NDNA takes part in ELC hustings
Colleagues from NDNA Scotland took part in Scotland’s early learning and childcare hustings ahead of the election next month.
All the major parties from Holyrood were represented for a debate which covered expanding the current offer to families, addressing cross-border issues between councils and improving provision for additional support needs (ASN) in the early years.
NDNA presented our policy position on simplifying the funding system to enable parents to pay their choice of provider directly.
Representatives from the political parties were invited to set out their positions on funded childcare including the SNP and Greens who set out how they would expand the current offer.
Holly Bruce, current Glasgow city councilor, (Scottish Greens) explained that their policy was to expand the existing 1140 hours for three and four-year-olds to all two-year-olds in Scotland immediately. This would be followed by a plan to offer at least 570 hours a year to children from six months old on a universal basis.
Speaking for the SNP, Kaukab Stewart could not comment on the party’s full manifesto, which is expected later this week, but did reiterate their promise to spend a further £500m a year on childcare. This would ensure places from nine months old to the end of primary school, 52 weeks a year.
Vonnie Sandlan for Scottish Labour, highlighted that it was a Labour Government that was offering more childcare support in England and that the party would work to bring down the cost of living across the board, including on childcare. Labour, she said, would increase the value of Tax-Free Childcare by topping up the government contribution from 20% to 37.5% with a long-term goal to match the offer in England.
When asked about the Liberal Democrats’ policy position, Willie Rennie highlighted that he had been pushing the Scottish Government to go further for a number of years, especially around the support for two-year-olds from disadvantaged family backgrounds. He also wanted to ensure that private and voluntary nurseries were funded in a more equitable way. However, he cautioned that the public finances faced a £5 billion hole and that any promises had to be realistic and deliverable.
Finally, Graham Simpson for Reform was challenged on the absence of any mention of childcare in the party’s manifesto. He acknowledged it was a major concern for parents and families, emphasising the need to ensure parents had the ability to choose childcare that worked for them.
During the Q&A session, chaired by Prof Kezia Dugdale of Glasgow University’s Centre for Public Policy Unit, members of the audience questioned panelists about Pregnant then Screwed’s proposal for a “Childcare Guarantee”, which would cap costs at 5% of a household’s income, include better support for children with ASN and ensure national policy was delivered equally across 32 local authorities.
The panel also discussed NDNA’s proposal that funding should follow the child, giving parents direct control of childcare support through an online account. This could then be used by parents to allocate their funded entitlement to a provider, or providers, of their choice.
Each panelist expressed support for ideas that could improve how childcare funding is administered and for tackling challenges around parental. After the event, the NDNA team engaged with panel members to further champion our manifesto calls.
Download NDNA’s Manifesto here – https://ndna.org.uk/ndna-launches-scotland-manfesto-best-start/
Watch the full recording – https://youtube.com/live/fSTnF53lYC4
Read more about Pregnant then Screwed’s Childcare Guarantee here – https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/scotlands-childcare-guarantee/
- Scotland
- Childcare Offer
- Early Learning and Childcare
- early years
- ELC
- NDNA
- Scotland
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