Childminder fund ‘might just make a difference’

A POT of money has been made available by Shetland Islands Council to financially support new childminders in the isles.

The SIC’s development committee agreed on Tuesday to set aside £12,500 this year for the financial support for childminders scheme, which previously ran between 2010 and 2015.

Committee chairman Alastair Cooper said while “it is not a lot of money, it might just make a difference”.

Business development project manager Tommy Coutts told councillors that the fund was designed to counter the “lack of childminders in the local economy”.

At present there are 15 active registered childminders in Shetland and the scheme aims to support three new childminders a year.

In survey of childcare services carried out by the council’s schools team in 2011, 31.4 per cent of parents said that a lack of accessible childcare affected the amount of hours they or their partner were available to work.

Those who take part in the scheme will receive “top-up” funding so that their income meets the Scottish living wage rate of £8.25 an hour.

Coutts’ report said that seven new childminders were supported through the scheme between 2010 and 2015, with the average grant paid to each person over the 12-month period averaging to £1,900.

He admitted that encouraging people to become registered childminders was a “tough sell” as there are “lots of hoops to jump through”.

Lerwick North councillor John Fraser questioned why only three childminders remain active out of those seven, with Coutts saying the other four may have taken up other work or moved area.

Council leader Cecil Smith said it was “money well spent” on a problem that has affected Shetland for a number of years.

“It’s very important that we try to support this,” he said.