scotland!must!commit! · 4! making!2016!the!childcare!election!...

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Making!2016!the!Childcare!Election! Scottish!Parliament!Elections!on!5!May!

For!almost!two!years,!FFFOK!has!been!a!leader!in!the!campaign!for!affordable,!flexible!childcare!in!Scotland.!As!a!final!act!before!closing!its!doors,!the!parentGled!group!is!issuing!4!key!pledges!it!wants!all!the!parties!

to!sign!up!to!before!the!May!elections.!!!

The!4!pledges!!1. Stop!focusing!on!free!

hours.!They!are!not!the!whole!answer.!

2. Agree!to!work!with!other!parties!to!develop!a!tenGyear!plan!for!transformation.!

3. Commit!to!the!capital!expenditure!needed!to!deliver!the!plan.!

4. Put!in!place!an!interim!measure!to!help!the!children!who!are!missing!out!now.!!

“Affordable+childcare+is+probably+the+most+important+single+domestic+issue+in+Scotland.++But+if+the+…+insistence+on+universal+free+provision+actually+hinders+its+rollout,+we+might+wait+

years+or+even+decades+for+a+scheme+that+offers+a+high>quality+place+to+every+child”++–+Lesley+Riddoch,+The+National+Dec+2015+

>++

Scotland!must!commit!to!a!10Gyear!plan!to!transform!childcare!Scotland!has!some!of!the!highest!childcare!costs!in!Europe.!For!many!families!childcare!is!the!single!biggest!expense!each!month.!And!in!terms!of!building!Scotland!for!the!future,!report!after!report!has!shown!that!affordable!childcare!is!key!to!addressing!poverty,!educational!attainment,!and!gender!and!class!inequality.!

For!two!years,!Fair!Funding!For!Our!Kids!has!campaigned!for!every!three!and!four!year!old!to!get!what!they!are!already'entitled'to:!600!hours!of!free!childcare!each!year.!We!are!an!independent!group!of!parents!in!the!main!(mostly!mums)!but!also!include!some!grandparents!and!nursery!providers.!The!last!two!years!have!been!enlightening!and!sometimes!alarming.!Our!experiences!have!not!reflected!well!on!policy!delivery!in!modern!Scotland.!

The!current!system!is!not!working!and!it!is!a!postcode!lottery!whether!a!child!actually!receives!their!place.!Data!collection!on!the!policy!is!poor!so!noGone!even!knows!how!many!children!are!missing!out.!We!believe!it!is!in!the!region!of!1!in!5.!This!document!explains!what!we!think!Scotland!needs!to!do!to!sort!it!out.!!

Find!out!more!inside...!

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Making!2016!the!Childcare!Election! Scottish!Parliament!Elections!–!May!2015!

What'is'wrong'with'the'current'system?'For!a!start!it!is!so!complicated!that!few!people!know!what!their!children!are!legally!entitled!to!or!how!they!should!get!it.!

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The!Children!and!Young!People’s!Act!2014!guarantees!every!three!and!fourGyear!old!600!hours!free!childcare!per!year.!Last!year!the!First!Minister!promised!to!double!this!to!1140!hours!by!2020.!The!‘free!hours’!promise!is!made!at!Holyrood!level!–!but!it!is!local!councils!who!are!responsible!for!delivering!for!every!child!in!their!area.!There!is!no!single!person!at!the!centre!accountable!for!making!it!work!across!Scotland!and!as!a!result!councils!do!it!differently,!paying!different!amounts,!providing!different!arrangements.!It!is!literally!a!postcode!lottery!whether!a!child!can!access!their!entitlement.!

In!these!times!of!austerity,!councils!seem!more!and!more!to!comply!with!the!letter!rather!than!the!spirit!of!the!law.!All!each!council!need!do!is!show!it!has!more!spaces!on!its!books!than!it!has!children!living!in!the!area.!It!does!not!have!to!show!that!these!places!are!or!can!be!used!by!all!those!children.!And!so!councils!offer!the!vast!majority!of!the!‘Free!places’!as!rigid!slots!of!3!hours!ten!minutes!in!council!nurseries.!!These!are!every!morning!or!every!afternoon,!during!termGtime!only,!usually!with!no!option!for!parents!to!buy!extra!topGup!hours!to!cover!the!working!day!or!to!bundle!their!hours!together.!In!effect!these!places!are!unusable!for!many!children!with!working!parents!but!the!council!pays!for!the!places!whether!or!not!children!use!them.!They!are!basically!the!capacity!figures!for!the!council!nursery!estate.!In!Glasgow!for!example,!the!council’s!own!figures!show!a!third!of!such!places!remain!empty.!

Most!councils!also!buy!extra!spaces!at!private!‘partnership!nurseries’!but!the!number!they!buy!is!often!decided!without!any!reference!to!how!many!eligible!children!already!go!there.!At!many!partnership!nurseries!there!are!more!eligible!

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children!than!funded!places!and!the!nursery!must!decide!who!gets!the!funding.!

