YOUR VIEWS: Childminding is on rise in rural areas, confusion over vaccines and summer reading
Childminding offers real benefits in rural communities
Contrary to the suggestion that childminder recruitment in remote and rural areas hasn’t been successful and there’s been little interest in becoming a childminder, our experience proves the opposite. (‘Dearth’ of childcare in rural Highlands hitting jobs hopes, Caithness Courier, July 17).
Since 2022, the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) has led work to pilot a new, supported model of childminder recruitment. Trialled first in remote and rural areas, where childcare shortages are more pronounced, this was funded by Highlands & Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Government, and delivered in partnership with participating local authorities. This rural pilot was later extended into urban areas.
To date, these pilots have established 100 new childminding businesses. Eighty-five are established and 15 have applied for registration (with more still coming through). Seventy-one are in remote and rural areas of acute need (including 16 within Highlands and a further eight in progress), including communities where no childminder operated before.
Scottish Government is funding SCMA to extend our work through the Programme for Scotland’s Childminding Future, a three-year retention and recruitment programme aiming to grow the workforce. Sixteen local authorities have chosen to participate in the first year, four are remote and rural, and a further seven have significant areas of rurality within.
However, unfortunately, there continues to be a lack of awareness amongst some about what childminding is, and the key benefits for children and families.
Childminding is very flexible; a mix of ages can learn and play together, benefitting development. Siblings can often be cared for together.
It has the lowest adult-to-child ratios of all childcare options – and can be tailored to meet the unique needs of individual children. Crucially, childminders can establish settings in remote and rural areas where there may not be enough children and demand to sustain a larger staffed service.
It is consistently one of the highest rated forms of childcare in Scotland by provider type; 92 per cent achieve “good” or above across all quality ratings at inspection by the Care Inspectorate.
Childminding presents valuable job creation and parental employment opportunities, and our evidence shows, is attractive to parents returning to work or wishing to change career, to allow them to work more flexibly.
Eighty-nine per cent of childminders report that seeing children grow and develop in response to their care is the most rewarding part of their role; 77 per cent find childminding more rewarding than their previous career; and 81 per cent would recommend it to others.
It’s a very strong, high-quality and flexible option for remote and rural communities alongside the consideration of other forms of provision. Our work shows that it is also proving an attractive career choice. To find out more, see: www.childminding.org/getstarted
Graeme McAlister
Chief executive
Scottish Childminding Association
What to believe?
I've grown up with pretty standard beliefs, most of them passed on to me from my heritage and culture. I should have known when I found out about Santa that belief is more complicated than that.
Recently I’ve got to the point where I don’t know what to believe any more. It’s probably as a result of too much information coming in from every corner via our no-wires technology, but it’s more than that.
I got a text message this morning from the NHS inviting me to get a Respiratory Synscytial vaccine. I had a look on their website and the vaccine as described and for the purpose it was designed is a wonder drug, so it would make sense to have it.
However, since the lockdown local whispers have been pointing out there are a lot of side effects to the vaccines we take and in particular the vaccine for Covid, so much so that I didn’t take the last one I was offered. It’s difficult to apply belief in this situation.
Then, on the other hand, there’s human affairs where you can believe what you want and most people do.
Whether the earth is flat or Almighty God saved Donald Trump from the assassin’s bullet, I don’t know what to believe any more.
Jim Campbell
Trostan Terrace
Thurso
Summer reading for visually impaired
Summer has finally arrived and here at the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB), we’re delighted to say it’s time to launch our fantastic library events for children as part of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.
Developed by the Reading Agency, the annual Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged four to 11 to sign up at their local library or online at summerreadingchallenge.org.uk. They’ll set a reading goal and collect rewards for their reading – including a certificate when they reach their challenge goal.
The theme of this year’s challenge is Marvellous Makers. RNIB is encouraging local libraries to run events which will get children making and thinking creatively about stories and books. The aim is to encourage more children with vision impairments to join the Summer Reading Challenge and to help sighted children develop an understanding of sight loss.
You can find details for the events on the Summer Reading Challenge website in the Library Zone.
Activities include making a pair of “sim specs” which will help show children what it looks like when you have different eye conditions, building a story using a collection of tactile objects, building something from Lego or writing a nature-inspired story.
To complete the Summer Reading Challenge, children can read any books they like, including from RNIB’s library at www.rniblibrary.com, in whichever accessible format they prefer and these will count towards their Summer Reading Challenge.
RNIB has also worked with the Reading Agency to create Amelia, one of the Marvellous Makers – a fictional cartoon creative club who have been created for this year’s challenge and brought to life by the brilliant illustrator, Natelle Quek.
Amelia is visually impaired and holds a long orange cane to assist her with getting around.
Additionally, RNIB has created a special guide for library staff to help ensure events are as inclusive as possible. The guide can be downloaded for free from the Reading Agency’s website at readingagency.org.uk/resources/7596
For more information about Summer Reading Challenge events happening in your area, pop in to your local library or visit the Summer Reading Challenge website at: https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/join-in and click on ‘Library Zone’. Alternatively head to your library’s website.
Lara Marshall
Library engagement manager
RNIB
ONLINE VIEWS
Uncut grass in Wick public park a ‘disgrace’ and ‘a health hazard’
The path along the river walk at Thurso River use to be trimmed a metre on either side. This left the rest of the meadow wild. This was good as the trimming along the path gave a clean space for walkers and their dogs. And it looked nice. But now it is not being trimmed. And it is now more dangerous and ugly. WHY?
Richard Edwards
Thurso