What's wrong with childcare in Scotland? Perspectives ahead of the Scottish Budget 24/25 and ways forward.

December 13, 2023, 12.00 – 14.00

Online

Childcare costs in Scotland are having a devastating impact on families, particularly as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies, and people’s buying power decreases. Whilst Scotland may offer one of the most ‘generous’ offers in the UK, the average cost per day of childcare for under-twos can exceed the UK’s average in some regions.

For women, childcare costs pose an insurmountable barrier to their economic prospects and career development as women are more likely to fill in the gaps left by the inadequacy of public services.

Beyond the ambition set out in the Programme for Government 2023 to 2024 to expand access to “high quality, funded childcare”, we need this ambition to materialise and work for women. Most importantly, we need to ensure that high-quality, affordable and accessible childcare remains at the top of the Scottish Government’s policy agenda. It is time for Scotland to seriously value and invest in improving childcare as key social infrastructure for all.

Join the Scottish Women’s Budget Group for the first of a series of online events focusing on the need to invest in childcare. During this event, we will present parents’, and specifically mother’s, experiences of childcare in Scotland. As well as this, we will look at the current issues in the system and open up the conversation to alternative ways to deliver childcare ahead of the Scottish Budget 24/25 announcement on 19th December.

You will hear from a range of experts including:

• Carmen Martinez, SWBG's Coordinator. Carmen will discuss SWBG’s work, our recent Childcare Survey 2023 findings and the recommendations we’ve made to the Scottish Government and Local Authorities. You can access our briefing prior to the event: Policy-Briefing---Childcare-Survey-2023.pdf (swbg.org.uk)
• Carole Erskine, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Pregnant then Screwed. Carole will speak about the launch of the Scottish arm of Pregnant Then Screwed, and what their survey found in relation to the impact of the current childcare system on families in Scotland.
• Jonathan Broadbery, Director of Policy & Communications at National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). Jonathan’s presentation will focus on the challenges currently facing the sector, such as workforce shortages and inflationary pressures, and how these add to the cost of delivery.
• Jack Evans, Senior Policy Advisor (Scotland) at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). Jack will discuss JRF’s newest research, which offers an alternative way to deliver childcare with current funding levels.

Who can attend?

Anyone with an interest in improving the current childcare system in Scotland, especially policymakers.

We would also love for parents, and particularly mothers, to attend this event. We have arranged it during lunch to try to cater to caring responsibilities. Please don’t worry if you can only attend a section of the event, we would still like to see you there!