'Radical' Childcare Changes Needed

The cost of childcare should be directly related to families' incomes, according to a major study.

The Commission for Childcare Reform says Scottish children should receive 50 hours a week of free or subsidised pre-school education.

It recommends a system that takes account of parents' income, with families never spending over 10% of their income:

• Families should be able to access up to 50 hours of free or subsidised childcare a week throughout the year.
• The net cost to parents of childcare should be on a sliding scale that takes account of income to ensure affordability for all families; and priority should be given to smoothing cost burdens for all families and supporting those families who live in or near poverty.
• A child account should be established for each child, to provide a transparent route through which all money (public or private) that is used to pay for, or subsidise, childcare is channelled to providers. 
• The Scottish Government, working with the UK Government, local authorities and providers, should commission a fundamental review of all aspects of the funding of childcare.

Commission for Childcare Reform chair Colin MacLean is a former Director of Financial Strategy at the Scottish Government.

Mr MacLean said: “Our report asks the Scottish Government to address the country’s ‘childcare challenge’, ie ensuring that when parents need to use childcare in order to work or study, they can access high-quality, affordable, flexible provision and be confident that it meets the needs of their child.

“Through 15 months of intense consultation work we have developed a series of recommendations which we believe identify the key issues in childcare and provide the template to meet that challenge.

“With the publication of our report, the recent report from Professor Siraj on workforce issues, widespread engagement of so many stakeholders in this debate, and a powerful commitment from government, employers, local authorities, providers and parents to make childcare work for families, we  believe the time is right for change. I hope the Scottish Government endorses  our long-term vision for childcare and take the steps to see it implemented.” 

The Commission was established by the Childcare Alliance, a network of partners drawn from civic society, business and the childcare sector, and led by Children in Scotland and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).

'Incoherent and piecemeal'

Children in Scotland Chief Executive Jackie Brock welcomed the report: “In Scotland in 2015 far too many families are finding that, instead of working for them, the childcare settlement is making their lives more difficult and less secure. The current mix of provision and support is incoherent and piecemeal, too often resulting in stress, financial problems and the hampering of progress in careers and education.” She said.

“The only realistic route to correcting this is for Holyrood and Westminster to collaborate, bringing forward the Commission’s calls and working together on policy and legislation to create the change families deserve.”

The Alliance plans to engage closely with the UK and Scottish Governments, and local government, in developing a national strategy for childcare, Ms Brock said. “We look forward to immediately planning next steps with the Scottish Government and local authorities.”  

SCDI Chief Executive Ross Martin said: “The depth and breadth of consultation work undertaken by the Commission gives this report unique merit and credibility, and their findings are all the more persuasive because of the way they have placed business development and the needs of employers at the core of offering solutions for parents and providers.”

The Alliance established the Commission in April 2014 with a brief to engage with Scottish civic society and business. It was asked to consider evidence from within Scotland and other countries, to develop advice on the key features of an excellent system of childcare provision and offer proposals for how that excellence might be achieved and paid for.