SCMA members are invited to take part in an important survey, and #TellSCMA about your thoughts and experiences on a number of critical topics and issues affecting childminders in Scotland.
First up, we know you’re really busy, have many demands on your time, and are probably tired of receiving survey requests which don’t change anything… we know we are! We’re different, this survey is different. We really need your help and 15 minutes of your time.
To ensure we represent the needs of all of our members and all childminding business models as fully as possible, your feedback is essential on a number of critically important areas, including:
- your experiences of bureaucracy, paperwork, quality assurance and inspection to inform our response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a single/shared inspection and to go beyond the consultation and inform other wider, pro-active influencing activity which we will undertake on your behalf to reduce the pressures which have been experienced;
- the rising costs of living and of delivering childminding including the significant and increasing level of unpaid work which you undertake; current demand for your services and how you feel about your business sustainability post-COVID-19;
- for those involved in delivering ELC a few short questions on your continuing experiences of receiving hours from local authorities and if these are sustainable
Your views and experiences are really important to us, your responses will be anonymous, this survey will make a difference and we will act on the findings.
Please help us with this and
CLICK HERE to complete our #TellSCMA Childminding & You Survey 2022 today.
The deadline for completing the survey is Sunday 9 October.
Watch Graeme's video message
HERE where he explains why YOUR voice critically important.
As background, in 2020 we conducted our most ambitious survey to date and almost 1,500 of you responded. This was a fantastic response, as the more data we receive the more seriously the results are taken by others. You might wonder if responding to a survey will make a difference... it does!
Please find below some examples of where your feedback has already been hugely influential in shaping our work and what we do for you:
YOU SAID: You wanted us to continue to represent members nationally
WE DID: We have continued to provide a professional voice for members and childminding, and secured a lot of influence on your behalf including changes to the operating guidance and a range of much-needed financial support during COVID-19. As a result of our ELC Audit last year, SCMA was invited to give oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament twice in four weeks before the summer break. We have also widened our emphasis beyond ELC to supporting school-age childcare and all business models; we are undertaking pilots to inform Scottish Government commitments surrounding ELC and in developing a new system of wraparound school-age childcare. Our advice is now being requested more than ever, across a range of policy areas, and we are the only organisation representing childminding in these discussions.
YOU SAID: You wanted us to expand our learning offering for members and provide more short updates
WE DID:
While some of this work was delayed by COVID-19, we piloted the provision of regular short video updates which were popular with members, helped to support your practice and we have been adapting this format for other learning. We have increased the range of our CPL offer and are investing £70,000 of our funds in developing a new, improved learning platform with increased functionality for members.
YOU SAID: You have concerns about the declining childminding workforce and felt something needed to be done
WE DID:
We have been leading nationally on tackling the issues which have been causing childminders to leave our workforce including bureaucracy/paperwork, duplicative quality assurance and childminders not being equitably included in ELC expansion. In parallel, we also used this data and your experiences to inform a recruitment pilot in remote and rural areas. SCMA is leading on this nationally and is in active discussion with the Scottish Government about extending this work around Scotland.
We don’t want to keep surveying you on lots of different issues. This is why we’ve decided to repeat our large-scale
#TellSCMA: Childminding and You Survey and capture additional data from you on a number of really important areas - including bureaucracy and paperwork, the cost of living and involvement in ELC - all in one go, rather than issuing separate surveys.
This should take no more then 15-20 minutes of your time. Thank You!