The Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), in partnership with Scottish Government, is launching trials of important childminder workforce retention pilots in some local authority areas in Scotland as part of the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future (PSCF). The childminder retention and recruitment Programme aims to grow the workforce and bring about positive change for childminding. One of the innovative strands of work which gets underway in Autumn – ‘Funded Time Off the Floor’ – is the first of its kind to be trialled for registered childminders in the UK.
Scottish Government has committed funding for the three-year Programme, which began in June this year, and along-side digital advertising in over half of Scotland’s local authority areas to attract more childminders into the profession, these new retention measures are being trialed in a mix of rural and urban local authorities to try new ways of supporting the existing workforce. In the first year of the Programme, three key areas of work will focus on trialling Funded Time Off the Floor, Mentoring and Quality & Learning – support for childminders which could prove transformative in the longer term.
Trials with approximately 350 childminders over the course of the three-year Programme will ensure high-quality measurement, evaluation and modification to see what combination of measures could work best to support and retain registered childminders.
The Funded Time Off the Floor pilot will be trialled in Aberdeen City, Glasgow, Orkney and Shetland. It’s intended to support childminders with funded time away from their day-to-day business, recognising the need for non-contact time and freeing up time for continuous professional development, to complete paperwork or spend time on self-evaluation. While Early Years Practitioners working in nurseries have been able to get time off the floor for many years due to having colleagues who can provide cover, this has not previously been thought possible for childminders, who are all private small business owners, with the vast majority (82%) being sole practitioners/workers who practice during the day, meaning everything else (professional learning, paperwork) has had to be done in the evenings or at weekends.
There are two core concepts: reduced practice time which could enable those considering reducing their hours more time to undertake non-practice commitments such as learning, study, quality assurance and paperwork; and funded time back – which aims to provide childminders, as sole practitioners, with the ability to reduce their practice time, but without a change to the service they provide for families. A further model based on providing childminder practitioner cover to support Funded Time Off the Floor is also under consideration.
The Mentoring pilot will pay childminders to be a ‘mentor’ or ‘mentee’. Beginning in East Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar, North Lanarkshire and Scottish Borders, SCMA is recruiting for participants in these areas. They will receive support and training to help get started in January 2025. As predominantly sole workers, childminders can sometimes feel isolated. The childminding workforce contains a wealth of valuable knowledge and experience and official Mentoring could be a ‘win-win’ for both parties. Both mentors and mentees will be paid for their time and receive opportunities to enhance professional and personal development, increase knowledge & skills and confidence and feel more empowered and confident in their work.
Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, SCMA, said: “The childminding workforce is a critical component of the childcare landscape and in supporting children, families and communities around Scotland. These concepts propose radical solutions to help address some of the issues which have contributed to some childminders unfortunately deciding to stop childminding in recent years. There’s a range of opportunities for a number of childminders to get involved in pilot areas – we know one size is not going to fit all, and that’s why we are offering options which could suit different business models.
“These pilots also aim to increase the value attached to childminding and to put it on a par with other professions where more support is already provided. It’s really encouraging to see such positive measures which could make such a difference to childminding in Scotland now starting to be tested in some areas as part of the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future.”
In the first of our Quality & Learning strands, all registered childminders in Scotland will soon receive access to three free refreshed and updated Quality in Practice E-Learning courses. These are specific to the unique nature of their childcare settings - and are designed to help support quality improvement and assurance and reviewing care provided.
An innovative childminder recruitment campaign continues through the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future. This builds on recruitment work piloted in rural, island and urban areas which has generated over 85 newly registered childminding businesses and aims to expand this approach nationally.
Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise, Ms Natalie Don-Innes, said: “Childminders are an important part of the childcare workforce in Scotland and I recognise the challenges they face. Addressing barriers to retention is critical to safeguarding the long-term future of our childminding workforce. Delivering more practical support through opportunities for funded time off the floor and mentoring will ensure that our childminders are supported with their workloads and professional development. The retention measures being trialled under the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future are all positive steps, and the trials will gather valuable learning as to what works best for childminders.”
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