The Challenges of Childminding Take Centre Stage

A unique forum staged to highlight the important role played by Scotland's army of childminders has been voted a huge success.

The Care Commission's annual forum is its showpiece public event of the year and this year's theme, What is Good Childminding?, focussed on the recently published first ever national review of the quality of childminding in Scotland.
 
The forum was designed to allow parents, members of the public and childminders to actively engage with senior figures from the Care Commission, to highlight issues they feel passionately about as well discussing the findings of the review.

Pleasingly, 85 per cent of the delegates who attended, the vast majority of whom were childminders, voted the event as a major success by saying it fulfilled or mostly fulfilled their objectives.

On-the-day digital voting analysis, found (59 per cent) the quality of the speakers and a healthy eating demonstration by chefs from the Nick Nairn Cook School best events of the day. The workshop topics and facilitation also received strong endorsement with 69 per cent of delegates describing them as either 'good' or 'very good'.

Ronnie Hill, Director of Children's Services Regulation at the Care Commission, said the forum was ideal platform for everyone with an interest in childminding to raise issues, and to learn more about how the Commission can continue to improve the quality of service.

He said: "The Review of the Quality of Childminding gave us a national picture of the industry for the first time and has become a valuable tool to look at how we can continue to drive forward improvements in the sector in line with Scotland's National Care Standards.

"That's why it was important to follow up the review to engage with childminders at grassroots level to understand the key issues of most importance in the sector.  It's very pleasing therefore that 85 per cent of those attending said the event had fulfilled or mostly fulfilled their objectives of the day. The results of the forum will be used to inform and improve the regulation process with childminders.  It will also assist in promoting Scotland's National Care Standards and the quality of childminding."

A total of 196 delegates (with 79 per cent being childminders) attended the forum. As a direct consequence of the event, Ronnie Hill has been asked to speak at the next Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) conference on October 7.

Digital voting technology was used to obtain feedback on a range of questions relating to childminding services. A sample of questions and the responses posed on day included:

What could childminders do to improve the quality of their service?
Encourage more feedback from parents   65%
Provide access to specialist training   57%
Learn from other childminders    38%

What could the Care Commission do to improve how we regulate?
Make procedures easier for childminders  62%
Give more training and support with ChIS and SCMA 57%
Greater consistency in inspections   51%
(ChIS - Childcare Information Service)

What do you think builds parents' confidence in choosing a childminder?
How happy the children are    91%
Childminder's experience    73%
Good inspection report     38%

What makes childminding an attractive careeer?
Flexibility - being self employed                   40%
Working with children       34%
Personal satisfaction                                     22%  
      
Guest speakers at the conference - held at the Business and Learning Conference Centre, Lauder College, Dunfermline, on June 24 - included TV presenter Kaye Adams, who spoke candidly about her own experiences of childcare, Care Commission chief executive Jacquie Roberts and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People, Robert Brown. Experts from the Nick Nairn Cook School were also on hand to give demonstrations and advice to childminders about healthy eating for kids.

The recent national Review of the Quality of Childminding in Scotland, undertaken by the Care Commission, concluded that 97.4 per cent of parents were either happy or very happy with the service their childminder provides and that almost 79 per cent of childminding services required no intervention from the Care Commission.

Issued on behalf of the Care Commission by Holyrood Partnership. For further information call Raymond Notarangelo on 0131 561 2244 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it