Members of Scotland’s Childcare Alliance call for all political parties to agree to implement Commission For Childcare Reform recommendations
Scotland’s leading children’s charities have united to challenge political parties standing in next year’s Scottish parliamentary election to stop using childcare as a political football and agree to implement the recommendations made last month by the Commission For Childcare Reform.
Scotland’s Childcare Alliance members Aberlour, Barnardos Scotland, Children 1st, NSPCC Scotland, One Parent Families Scotland and Parenting Across Scotland have penned a joint open letter to all parties publicly challenging them to “take the politics out of childcare” and “find consensus around an issue which affects so many families in this country.”
The commission, which was headed up by Colin McLean, criticised the current system as “complicated” and called for radical action to transform childcare in Scotland in its report published on 25 June.
Reforms proposed included every child up to the age of 12, including pre-nursery age children, being entitled to up to 50 hours a week of free or subsidised childcare.
The net costs to parents should be on a sliding scale that takes account of income to ensure affordability for all families, with a long term aim of no family spending more than 10% of net household income on the costs of their 50 hours childcare entitlement.
Scotland can do without more party political divisions on universally funded childcare hours, but it cannot do without a shift in how we deliver childcare
The letter’s signatories point to the increase of the care leaving age in Scotland being down to parties putting aside their difference and unifying around a radical vision and called for a similar consensus around the future of childcare.
The letter reads: “These (McLean’s recommendations) offer us a bold and innovative vision for the shake up and redesign of our childcare system in a way that will better answer the needs of all children and parents, meeting childcare requirements with flexibility and increased choice.
“Delivery of this vision will require co-operation across the political spectrum – it will also demand real collaboration and greater flexibility by those tasked to provide childcare – and local authorities must lead the transformation – starting with their own services.
“To this end we ask all of Scotland’s political parties to commit, over the life of the next parliament, to delivering the vision laid out in the recommendations of the McLean commission.
“Scotland can do without more party political divisions on universally funded childcare hours, but it cannot do without a comprehensive and transformative shift in how we deliver childcare in this country.”
One of the first MSPs to publically back the alliance’s call was Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone.
She said: "As well as finding common ground at a political level we must strive for a joined up approach across local, Scottish and UK governments."
Letter in full
An open challenge to Scotland’s political parties: take the politics out of childcare
As attention shifts to the 2016 Scottish parliamentary election, the territories over whichthis campaign will be fought have already started to emerge. How we answer themany challenges around the delivery of affordable, high quality childcare for amodern Scotland is clearly an area likely to create debate but we believe it istime to take party politics out of that debate and place the needs of childrenat the very centre.
As Scotland’s leading charities, working with children and families we have come together, as members of Scotland’s Childcare Alliance, to publicly challenge every political party contesting this election to take the politics out of childcare and find consensus around an issue which affects so many families in this country.
Throughout successive elections and even in the recent independence referendum, the provision of more comprehensive, universally funded childcare has been a key offer from parties setting out their political wares. But the issue is far more complex than the number of funded hours on offer and a more mature and sophisticated approach is required.
On 25 June, the commission on childcare reform, headed up by Colin McLean, published its final report and recommendations. These offer us a bold and innovative vision for the shake up and redesign of our childcare system in a way that will better answer the needs of all children and parents, meeting childcare requirements with flexibility and increased choice. Delivery of this vision will require co-operation across the political spectrum – it will also demand real collaboration and greater flexibility by those tasked to provide childcare – and Local Authorities must lead the transformation – starting with their own services. We know from past experience that political consensus can move mountains. Parliament successfully increased the care leaving age precisely because parties put aside their differences and unified around a radical vision for how we support looked after children. It is clear that we need similar consensus around the future of childcare.
To this end we ask all of Scotland’s political parties to commit, over the life of the next parliament, to delivering the vision laid out in the recommendations of the McLean commission. Scotland can do without more party political divisions on universally funded childcare hours, but it cannot do without a comprehensive and transformative shift in how we deliver childcare in this country.
SallyAnn Kelly, chief executive Aberlour; MartinCrewe, director, Barnardos Scotland;Alison Todd, chief executive, Children1st;Matt Forde, director, NSPCC Scotland;Ann McKenzie, deputy director, One Parent Families Scotland;Clare Simpson, project manager, Parenting Across Scotland.
