A campaign to recruit more childminders across Scotland has been launched after figures revealed numbers have almost halved in a decade.
The Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) has launched a 12-week campaign this week hoping to recruit 1,000 childminders in the next three years as a national priority.
It comes after the number of childminders dropped from 6,274 in December 2012 to 3,530 in December 2022, according to figures obtained by Scottish Labour in March 2024.
The latest data shows the figure has dropped further, with 3,225 people working in the profession in December of last year.
With a decrease in those going into the profession and an increase in those leaving, the SCMA is looking ahead at the future of Scotland’s childminding industry by recruiting and retaining staff.
Aberdeen-based mother Claire Robertson has been working in the childminding industry for the past 12 years and says she couldn’t encourage people enough to join the “most rewarding” profession.
STV NewsShe told STV News: “I wanted more flexibility to be at home with the kids and just loved working with kids, it was a natural progression to go into childcare. I think the one-to-one care we can offer is fantastic.”
Claire left the energy industry after the birth of her son and was able to begin working as a childminder, which is a career she felt drawn to.
“It is hard work, working with any young children. But it’s so rewarding seeing these young children arriving at your house and then leaving to go to school, seeing their development.’’
In the past number of years, there has been a considerable decline in the number of childcare services, with childminders seeing the biggest fall.
The biggest drop was in the Shetland Islands which had a percentage fall of 75%, followed by the Western Isles, which lost over half of its services.
The Highlands, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire also saw a significant drop.
The Scottish Childminding Association say an ageing workforce and challenges surrounding the expansion of the funded early learning and childcare are among the issues facing the industry.
STV NewsMore than £1m of Scottish Government funding will back the campaign to recruit more childminders to the profession, with pilot programmes being adapted by many local authorities across the country.
Graeme McAlister, CEO of Scottish Childminding Association said: “It’s not going to solve everything but it’s a really significant step in the sense that the child-minding workforce has been declining dramatically.
“We have engaged with the Scottish Government and they have listened and responded.
“We will work as hard as we can to hit those numbers but there also needs to be wider work looking at what else needs to be done to make the profession more attraction and to support families and to support childminders.”
Natalie Don MSP, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, emphasised the importance of Government funding to support the sector.
She said: “We have worked very hard with the SCMA to understand some of the concerns they have and also on the areas where they feel priorities should be in terms how they could be supported.
“Looking at things like more help with professional development, practical support, the piloting of funded time off the floor and mentoring schemes.”
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