What’s it all about?
Our 2022 Conference, which takes place on Saturday April 23, via Zoom, will recognise the valuable role that childminders play in ‘making a difference’ to the lives of children and their families throughout Scotland and will also have a strong focus on how you can support your mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of your mindees.
This event is free to attend and is exclusive to SCMA members.
We know that childminding has faced a number of challenges over the last few years which have been worsened by the pandemic and that many of you continue to navigate through difficult times. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed and forget how much of a difference you are making to children’s and families’ lives… every day and in so many ways.
This is why we believe it is so important to take time out to reflect on this and the unique value of childminding, to recalibrate and to look forward. Despite the pressures experienced we remain positive and optimistic about the future, the great potential to increase demand for childminding and we will update you on how we are leading work on the areas that matter and make a difference to you.
Our half-day event, (9.00am – 12.30pm), features a number of what we believe will be stimulating presentations and by moving to an online format, we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend, from the Highlands and Islands, down to the Scottish Borders and everywhere in between.
And remember… attending our conference will also provide you with 3.5 hours of the 12 hours Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) that you are required to complete each year.
Who will be there?
We’re delighted to announce that the new Minister for Children and Young People,
Ms Clare Haughey will open the event and SCMA’s Chief Executive,
Graeme McAlister will provide an update on the work and priorities of SCMA. We also have two fantastic guest speakers for you:
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Gavin Oates: international keynote speaker, bestselling author and former primary school teacher. In this session, Gavin will transport you back to being just five years of age, a time when we feared nothing and embraced everything. You might laugh, you might cry and you will definitely never eat broccoli the same way again! There is a whole beige generation out there buried under the stifling pressures of adulthood. Backed by positive psychology and an abundance of childlike wonder, Gavin will deliver a wake-up call for you to search your soul, to shake things up and bask in the warmth of glorious individuality.
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Joanne Aitken: Children and Young People Development Manager at the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Joanne will outline the issues that children and young people experience, that can impact on their mental health and wellbeing, including COVID-19. She will also explore how childminders can recognise and respond to changes in a mindee’s behaviour and presentation, that may indicate they are experiencing mental health challenges and importantly, how to start mental health conversations.
There will be opportunities to ask questions of our speakers during the event via the online chat function. As time is limited, we may not be able to get to all questions on the day but any recurring themes will be noted, followed up and responses shared on our conference webpage after the event.
How to book
This event is exclusive to childminders who are SCMA members and 900 places are available.
All SCMA members will have received an email invitation from us with all the details you need to book.
If you do not receive a response after registering, please check your spam/ junk folder. Your zoom event link will be sent to you one week prior to the conference.
For more information including the agenda and speaker biographies, please visit our
conference web page or email
conference@childminding.org
We look forward to seeing you there!
#TeamSCMA