Sturgeon’s childcare plan sinks into chaos
Nurseries unbuilt, 4,000 jobs unfilled – and time running out
NICOLA Sturgeon’s pledge to nearly double free childcare has been thrown into disarray, with thousands of jobs unfilled and nurseries yet to be built.
Parents face a childcare crisis now that the First Minister’s plans to extend free hours for nursery age children by August are ‘very likely’ to fall short, according to a public watchdog.
Audit Scotland has warned that failure to complete planned infrastructure projects – including the construction of nurseries – will have a ‘very high impact’ on the delivery of the scheme.
It also stated that more than 4,000 staff are still to be recruited to help provide the expansion of free care.
Children aged three to five are entitled to 600 hours a year of free childcare. This is due to be nearly doubled to 1,140 by August
Vulnerable two-year-olds are also eligible for the allowance.
However, Audit Scotland raised doubts over whether or not the Scottional tish Government can deliver the additional hours in the present timeframe.
Auditor General Caroline Gardner said: ‘The Scottish Government and councils have worked well together to increase early learning and childcare hours, and we’ve also seen improvements in how the project will be evaluated. But the timeline remains tight and there are big risks around infrastructure and workforce.’
In a report, published today, the watchdog says the Government and councils have made ‘steady progress’.
But it warned that the success of the policy is ‘critically dependent on achieving much in a short time’, with extensive recruitment and building works urgently required.
Local authorities have been given £567million to deliver the pledge and have recruited the equivalent of 4,310 full-time staff. The report states that as of September last year, ‘councils still needed to recruit about half of the addi
staff required for the expansion’. By April 2021, local authorities are meant to have an additional 8,244 staff in place to deliver the extra hours of free childcare.
Private and voluntary providers have also noted concerns over workforce challenges which are ‘threatening’ their ability to provide free childcare.
The report raised concerns over the progress made in the building of new nurseries and extensions to those already in use. It notes that ‘infrastructure is the largest risk’ in the programme and has now increased to the ‘maximum level’, meaning a failure to deliver is now ‘very likely to occur and will have a very high impact’.
The document notes ‘the limited time left to take steps to resolve any issues’.
Although the report welcomed contingency planning, it said ‘temporary changes in venue may be unsettling for children’ and could have a ‘huge impact’ on families.
Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘This was Nicola Sturgeon’s flagship policy, yet the necessary work to make it happen has been left to the last minute.
‘As it stands, the fact we’re still waiting for so many buildings to be finished and staff put in place, there’s a huge risk that this won’t happen in time.
‘Audit Scotland itself states the SNP’s planning simply hasn’t been good enough.
‘The First Minister promised the world to thousands of parents across Scotland when it came to free childcare. They will deliver a very damning verdict on her SNP Government if this promise isn’t up and running on time.’
The Audit Scotland report also criticises a delay in the issuing of guidance, which had ‘increased uncertainty’ for some of those responsible for delivering the policy.
Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: ‘We are on course to deliver the most generous, high-quality early learning and childcare offer in the UK, which can transform the lives of children.’
She said there were ‘already thousands of additional staff in post’ and claimed councils would continue to hire workers in the coming months.
She added: ‘Hundreds of nurseries have been built or refurbished, with work continuing across the country.
‘We are committed to delivering the roll-out from August’.