Out of School Care Workforce Survey

Our survey has been conducted annually for more than 12 years and it is the definitive information and data resource about the out of school care workforce in Scotland.

In addition to our usual set of question looking at pay and conditions etc, we are asking some about the impact of the COVID pandemic on the workforce's physical, and mental, health and wellbeing. We are also seeking your views on the current suite of registerable qualifications and their impact on practice.

Of course, we understand if you prefer not to answer some of the COVID questions however all answers are treated in strictest confidence and anonymised in the final collated results.

Complete the survey online here:

https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/cZwmSLel

Paper copies of this survey have been posted out to all SOSCN OSC service members, so if you have a service then you should be receiving these in the mail shortly.

If you would prefer to download a copy to print out yourself, or require additional paper copies, then these can be downloaded from here:

https://soscn.org/downloads/news/osc-workforce-survey-2021.pdf

Economic Benefits of School Age Childcare – Literature Review (September 2021)

This review was undertaken as part of the Analytical Exchange 2021 Programme- the first link is a summary of themes coming from the literature and the second is a database summarising the main points of each article. Both these links will potentially be useful to anyone undertaking research on school age childcare as part of a qualification.

https://soscn.org/downloads/news/benefits-of-OSC-summary-of-the-literature.pdf

https://soscn.org/downloads/news/benefits-of-OSC-literature-database.pdf

Langside After School Care Club Association - COP 26

The children at Lascca have been looking at the climate crisis recently and have taken it upon themselves to take part in COP 26.

Here's some words from Sheena from LASCCA:

“ The children were interested in expressing their views through art and joining the conversation around COP 26.

“ Using a variety of mediums they designed posters and stickers illustrating their concern about the impact of climate change on animals' natural habitats and environments around the world.

“ The children were so excited and suggested taking their posters to do a protest outside Langside halls.

“ A giant rainbow was installed there as part of COP 26 made from 2500 brightly coloured recycled drink cans.

“ Lascca staff facilitated this the following day. It was a perfect backdrop for the children to make their case for climate change: https://twitter.com/LASCCA4/status/1456297069518462984?s=20

“ This was child led, they made their own slogans and it was just so impressive.”

Members' Stories - Partnership Work at Croftfoot Primary School Ensures 2021 was a Summer of Fun

By Margaret McKenzie, Croftfoot Aftie Manager

Croftfoot Aftie is based in the southside of Glasgow and like most out of school care services at the moment is struggling with ongoing financial sustainability.

In March 2020 all staff apart from the manager were put on furlough. However, after funding was made available from Glasgow City Council, the service re-opened to provide critical childcare. This funding met the daily running costs and sustained the service throughout summer 2020 and through to the second lockdown.

Once able to fully re-open after the second lockdown, numbers were dramatically reduced- from a pre-pandemic service which had a waiting list and 40 children attending on a daily basis, there were now only 9 to 12 children attending. Sustainability was an increasing concern, however the financial support from the Scottish Government helped maintain the service until the summer holidays.

SUMMER 2021- GET INTO SUMMER FUNDING

Due to the low numbers of children attending, it was becoming increasingly evident that the out of school care would not be able to sustain the June-August 2021 summer period; with this in mind the manager met with the Head Teacher of Croftfoot Primary School, where the service is based. At this meeting, the Head Teacher and service discussed the possibility of accessing the Get into Summer Grant which Glasgow was distributing through education settings.

Working in partnership, the Head Teacher applied for funding to enable Croftfoot Primary children whose health and wellbeing had been affected by the lockdowns to attend the out of school care over the holiday. The bid was successful and this enabled the school to purchase 31 weekly childcare places throughout the summer.

Every day the children participated in activities where they learned and developed new skills and went on trips to places they had never visited before- highlights included the children designing and making their own clothes for a fashion show, and a private tour of Glasgow in the open-top bus which collected them from the school. Children also designed and produced a 'back to school' banner which was then displayed in the local supermarket.

Feedback from parents and children about the summer was very positive:

“My children looked forward going to the Aftie each and enjoyed every minute of their time there and didn't want to leave at pick-up time. The staff are always friendly helpful and nurturing towards my children.”

“My children loved learning new skills, in particular, learning to use the sewing machine. It was great to see the creations from the fashion show. Staff go above and beyond to plan lots of fun activities for the children. Keep up the good work.”

“I loved being outside and playing on the monkey bars, going to Flipout, bowling and going on the open-top bus.”

“I loved making new friends, using Hama beads and going on the big red bus. My least favourite thing was getting picked up to go home.”

The service was able to provide both funded and place paid-for by parents, and without the grant-funded places the service would have run at a major loss which would have affected the overall sustainability of the service.

