4. Childminding Future Programme - Report
Renfrewshire Council · 27 August 2024
Back to Economy and Regeneration Policy Board — 27 August 2024 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Economy and Regeneration Policy Board On: 27 August 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Launch of Scottish Government’s ‘Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future’ ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report updates Board on the new childminding recruitment and retention programme that the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) will deliver across Scotland, with Renfrewshire in the first wave of areas to benefit. The scheme launched on June 5th 2024, funded through the Scottish Government, and will run for three years. 1.2 The aim is to address the decline in the childminding workforce in recent years. Childminding is a popular and high-quality form of childcare provision and the Scottish Government and SCMA hope to increase the number of childminders by 1,000 across Scotland. 1.3 The report outlines the broad principles of the funding and the proposed approach for Renfrewshire. __________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: Note the content of the report. Note the reporting of progress and impact to the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The number of registered childminders has been in decline over recent years (almost 50% reduction nationally across 10 years). Within Renfrewshire there are currently 29 registered childminders.
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3.2 Professional childminders care for children from birth to 12 in their own homes. They are registered by the Care Inspectorate, a process which takes three to six months and includes training. 3.3 Childminding can provide a home-from-home experience where children can learn and play in mixed age groups. It can provide families greater flexibility in terms of start and pick-up times which is crucial for those working out-with ‘standard hours’. 3.4 Providing affordable and flexible childcare is a key pillar of the Scottish Governments Child Poverty strategy and Renfrewshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Plan. The economic impact of childcare matters because it helps drive the local economy. When parents can access childcare, they are more likely to access learning and training opportunities and/or enter the workforce and stay employed. 3.5 In response, last year, Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (RLEP) provided funding of £15,250 to SCMA (via its 2023/24 Employability Grants programme) to deliver a childminding recruitment campaign. The objective being to support residents into self-employment as childminders, whilst providing additional childcare places to enable more parents to access work. 3.6 The grant funding enabled SCMA to facilitate the training and support associated with becoming a childminder and provide grants of up to £1,000 per childminder, helping to cover the associated costs such as home adaptations and resource costs. SCMA ran similar locally developed recruitment campaigns in a limited number of other local authority areas, some part funded by the Scottish Government as pilots. 4. Overview of the new Scottish Government/SCMA programme. 4.1 The Scottish Governments ‘Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future’ which launched on the 5th June 2024, will build on learning from these pilots and will support a wider recruitment programme across Scotland where local authorities choose to participate and match fund. 4.2 In the case of Renfrewshire, where a recruitment programme was already in place, this will allow for an increase in the number of Renfrewshire places on the programme from the current target of 12, with the existing RLEP Employability Grants allocation acting as the match funding required. 4.3 The Scottish Government will now contribute funding to SCMA to cover £750 /head start-up grants alongside the administration costs of managing and delivering this programme. The RLEP Employability Grants funding will now cover the additional £250/head required to ensure the current grant of up to £1,000 in Renfrewshire is maintained. It will also cover the costs of the package of support and training (£325/head), providing everything needed to establish a new childminding business from home. 4.4 Addressing barriers to retention will also be critical to safeguarding the future of the child-minding workforce long-term. In addition to scaling up the recruitment model nationally, SCMA will be piloting a range of further measures via the Programme with a smaller number of councils.
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These trials will seek to explore different approaches to supporting childminders with their workloads and professional development, including a mentoring scheme. The location of these pilots is not yet known. 4.5 SCMA will provide regular reports to Renfrewshire LEP throughout delivery of this programme. _________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – No additional finance is sought. The RLEP Employability Grant paid to SCMA will provide the match funding required for 2024/25 and potentially beyond (dependent on uptake). 2. HR & Organisational Development –no impact. 3. Community/Council Planning –The Renfrewshire LEP will oversee delivery of the programme. 4. Legal – None. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact - None. 12. Childrens Rights – None. 13. COSLA Policy Position – Not Applicable. 14. Climate Risk – Not Applicable. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Ruth Cooper, Economic Development Manager; Email: ruth.cooper@renfrewshire.gov.uk