Audit Scotland – the independent body that ensures public money in Scotland is spent properly and effectively – has highlighted “significant risks” surrounding the Scottish Government's ambition to double the funded hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) by August 2020.
Providing this planned increase in funded hours will require a large increase in the number of ELC staff, premises and partnerships, which the report say will be “difficult to achieve in the time available” and that “detailed planning by the Scottish Government should have been started earlier to help local authorities meet the 2020 deadline”.
Maggie Simpson, Chief Executive of Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), who sat on the Audit Scotland advisory group representing the childminding sector, said: “I fully support the findings and recommendations of this report. However, the majority of local authorities are neglecting a high-quality Early Learning and Childcare resource that already exists within their communities – childminders.
“Childminders are crucial within the Early Learning and Childcare sector and must be considered by more local authorities planning for the increase in funded hours. Childminders are currently providing high-quality, nurturing early learning and childcare to more than 30,000 children across Scotland.”
Recommendations have been made to the Scottish Government by Audit Scotland, including updating guidance to clarify the distinction between flexibility and choice to ensure that parents also have the choice of provider not just the choice of times.
Clearer information for parents is also advised, to help them understand how funded ELC is provided locally and help them understand what to expect from their council in terms of choice and flexibility. SCMA is aware that many parents remain unaware that they should have options to use their funded ELC hours for a childminding service if they wish.
Audit Scotland is asking local authorities to work with partner providers (both funded and non-funded ELC) to understand the impact of their decisions on the wider system of ELC and reduce the risk of unintended consequences for these providers. Any risk to the future of these businesses as a result of the ELC expansion could negatively impact on parents using these services for younger or school-age children.
SCMA continues to urge more local authorities to consider childminding services as they offer more flexible options and give parents the opportunity to apply a blended childcare approach to suit their family’s needs and work commitments – whilst safeguarding the future of childminding in Scotland.
“High-quality care and support is the measure that really matters and 92% of childminding services in Scotland achieved ‘good or better’ across all inspection grades, and many are of a higher standard compared to nurseries, out of school clubs, crèches and playgroups,” Maggie Simpson added.
For more information and to read the report in full, visit
audit-scotland.gov.uk.