PARTNERSHIP & POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY

This is not the first time that the Afite and school have worked in partnership- it is a regular occurrence. When the service re-opened for critical childcare the Aftie applied for money to purchase equipment to build an outdoor learning play area for the children. The Head Teacher gave the Aftie a designated area and the Aftie were able to install mud kitchens, a shelter and storage benches. The school has also given the Aftie one of the school allotments to grow their own plants. All the children who attend the school can get the benefit of the outdoor play area during the day and then the children who attend the Aftie get the benefit after school.

'Not just a dream'- innovative solutions to difficulties with premises online sharing session and Q&A

Thursday 2nd December, 10.30am - 12pm. Cost: £6

Book a place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/not-just-a-dream-innovative-solutions-to-difficulties-with-premises-tickets-198242838667

How many of you dream of having your own space? We know that issues with premises are major: the insecure lets, sudden increased costs, lack of storage space, restrictions on activities and access can all have an impact on the running of your out of school care service.

In this information-sharing and Q&A session we shall hear from two services: Clarkston After School Service and KLAS Care CiC which have made the dream a reality by leaving shared premises and developing their own buildings and outdoor space. The services will share their journey from the beginning to the present, including the difficulties that needed to be overcome.

Although both developments took a lot of work, which is ongoing, the services' dedication and commitment to making their dream a reality shows that it is not impossible.

Come along on the 2nd December to find out how they did it and the benefits to the services.

SOSCN letter to Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy

Earlier this month, SOSCN CEO Irene Audain wrote directly to Kate Forbes MSP Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy to highlight the financial crisis the sector is facing (alongside the potential impact on children and families, and the wider economy if services close) and the need for immediate financial support. The letter was also been copied to Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister.

Link to letter:

https://soscn.org/downloads/news/soscn-letter-to-kate-forbes-cabinet-secretary-for-fiance-and-the-economy.pdf

This is an open letter so please feel free to share with staff, committee members and parents. If you are facing the possibility of closure without additional financial support we ask you to encourage parents to write directly to Ms Forbes as well as Clare Haughey MSP (Minister for Children and Young People) highlighting the impact on their family if their school age childcare is lost.

Two new consultation responses by SOSCN

Download these here:

Coronavirus recover consultation: https://soscn.org/downloads/consultations/coronavirus-recovery-consultation-soscn.pdf

National Care Service consultation: https://soscn.org/downloads/consultations/national-care-service-consultation-response-soscn.pdf

Education reform consultation on behalf of Professor Ken Muir, University of the West of Scotland and Independent Advisor to the Scottish Government

This consultation closes on 26th November 2021. Services, staff, children and parents might be interested in giving their views on this, if you do, please copy us in.

https://consult.gov.scot/learning-directorate/independent-education-reform-review/

Assessment of wellbeing - draft statutory guidance: consultation

Published: 1 Nov 2021

Closing date: 4 Feb 2022

This consultation paper is for the public consultation on draft statutory guidance on assessment of wellbeing, as required in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Please respond to this consultation using the Scottish Government's consultation hub, Citizen Space (http://consult.gov.scot). Access and respond to this consultation online at https://consult.gov.scot/children-and-families/assessment_of_wellbeing. You can save and return to your responses while the consultation is still open. Please ensure that consultation responses are submitted before the closing date of 4 February 2022.

Further information: https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-statutory-guidance-assessment-wellbeing/

Care Inspectorate Personal Planning Guides for Providers

There is a growing commitment to shift from input health and social care systems to a system that will focus on personal outcomes for people who experience care. This means services have to record and measure ‘what matters' to a person in order to demonstrate how they are meeting their personal outcomes.

The aim of these guides are to support staff in services to develop personal plans for children, young people and adults. These have been developed collaboratively by colleagues within the early learning and childcare, children and young people, and adults' inspection teams. National policy, legislation, evidence-based practice and real-life examples of people experiencing care have underpinned the development of the guides.

Who are the guides for?

These guides are for managers and their staff to help improve how personal planning is undertaken. It will help inspectors evaluate personal plans in a more consistent way during scrutiny and improvement work. Personal plan guid for early learning and childcare settings is relevant to school age childcare, childminders and early years settings.

Download a copy of Personal Plan Guide for Early Learning and Childcare Settings:

https://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/4653/personal-plans-guide-elc-final-13102021.pdf

Scottish Government COVID-19 eLearning Module

Scottish Government have created a Covid-19 eLearning Module for staff in registered childcare settings. It'll help you understand Covid-19 and how it spreads; what actions you should take to keep yourself and others safe and provides info on testing, self-isolation and vaccination.

https://rise.articulate.com/share/nfwZiw2zUtjRRpduj38Fnh-SOg0wX1-s