The number of out-of-school places for children has risen from 2,400 to 16,000 in ten years, workers in the sector have increased from 300 to nearly 3,000, and the number of out-of-school club volunteers has grown from 300 to nearly 2,000.
Irene Audain, SOSCN director, commended achievements made in out-of-school care during the past ten years, including the sector's hard work this summer with refugee families in the Sighthill and Castle-milk areas of Glasgow. Out-of-school-care services have been praised for leading the integration of different communities through summer playschemes that brought children and their families together despite local tensions (News, 23 August).
Ms Audain shared her vision of childcare with delegates at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. She said it was time Scotland had a strategy to develop children's centres, because children and young people should have access to combined play, care and learning opportunities in premises designed just for them.
She said, 'My vision of an integrated childcare strategy is that in every community children, families and young people have a central resource that provides everything they need.
'This vision includes breaking up the false boundaries between professionals, between types of childcare, and between families who need support, and providing a universal service, professionally staffed, well resourced and delivered to meet the needs of the local community.
'We need play areas, we need premises, we need access to support on our doorstep. We need to ensure that children with special needs and children from different cultural backgrounds are not excluded from their communities. Many of our projects are leading the way in providing care for younger children, services for older children and support for parents. We are developing sitter services, play activities at weekends and inclusive services for children with special needs.'
Moira Oliphant, head of partnerships and planning at the Scottish Executive's early education and childcare unit, addressed the conference on behalf of deputy education minister Nicol Stephen, who was unable to attend. She said, 'Integration means responding to the inter-related needs of children, young people and their parents in a joined-up way.
'It is particularly important for those with complex and pressing needs. Universal early education and childcare are powerful platforms for identifying particular needs and for providing access to more specialised services without stigma. The Changing Children's Services fund will test if joined-up services deliver better, more effective, longer-lasting outcomes than services planned and delivered in isolation.
'This new approach is being backed with new funding - over 70m over the next three years for services addressing needs in an integrated way. Some of you may wish to consider the potential here for out-of-school care linking into health, education and social work services, making a positive difference in children's lives.'
