Throughout May, SNP MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Alasdair Allan, conducted an online survey of parents and carers of children under 5 years old across the Western Isles. The survey, completed by around 270 local parents, found that the majority of Western Isles families with young children are concerned about accessing the childcare they require.
Significant Scottish Government investment has already expanded funded childcare to 1140 hours a year for all 3-4 year olds (and eligible 2-year-olds), with this provision due to roll out in phases to all 1-2 year olds across the country. However, childcare places have been becoming more and more in demand across the Western Isles in recent years, due in part to a decline in the number of childminders operating, as well as last year’s closure by UHI of An Cotan Childcare Centre in Stornoway. There are now only nine nursery places available for 0-2 year olds in Lewis, and many local childminders have long waiting lists of up to two years.
There are currently no childminders operating in Barra or Harris. Council nurseries across the islands are also under significant pressure, with workforce recruitment and retention difficulties as well as capacity challenges.
The MSP’s survey found that only 15% of parents of under 5s in the Western Isles felt they were able to have their childcare needs fully met at present (41% said their needs were not being met, and 43% said their needs were only partly met). 82% of respondents said they and/or their partner were unable to work as many hours as they wanted to due to a lack of childcare access.
A quarter of parents said that they had decided not to have any more children directly as a result of childcare access issues, while a further 19% said they were having to delay having more children.
Commenting, Alasdair Allan said:
“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete this short survey. The results demonstrate clearly the extent of the issue at hand, with most Western Isles families unable to have their childcare needs fully met at present, mainly due to a lack of capacity or the absence of any childcare provision locally.
“Childcare workers do an incredible and vital job, and many survey respondents wanted to emphasise their appreciation for the excellent standard of childcare their children do currently receive. Parents also highlighted their appreciation for those local family members who were willing and able to help cover the gaps to allow them to continue working. However, many families don’t have family support nearby, or their relatives are all also still working full-time, for example.
“Progress must be made at a local level on this issue, as it has wide-reaching consequences. The present situation is exacerbating the pressure on our public services, including the NHS, schools, and local authority nursery settings, as staff are often unable to return to work as planned after their own maternity leave. It is also affecting the health of the local economy, with 82% of survey respondents reporting that either they or their partner was not able to work as many hours as they wanted to directly as a result of not having access to childcare. Some parents have even had to close down their own businesses.
“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our island communities, this issue needs to be tackled head on, with local stakeholders working collaboratively and creatively to identify and implement solutions as quickly as possible – as has been happening through the Uist and Barra Childcare Forum, for example.
“I would particularly like to urge anyone who is considering a career as a childminder, wherever they are based, to contact the Comhairle for advice about the information and financial support available.”
Online survey results can be found here. Please note a small number of paper surveys were also completed, and answers given in the ‘other’ section of online responses have been collated to contribute to the statistics quoted in the above release.
