very important to inform understanding.
We are also in a different place and time now. Childminding operating guidance is more consistent and many more settings have re-opened. However, it is also deeply concerning that over four weeks since the schools returned 25% of childminding settings (1,100 childminders) are still closed. We believe that many of you, open or closed, have very real concerns about your business viability and future.
Given all of this it is really important that we capture an up-to-date snapshot of the impact that COVID-19 is having on your business, so that we can strengthen the case for childminding.
How can you help?
We know you are all busy, that many of you are feeling exhausted (compounded by the additional cleaning required at the end of each long day) and also feeling demoralised. However, you
ARE in a position to help us change this. We would ask you to do two things:
•
Firstly; to complete this short
online survey (which should only take five minutes)
•
Secondly; for those of you who would like to help us to demonstrate to Scottish Government your personal experience, please complete and submit our
Childminding Costs Incurred During COVID-19 Template to illustrate how COVID-19 has affected your business.
The closing date for the survey is 5pm on Monday 21 September. The 'Childminding Costs Incurred During COVID-19' template is optional, but if you wish to submit this to support and add to our research, please do so before 5pm on Monday 21 September.
All the information you submit to SCMA will be anonymised and treated sensitively. It will be used to help us to demonstrate the additional costs incurred within your service during COVID-19 with a view to providing evidence of financial impact and longer-term business viability of childminding. It may also be used within SCMA publications or reports, for online and social media purposes and may also be shared with the media where relevant.
WATCH | Take a look at our latest video message from Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive of SCMA, to explain why it is important we capture an up-to-date snapshot of the impact that COVID-19 is having on your business, so that we can strengthen the case for childminding.
Many thanks for your help. Together we can build a case for change.