This short video about childcare in Barra and Uist will strike a chord with our community:

Councillor Marianne Hutchison SNP attended a Rural and Island Childcare Round Table in Ullapool last week on behalf of the NorthWest2045 childcare working group, of which CCDC is a member.
A total of 40 representatives from local authorities, community trusts, enterprise agencies, the Care Inspectorate, and the Scottish Government attended the meeting, which was held in Ullapool.

Among the common topics raised by attendees were the lack of provision of school-aged childcare and the absence of childminding or childcare resources for parents with children aged under two.
The needs for joined-up transport links and altering childminding rules to permit non-domestic settings were also raised, while the economic and social impact of families leaving communities for childcare reasons was highlighted as a contributing factor in rural depopulation and skills shortages.
Ullapool’s meeting followed Scottish ministers receiving the Highlands and Islands Rural and Early Priorities Childcare Evidence Report in May.

Produced by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Care and Learning Alliance (CALA), the 51-page report proposed several actions to solve rural childcare issues, including sharing community spaces, re-evaluating qualifications required for volunteer or seasonal childcare, and allowing pilot programmes in rural communities.

Speaking after the meeting, Jaci Douglas, CALA Chief Executive, said it is important that childcare is recognised as an important part of a community’s success.

“The round table today underlines that childcare is now recognised as key infrastructure and a major driver of the economic opportunities of the Highlands and islands,” she said.

However, to realise the potential of our communities and reverse the trajectory of depopulation, childcare has to be place-based, flexible, and pragmatic and today is the start of the journey to make that possible.”

Louise White, Development Manager at Urram, agreed that the meeting had to lead towards a long-term solution.

“We had positive conversations where the issues and barriers were clearly presented and it felt like these were heard and carefully listened to,” she said.

“We need to maintain the momentum around the desire for change, and for growing place-based solutions, along with being allowed to try new things.

“Some of this will be a longer more legislative process, and some of it needs a can-do attitude from a wider partnership all trying to solve the same problems.”

Outcomes and agreed actions from the round table will be carried forward with the new Scottish Government following the national elections on May 7.