Following discussion with SCMA - and SCMA providing evidence gathered from members within our recent ‘Self-Isolation, Under-5s and Testing’ snapshot survey - the Scottish Government has importantly clarified that childminders are not required to accept untested under-5s from households with a positive case into their setting if they decide not to do so, after having adopted a case-by-case approach and performed a risk assessment (including considering pre-existing illnesses within their own family and of any families using their setting) in line with the current Childminder Services Guidance.
The Scottish Government has also helpfully confirmed this will not invalidate contracts to deliver funded hours.
The Scottish Government’s public health advisers reviewed the latest evidence last week and believe the scientific evidence indicates the risk of transmission (including via under-5s), is much lower due to significant progress in vaccination, the guidance does not changed and have undertaken to keep this evidence under review. While SCMA accepts that the risk may be lower we believe other factors also have to be taken into account:
- Official monitoring and reporting data is known to be of a very low and inaccurate level at this time and which would not inform decision-making.
- Within SCMA’s recent 24-hour ‘Self-Isolation, Under 5s and Testing' snapshot survey (to which 914 members responded):
- 120 members reported that they believed untested under-fives from a household with a positive case initially didn’t display symptoms, accessed their setting and then did display symptoms after having potentially exposed others to transmission;
- 89 members reported children subsequently tested positive; and
- 84 members reported they believed this led to either them or a member of their family/household developing COVID-19 and having to close their setting.
If we were to extend the numbers from this 22% sample to our workforce as a whole all of these figures could be in the hundreds. While we appreciate the unknowns, and it could be argued that childminders or their families developed COVID-19 from other sources, these numbers should not be discounted.
- Our survey also found that 94% of members who responded had lost confidence in the guidance on under-fives and had adopted their own higher-level policies of either requiring an under-five from a household with a positive case should be tested or self-isolate and that 94% of respondents felt the guidance on under-fives was very unsafe or unsafe.
While the guidance on under-5s remains unchanged, the confirmation that childminders have discretion through individual risk assessments is very important.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, SCMA, said:
"We accept that much progress has been made in vaccination and that this has lowered the risk of transmission. However, the evidence on COVID-19 is still evolving, current official monitoring returns are too low to inform decision-making and we have a situation where the scientific evidence is telling us one thing, but what we’re hearing about what is actually happening in practice is quite different. As such, SCMA has a responsibility to listen to what our members are telling us and believe it prudent to take a precautionary approach at this time.
"We believe that many parents are being reasonable and are not expecting childminding settings to accept untested under-5s from their households when the parents have tested positive, as this would put all of the risk on to the childminder – possible transmission of infection, closure of setting and loss of income. In such cases, parents are choosing to have their child tested or that they self-isolate. However, we are aware some parents have been insisting that untested under-5s should still access settings and that childminders delivering funded hours of ELC have felt contractually obliged to do so.
“We therefore welcome the Scottish Government’s important clarification that childminders can adopt a case by case and risk-assessed approach and, if appropriate, decide not to accept an untested under-5 from a household with a positive case at this time and without it invalidating their funded ELC contract. Clearly this could result in temporary loss of income for the childminder, and SCMA is in discussion with the Scottish Government regarding this."