Children, Young People and Families Citywide Forum ELC sub group meeting

Monday 11th September 2pm – Albany Centre

Present: Liann Weir, CrossReach Daisy Chain; Christine Forbes, Quarriers Nursery; Millie McLachlan, Scottish Childminding Association; Alison Mason. Rosemount Lifelong Learning;
Audrey Anderson, Early Years Scotland

In attendance: Laura Dover (GCVS), Suzie Scott (GCVS).

Apologies:Biba Devine, Stepping Stones for Families; Mandy Morrison, Quarriers

  1. Role and Remit

Suzie began with the meeting by outlining the role and remit of the group: to respond to the emerging issues nationally and to provide a voice for the 3rd sector in Glasgow’s childcare strategy. She commented on the emerging ELC strategy in Glasgow and the potential role for the sub-group in contributing this strategy and moving forward with the action plan outlined in the GCVS ELC research summary.

It was suggested that the group would meet occasionally but do most of its work by email and this was generally agreed.

  1. Everyone’s Children Research

Laura gave an outline of the Everyone’s Children research into third sector childcare in Glasgow and the findings, which informed the ELC action plan.

Everyone agreedthat there was a need for organisations like GCVS to pursue the wider funding issues on behalf of the third sector. Alison said that GCC pays for funded places retrospectively so nurseries have either to charge parents and then refund or face serious cash flow problems. Millie said that childminders faced similar difficulties. The group said that they were willing to be part of a delegation to discuss such issues, if necessary.

There were concerns that the leadership of the GCC Childcare Strategy by Regeneration Services and CEIS means that the council agenda is business driven rather than third sector orientated. There was a general view that the third sector organisations would welcome GCVS support to expand and develop – a couple had experience of the ‘Ready for Business’ model and felt that it was not well suited to the third sector.

Suzie said that GCVS has offered to provide skills development, Employer and business development support to the sector. GCVS has submitted an offer to be a partner in the strategy and has been invited to attend the next Childcare Strategy group with GCC on 4th October.

The group commended the GCVS’s evening training programme and agreed to make suggestions for future sessions. Liann said that she had contacts within Crossreach who may be able to deliver a session on ‘Messy’ Play. Suzie said that PEEK had also offered support for an outdoor play session.

The group was supportive of GCVS’s planned briefing on the National Care Standards and the proposal to create an advisory role to help with the Standards and support organisations with quality improvement. Christine said she would welcome more input to help organisations with Care Inspectorate registration and inspections. Millie said that the Care Inspectorate are already changing their approach to become more supportive and inspectors attend childminder induction sessions. Action: Laura to ask Care Inspectorate if they could deliver a further briefing session on Preparing for Inspection.

  1. Everyone’s Children Childcare Pilots

More details about the potential childcare pilots was requested and Suzie explained that the Scotstoun and Govanhill had been suggested. However, discussions with GCC were still under way.

Suzie went on to explain that there was a shortage of nursery places in the Scotstoun area as although there are many organisation working with children and families in the area, there is no funded nursery and parents were being directed to Jordanhill, Hyndland and Drumchapel which are not easily accessible.

Liann added that there are 2 nurseries in Govanhill which are full, and Roma families often do not want to send their children outwith the community so three and four year olds were being taken on by CrossReach Daisy Chain. Crossreach are not partnership nursery, and they are currently in talks with GCC about how to manage this situation.

Audrey said that Early Years Scotland have received partnership funding to provide parent-child sessions in Drumchapel and Arden for eligible 2 year olds where the parents stay for part of the session. Liann said that CrossReach were using a very similar model but were outwith the funded entitlement as parents stayed for the full session.She was keen to explore how to create a model, which would attract funded places.

There was discussion about mosques and religious organisations running small-scale crèche’s and parent and toddler groups. Some third sector ethnic minority organisations had expressed interest in childminding. This gave rise to the suggestion of a potential pilot in Govanhill involving recruitment of ethnic minority childminders. Millie said that the SCMA would be interested in partnership working on this.

Alison said that there were also language barriers experienced by parents in the north east, where Rosemount operates. Many children there cannot get into council nurseries due to a lack of places. Millie said that the SCMA community childminding initiative now operates in this area.

  1. GCC pilots

GCC are about to launch pilot ‘co-operative’ models in Jordanhill, Garrowhill and Pollok.

It was observed by those who had attended the initial meeting for the Jordanhill pilot that the meeting has been very business-orientated. Although the funding issue had been raised, GCC did not yet have a solution to wage differentials between the public sector and the private and third sector.

Millie said that some organisations seemed to be more aware of the planned pilots than others and that there was a possibility not enough providers would get on board to make the pilot work. The Jordanhill pilot is more concerned with building new premises than the Pollok and Garrowhill pilots, but as yet GCC are unclear as to what the boundaries of Jordanhill are and which organisations should be included.

Suzie expressed concerns thatGlasgow may end up with a small number of ‘super-providers’ and that the diversity of the third sector with lots of smaller organisations working in partnership would be lost. For example, the new Southbrae centre is eventually to be tendered and there is no guarantee that the existing organisations would win the tender. Audrey noted that the GCC partner provider contract will be re -tendered by Dec 2017 for 2017-2020. GCC standards are high and there is no guarantee that any of the existing partner providers will win the tenders.

Liann said that communication around GCC Childcare Strategy and the pilots was poor and that the sub-group should work on improving this. Millie said that the next‘sprint’ (intensive strategy development session) starts on 26th Oct. She suggested inviting Regeneration Services and/or GCC education department to a meeting of the sub-group. It was agreed that they would be invited to the next meeting. Action: Suzie to invite GCC Education/DRS to the next meeting

  1. Action Plan

The group did not think that it was necessary to have their own action plan, but felt that there might be some additions to the GCVS ELC action plan.

Suzie noted that the GCC Childcare Strategy was more than just expanding funded ELC places. The strategy encompassed 0 – 16 and therefore included after-school care, breakfast/lunch clubs and other organisations working with children and families.

Suzie also suggested encouraging more housing associations to get involved with the agenda and gave the example of Milnbank HA, which already runs its own nursery as a social enterprise.

  1. Date of next meeting

It was agreed that the sub-group would hold another meeting at 2pm on Monday 30th October.

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