It!has!been!suggested!that!childminders!could!be!the!solution.!Not!all!councils!let!parents!access!their!entitlement!through!childminders!and!there!are!only!5,400!registered!in!the!whole!of!Scotland!to!cover!all!ages.!This!is!a!drop!in!the!ocean.!Recent!plans!to!more!strictly!regulate!childminders!seem!likely!to!reduce!the!numbers,!at!least!in!the!short!term.!

In!real!life,!every!three!and!four!year!old!has!been!promised!a!free!place!for!600!hours!a!year!but!to!get!it!she!must!either!use!a!rigid!slot!of!3!hours!10!minutes!every!morning!or!every!afternoon!during!term!time!only!at!the!council!nursery!–!which!is!impossible!for!many!children!with!working!parents.!Or!she!has!to!secure!a!funded!place!at!a!partnership!nursery.!If!she!is!already!settled!at!another!nursery!not!in!partnership!with!the!council,!she!will!get!nothing!at!all!G!unless!her!parents!move!her!to!a!nursery!with!funding.!And!for!children!who!live!in!one!council!area!but!need!to!attend!nursery!in!another!there!is!no!mechanism!to!have!their!home!council!pay!for!their!nursery!place!in!another!council!area.!These!children!are!increasingly!falling!through!the!gaps!as!councils!look!for!ways!to!cut!their!costs.!

It'shouldn’t'matter'where'a'child'lives.'This'is'supposed'to'be'a'universal'entitlement,'Scotland>wide.''

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Parents!saying!they!used!the!free!childcare!entitlement!–!

Scottish!Govt!survey!Dec!2015!

86.4% !

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Four!pledges!for!childcare!Stop'focusing'on'‘free'hours’.''

It!is!overGsimplistic.!If!families!can’t!use!their!free!hours!then!they!get!nothing.!The!‘Free!hours’!policy!does!not!in!itself!

deliver!affordability!or!flexibility!and!the!focus!on!free!hours!is!strangling!real!change!in!Scotland’s!childcare!system.!

Commit'to'a'ten>year'plan'to'transform'Scotland’s'childcare'system.''

Real!transformation!needs!a!longGterm!strategic!plan.!In!the!last!Parliament!there!were!at!least!three!major!reports!into!different!aspects!of!childcare:!affordability,!staffing!and!quality.!Bring!those!reports!together!and!spend!the!first!two!years!of!the!next!Parliament!coming!up!with!an!overarching!vision!for!childcare!in!Scotland.!Then!work!out!what!it!needs!to!work,!how!much!it!will!cost!and!the!best!way!of!splitting!the!cost!between!the!state!and!individuals!to!deliver!it!in!ten!years!–!the!lifetime!of!two!and!a!half!Parliaments.!If!all!the!Parties!commit!to!such!a!plan,!right!away!it!requires!everyone!to!rein!back!on!some!of!the!party!tribalism!that!currently!holds!Scotland!back.!

Commit'to'the'capital'investment'required'to'support'the'new'system.''

Fair!Funding!For!Our!Kids!counted!all!the!nursery!spaces!in!Scotland!from!the!Care!Inspectorate!website:!council,!partnership!,!nonGpartnership!and!playgroups.!Even!if!councils!used!every!single!space!to!deliver!the!promise!of!1,140!free!hours!by!the!end!of!2020,!Scotland!would!still!be!26,000!places!short.!With!an!average!of!40!children!in!a!nursery,!this!means!650!new!nurseries!minimum,!before!you!factor!in!variations!in!demand,!geographical!spread!or!people!looking!for!nursery!places!outside!the!‘free!place’!promise.!A!tenGyear!plan!to!transform!the!system!must!be!matched!by!a!plan!for!capital!building.!

Don’t'abandon'the'kids'who'are'three'and'four'now.!!

They!can’t!wait!ten!years.!The!law!guarantees!a!free!nursery!place!now.!The!politicians!need!to!admit!it!has!been!harder!to!

do!than!expected!and!put!an!interim!measure!in!place.!(1)Require!councils!to!stop!capping!the!number!of!funded!places!for!three!and!fourGyear!olds!in!nonGcouncil!nurseries.!It’s!not!a!free!place!but!it!is!a!big!help!to!hardGpressed!families.!(2)!Create!a!system!to!ensure!children!from!one!council!area!needing!to!go!to!nursery!in!another!do!not!miss!out.!(3)!Put!one!person!in!charge!of!ScotlandGwide!consistency.!'

!The!real!problem!with!the!way!we!currently!approach!our!childcare!system!is!that!it!isn’t!really!‘a!system’!at!all.!It!is!an!incoherent!collection!of!policies!and!structures,!built!up!over!two!or!three!decades.!!

No!one!person!is!in!charge!and!there!is!no!consistency!of!application.!

Money!is!announced!centrally!but!not!ringGfenced!so!there!is!no!way!to!ensure!it!isn’t!diverted!elsewhere!by!cashGstrapped!councils.!!

