‘FAMILIES ARE BEING FAILED’ AS NUMBER OF CHILDMINDERS COLLAPSES

By Lucy Ashton 

Scottish Labour has today accused the SNP government of over a decade of failing families, as the party can reveal the number of childminders registered in Scotland has collapsed under the SNP. 

Statistics obtained by Scottish Labour have shown that between December 2012 to December 2022 the number of childminders fell from 6,274 to 3,530 – almost halving. 

This comes as families across Scotland continue to grapple with long working weeks and struggle to access childcare. 

The charity Pregnant Then Screwed has reported in their research that 43 per cent of Scottish parents surveyed have said that they cannot afford to have any more children due to childcare costs.   

Scottish Labour has said today that the loss of over 2,700 childcare providers on the SNP’s watch shows that the SNP has failed Scottish families.  

Scottish Labour Children and Young People spokesperson Martin Whitfield MSP, left,  said “The consistent decline in the number of childminders operating in Scotland over the past decade is proof positive that the SNP has failed families in Scotland. 

“These figures paint a worrying picture of the erosion of vital childcare services in our communities.  Childminders play a crucial role in supporting families and providing flexible, high-quality care for young children. 

“Dwindling numbers of childminders will have serious implications for parents seeking childcare options and for the early years development of our children. 

“It’s time to draw a line under a decade of failure and act to support families.” 

artwork: jane heaney

Scottish Government Written Response: 

Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour Party), pictured right: To ask the Scottish Government how many childminders have been registered as active in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

Natalie Don: The Care Inspectorate publishes annual statistics on the number of childminders operating in Scotland. The following table summarises published Care Inspectorate data from the last 10 years. The figure for 2023 is expected to be published in the autumn of 2024.

 

Year	Number of childminders
December 2012	6,274
December 2013	6,185
December 2014	6,102
December 2015	5,530
December 2016	5,669
December 2017	5,426
December 2018	5,108
December 2019	4,752
December 2020	4,395
December 2021	3,998
December 2022	3,530

 Source: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers/question?ref=S6W-25144