Question reference: S5W-27186
- Asked by: Alison Harris, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 29 January 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 February 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there was a reduction of 1,007 in estimated FTE additional local authority staff required by April 2021 for the expansion to 1,140 hours of funded childcare between the June 2019 and December 2019 delivery progress reports.
Answer
Original early learning and childcare workforce expansion figures, as reported in June 2019, were based on forecasts local authorities first prepared in March 2018. Local authorities have been continually revising their expansion plans and forecasts since then, learning from early examples of phased in expanded entitlement across local communities. Following the June 2019 Delivery Progress Report, Local Authorities have had an opportunity to formally revise their forecasts of FTE additional staff, in August 2019. The latest estimates captured in the Improvement Service data provided directly from local authorities in September 2019 (published in December 2019) indicate a reduction in overall anticipated staffing required. The main reasons cited for this are that local authorities are now planning to make greater use of nurseries in the private and third sectors, and further developing their operating and service models to maximise use of existing as well as new capacity.