Members may be aware that the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland have published a
short update on the above which is now being referred to as the ‘Quality Improvement Framework’.
Our understanding is that this will not be implemented in practice before September 2025, but that it will be released to the sector for familiarisation, piloting and testing in January 2025 (the framework will only be inspected against a limited number of childminders during testing, with their agreement). As such, members should be aware and reassured that no changes are imminent and that childminders undertaking self-evaluation or inspection in the interim should continue to follow the Care Inspectorate’s Quality Framework for these purposes.
SCMA has been a member of the Stakeholder Group for the development of this framework and we have engaged constructively in discussion with all parties. Members may recall that in January of this year we published
our response to the draft consultation on this framework and noted that we believed there were several fundamental problems with it, that it was not fit for purpose in its current form, significant re-working was required, and that implementation should be delayed. Several other members of the Stakeholder Group also had significant concerns and implementation was delayed.
Since then, further work has continued to be undertaken on improving the framework and SCMA has contributed much time to this. To give some credit, engagement of the Stakeholder Group became more meaningful and we do believe that some sections of the framework which we were consulted on, and we advised on, have improved, and become more specific and proportionate to childminding. However, we and some others have continuing concerns regarding different aspects of the framework and its application in practice. We have shared these concerns with Education Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, the Stakeholder Group and with the Scottish Government including Natalie Don MSP, Minister for Children, Young People & Keeping the Promise.
Given these concerns, we believe that further work is still required and we could not endorse this document in its latest form. However, we will continue to constructively seek to inform the further improvement of the framework during its piloting and testing phase.
Graeme McAlister
Chief Executive
24 October 2024