Investing in Scotland’s childcare workforce.
High quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a key part
of driving equality in the workplace and tackling the gender pay
gap, First Minister has said.
On a visit to mark International Women’s Day 2024, the First
Minister announced £16 million of additional investment to enable
people delivering funded early learning and childcare in the
private, voluntary and independent (PVI) childcare sectors, to be
paid at least £12 per hour from April 2024.
Guidance published today confirms how this funding will be
allocated. This is part of efforts to deliver the Scottish
Government’s Fair Work agenda and to support sustainability in
the childcare sector.
The First Minister confirmed the funding on a visit to TASK
Childcare in Glasgow with the Minister for Children, Young People
and Keeping the Promise, . Today’s announcement reflects
the United Nations’ designated theme for International Women’s
Day 2024: 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress' with a focus on
addressing economic disempowerment.
First Minister said:
“This International Women’s Day, I’m proud the Scottish
Government’s cabinet has a majority of women and to have
appointed as the first woman of
colour to hold a ministerial role in Scotland. In 2024, it is
vital the Scottish Government represents modern Scotland.
“We have made great progress to prioritise and accelerate gender
equality across our country. We rightly no longer question what
women can accomplish but we should always question whether we are
doing enough to remove barriers that too many women in our
society continue to face.
“Evidence shows that a lack of affordable and accessible
childcare for many women with children will result in too many
women leaving the workforce, working part time or taking up work
in inflexible employment which pays less and doesn’t make best
use of their skills. That is why my government is prioritising
additional investment of £16 million in Scotland’s childcare
workforce.
“The Scottish Government has already delivered the most generous
early learning and childcare offer on these islands and high
quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a key part of our
goal to drive equality in Scotland’s workforce and tackle the
gender pay gap.
“Supporting families is not only fundamentally the right thing to
do, it is critical to our national missions – affordable and
accessible childcare supports female employment and enables
secure, sustainable employment.”
Children’s Minister said:
“This International Women’s Day, I am proud we are delivering on
a key pledge to ensure £12 per hour for those working in the
private, voluntary and independent childcare sector to deliver
funded ELC. We are already delivering the most generous funded
childcare offer in the UK today but we recognise we need to do
more to tackle poverty and support gender equality.
“High quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a critical
part of the national infrastructure we need to drive greater
equality in Scotland’s workforce and tackle the gender pay gap.
The innovative work we are leading through our six early adopter
communities will enable us to better understand what a future
all-age childcare system could look like for Scotland, to support
more families out of poverty.”
COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Councillor Tony
Buchanan said:
“Scotland’s councils, working closely with their partners in the
private, third and childminding sectors, are committed to
supporting families through delivering 1140 hours of high quality
funded early learning and childcare (ELC) across our
communities. Providing the youngest in our communities with
positive opportunities for play, learning and development, funded
ELC provision is enabling parents – including mothers, who we
know can often face particular barriers – to access work,
training or study.
“The guidance being published today to support delivery of the
£12 per hour pay commitment during 2024-25 has been developed and
agreed through positive partnership working between Scottish and
Local Government. We look forward to continuing to work in
partnership as we take forward the range of actions identified in
the joint Sustainable Rates Review.”
Background
Guidance for setting
sustainable rates for the delivery of funded early learning and
childcare (ELC) in 2024-25 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Early learning and childcare providers will receive a minimum
uplift of 7.6% to the sustainable rates they are paid by local
authorities in 2024-25 so that they can pay their staff
delivering the funded hours at least £12 per hour from April,
helping to provide greater clarity and financial certainty for
both employers and staff.
As part of our wider gender equality work, the First Minister
launched a framework to help prevent and respond to gender-based
violence in schools on Monday 4 March.
Preventing and responding
to gender based violence: a whole school framework - gov.scot
(www.gov.scot)
The Scottish Government will also bring forward a new Human
Rights Bill later this parliamentary year, which will incorporate
the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women into Scots Law, as far as possible
within devolved competence, and we continue to implement the
recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Women and
Girls.
