Education Children and Young People Committee calls for mapping exercise
The Education, Children and Young People Committee has written to the Cabinet Secretary, Shirley Anne Somerville to request a mapping exercise to establish the impact of movement of staff from PVI to Local Authority settings on the success of the delivery of the 1140 hours policy.
This decision follows on from NDNA’s Director of Policy and Communications, Jonathan Broadbery’s attendance at the committee meeting on 25 May 2022.
The letter stated that the committee had heard from NDNA that there is “currently a crisis in the ELC workforce” caused by the expansion in local authority employment. NDNA also presented evidence that underfunding is an ongoing concern for many in the sector, with a number who are operating at a loss.
NDNA’s Chief Executive, Purnima Tanuku OBE said: “The expansion of funded early learning and childcare in Scotland has really positive aims in delivering accessible and affordable childcare for families.
“However, for years we have been providing evidence from the sector that the policy isn’t working on the ground. That has been clear in the committee hearings. We welcome the fact that this will be looked at in detail on the back of these recommendations.
“Unfortunately, private and voluntary settings cannot offer the wages that are available in Local Authority settings and staff are being tempted away from the sector for better paying, less stressful roles. Private and voluntary nurseries deliver almost one third of the country’s funded childcare places while only receiving a fifth of council budgets. For settings to be able to provide the best care for children in the most important years of their lives, they must be able to recruit and maintain the trained staff they require, without fear of losing them.
“Without urgent changes to the system, the policy cannot be provider natural, offer genuine parental choice and most importantly, have funding follow each child.”
- Scotland
- Education Children and Young People Committee
- Jonathan Broadbery
- Purnima Tanuku
- Shirley Anne Somerville
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