NoGone!even!knows!how!many!children!are!actually!getting!their!entitlement.!!

The!First!Minister!has!previously!quoted!96.6!per!cent,!but!this!relates!to!registrations!not!children.!!These!same!statistics!show!110'per'cent!of!three!year!olds!are!getting!their!places.!

People’s!lived!experience,!surveys!by!the!National!Day!Nursery!Association,!Fair!Funding’s!own!surveys!and!even!a!littleGpublicised!survey!by!the!Scottish!Government!itself!last!year,!all!suggest!nearer!1!in!5!children!!are!missing!out.!!

Q:'When'is'a'system'not'a'system?'

A:'When'it’s'Scottish'childcare'

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Nullam!suscipit!neque!in!ligula.!Duis!lectus.!Curabitur!ornare,!magna!iaculis!sodales!placerat,!

nisi!tellus!sollicitudin!sapien,!eu!cursus!pede!justo!ut!nulla.!Nullam!in!magna!adipiscing!

ipsum!fringilla!iaculis.!

Mythbusting!and!factfinding!!

MYTH'1:'Private'nurseries'are'the'same'as'private'schools.'No!they’re!not.!They!are!the!only'option!for!families!who!cannot!work!around!the!rigid!slots!provided!by!council!nurseries.!'

MYTH'2:'Being'a'partnership'nursery'generates'a'profit'for'the'owner.'No!it!doesn’t.!The!money!does!not!move!through!the!system!in!the!same!way!across!Scotland!as!in!England.!In!most!local!authorities!parents!must!meet!the!full!cost!of!their!partnership!nursery!place!up!front.!They!get!a!proportion!back!from!the!council!through!the!nursery!but!no!public!money!ends!up!with!the!nursery!at!all.!Being!a!partnership!nursery!is!too!often!a!whole!lot!of!hassle!for!no!reward.'

MYTH'3:'A'partnership'place'is'free.'No!it’s!not.!The!only!free!places!are!in!council!nurseries.!Parents!pay!upfront!for!their!partnership!place!and!then!get!a!smaller!amount!back.!This!could!be!as!little!as!£1,600!per!year!when!the!average!cost!(according!to!the!Families!and!Child!Care!Trust)!is!closer!to!£2,400.'

MYTH'4:'It’s'just'a'problem'for'middle>class'career>woman'mums.!No!it!isn’t.!The!current!policy!conceals!the!number!of!

Goodbye!from!the!campaign!!Many!of!the!original!Fair!Funding!Kids!have!now!started!school!and!the!lives!of!the!original!parents!have!also!moved!on.!The!time!has!come!for!this!generation!of!FFFOKers!to!take!a!break.!

Thank!you!to!everyone!who!has!supported!us,!signing!the!petition,!liking!our!Facebook!page,!waving!placards!and!emailing!councillors!and!MSPs.!Thank!you!also!to!those!who!generously!hosted!our!meetings!and!the!press!who!reported!on!our!stories.!It’s!fair!to!say!we!became!the!experts!on!what!is!really!happening!with!childcare!in!Scotland.!!

Which!is!why!we!finish!by!asking!all!the!parties!to!sign!up!to!a!tenGyear!plan!to!transform!Scottish!childcare;!To!build!a!crossGparty!consensus!that!will!deliver!the!childcare!revolution!Scotland’s!families!need!and!Scotland’s!children!deserve!over!two!and!a!half!parliaments.!!

Ditch!the!focus!on!scoring!political!points!and!focus!on!results.!Too!much!in!modern!Scotland!is!being!held!back!by!political!tribalism!at!all!levels.!Open!debate!is!stifled!by!!ideological!soundbite!solutions.!

FFFOK!has!been!a!diverse!mix!of!people!with!different!backgrounds!and!political!views.!We!kept!united!by!focusing!on!facts!and!results.!If!we!can!do!it!for!our!children,!perhaps!then,!our!politicians!can!too.!

1. Will!children!be!able!to!access!their!childcare!in!a!way!that!fits!with!their!parents’!work?!

2. How!many!new!nurseries!will!you!need!to!build!by!when?!3. How!many!new!staff!will!you!need!to!train!and!employ,!and!

by!when?!4. How!much!will!it!cost!to!set!up!all!the!new!nurseries!and!

then!to!run!the!new!system!every!year?!5. How!will!you!make!sure!the!money!gets!spent!on!childcare!

and!isn’t!diverted!elsewhere!to!help!councils!deal!with!massive!cuts?!

Over!the!last!two!years!Fair!Funding!For!Our!Kids!has!met!many!senior!politicians!and!decisionGmakers.!There!is!no!doubt!affordable!childcare!is!on!the!agenda,!but!at!every!level!there!are!myths!and!misconceptions!about!the!way!the!system!works.!!

Five!questions!to!ask!your!local!candidates!to!see!if!they!really!

have!a!childcare!plan…!

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scotland!must!commit! · 4! making!2016!the!childcare!election!...

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