Members will already be aware that the Scottish Government has committed funding for a three-year national childminder retention and recruitment programme, which first launched in June this year. The
Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future (PSCF) aims to grow the workforce and bring about positive change for childminding.
Before the summer holidays, we launched an initial four-week digital advertising campaign that’s now active throughout 17 participating local authority areas: Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian.
SCMA first developed this successful new model of childminder recruitment by running pilots in remote, rural and urban areas. To date, these pilots have generated over 85 childminding businesses, with a further 15 applied to the Care Inspectorate and more in progress. Our approach is based on a demographically targeted marketing campaign and a supported model of childminder recruitment which helps new childminders to start their new business, providing funding, training and one-to-one support to help them through the process.
Digital Advertising Campaign
We’re delighted that our new campaign will feature Carrie Mansfield, who received support to begin childminding through one of SCMA’s previous pilots. She switched career to become a childminder and has never looked back! We also introduce Claire Chung and Laura Buckley, who are both established childminders from South Queensferry operating thriving businesses, sharing a sense of community and support and enjoying a rewarding career working with children. You’ll be seeing much more of Claire, Laura and Carrie as adverts begin to show on social media in participating areas!
Retention Measures Coming Soon!
When PSCF launched in June, we also highlighted important retention measures which will be piloted as part of the Programme in three key areas: Quality and Learning, Mentoring, and Time Off the Floor - which could prove transformative for the wider childminding workforce in the longer term. At first, these measures will be tested in manageable numbers in small, targeted areas with approximately 350 childminders participating over the course of the three-year Programme, so that we can ensure high-quality measurement, evaluation and modification.
We are building on our recently developed ‘Reducing the Burdens’ work by providing funded access to all childminders across Scotland to SCMA’s three Quality in Practice courses from Autumn 2024. This will include access to our Self-Evaluation Toolkit, to support with understanding Self-Evaluation in relation to national frameworks, guidance and in streamlining evidence requirements. This has already been tested in a select number of areas and this roll out to the wider workforce demonstrates how small trials can benefit the wider workforce, as we are able to make modifications based on what works best. Details of our retention pilots and opportunities to get involved in the participating areas will be coming soon.
New Quality and Learning Development Lead Appointed
We’re delighted to welcome Nyree Cooper to Team SCMA. Nyree’s role involves the development and implementation of support for Quality Improvement and Professional Learning for all childminders across Scotland, including the roll out of our ‘reducing the burdens’ work, which will further equip childminders with the knowledge and skills they need to continue to deliver high quality care and learning. We are delighted Nyree has joined us and look forward to providing further updates as this work develops.
Finally…thank you! 🤝
Your participation in our surveys and direct feedback has provided SCMA with rich information which has enabled us to develop the three focus areas of retention work which aim to tackle some of the reasons childminders have been leaving the workforce (such as feeling overworked, frustrations with bureaucracy and high levels of paperwork). They’re not quick fixes but they will inform a range of potential solutions that we believe will help to strengthen the childminding workforce over time.
SCMA is proud to be at the forefront of securing and delivering this Scottish Government commitment to childminding and we’re delighted that the impact of our advocacy has been recognised, with the potential to make a significant difference to childminding in Scotland.
Visit
childminding.org/getstarted for further information on becoming a childminder through the PSCF campaign.