Childminding workforce trends qualitative research report

Appendix 4: Focus Group discussion guides

Group 1- Prospective childminders

Note for reviewers:

This topic guide is designed to serve as an aide memoir to the researchers, while also remaining flexible to allow for issues to be raised spontaneously.

Obvious probing and follow-up questions like 'why?', 'why not?', etc. are not included but there is no need to suggest adding these - there will be plenty of these and the researchers will automatically probe, ask for explanation/clarification, and sum up at appropriate points.

Although the guide is generally written in the form of questions or explanations that could be read out exactly as written, in reality, the researcher will amend the wording, rephrase and reorder as appropriate and to make it feel more like a natural discussion rather than a questionnaire.

Introduction

• Introduce self and Ipsos MORI
• Remind them of the purpose of the research: looking at the reasons for the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it. The workforce has declined 22% between 2014 and 2019 and initial assessments point to more childminders leaving than new practitioners coming into the sector.
• Explain that the group discussion will last around 2 hours and we will give each participant £30 as a thank you for taking part.
• Provide reassurances of anonymity and confidentiality. Explain that no identifying information about individuals will be used in the reporting of the research. Ask that no-one shares what others have said outwith the group.
• Explain that participation in the research in entirely voluntary, they don't have to answer any questions they are uncomfortable with and can stop at any point without having to give a reason.
• Request permission to record discussion [ask permission then ask them to confirm that once the recording has started]

Warm-up and introductions

Ask each participant to introduce themselves to the group saying:

• Their name
• Where they live
• Do they have children, and how old are they?
• Do they have any hobbies or what do they do to relax?

Background

I understand that you have all considered becoming a childminder at one point but haven't become one. Is that correct?

Would anyone like to start by telling us about why they started to think about childminding as a career option?

Prompt:

• When did you first start thinking about it?
• What prompted you to think about it?

Has anyone worked in childcare before?

What are you doing now instead of childminding?

Exploring childminding

I'd like to discuss your consideration of childminding in a bit more detail. Let's start with what attracted you to childminding, and then later on I will ask you about why you didn't go down this route.

What kind of things made childminding appeal to you?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Did you consider any other kinds of childcare careers (e.g. nursery)

How did you find out about childminding as a career opportunity?

Where did you go to find out information about what it would be like to be a childminder?

Did you look into what steps you needed to take to become a registered childminder? Where did you go for information?

Who, if anyone, did you speak to about it?

[Note How Far They Looked Into It And Resources Used}

Why they didn't become a childminder

I'd now like to ask about on why you decided not to become a childminder.

Exercise: Please can you grab a pen paper. Note down your top 2 or 3 reasons for not becoming a childminder. It will be interesting to see how similar or different your answers are.

Let's go round – tell me which reasons you noted and which was the most important one in you making your decision.

What concerns did you have about becoming a childminder?

How did you thoughts about becoming a childminder change after you looked into it? How?

Did any of the following effect your decisions:

• Did the cost of establishing your own childminding business
• Did the COVID-19 pandemic have any impact on your thinking?
• The Scottish Government's expansion of funded ELC hours

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Did you think about the qualifications and training needed to deliver funded hours? And if so, how did that affect your decision?

What might have made a difference to your decision / what would have made you go ahead and set up a childminding business?

Would additional support in establishing a childminding business made a difference?, What type of support? Prompt: business advice and/or a mentoring/support network have

Future

What words or phrases do you think people associate with childminders?

How to do you think childminding is viewed by policy makers/general public compared to other childcare providers? e.g. do you think it is valued?

Probe On:

• by government and policy makers?
• by the general public?

Do you think this puts people off from becoming childminders?

Do you think you might consider becoming a childminder again in the future?

If Not: why not? What would need to change?

If Yes: what factors would influence your decision?

What do you think might encourage more people to become a childminder? I'm going to start with X (pick a participant) and ask you to come up with something, then come to Y then Z then W – let's see how long a list of things we can come up with.

Once generated list, share it with the participants on screen, then explore any that need more explanation

If you had to put these in priority order, what would it be?

What do you think might encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to consider childminding? (e.g. more men, more ethnic monitories and more people in deprived areas)

Wrap up

We're just coming to the end of the discussion now, but before we do, is there anything else you would like to say about your experiences of looking into childminding as a career option?

That's everything I wanted to ask you today, thank you very much for taking part this evening.

We will be back in touch to arrange the £30 'thank you' payment.

Group 2- New childminders

Introduction

• Introduce self and Ipsos MORI
• Remind them of the purpose of the research: looking at the reasons for the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it. The workforce has declined 22% between 2014 and 2019 and initial assessments point to more childminders leaving than new practitioners coming into the sector.
• Explain that the group discussion will last around 2 hours and we will give each participant £30 as a thank you for taking part.
• Provide reassurances of anonymity and confidentiality. Explain that no identifying information about individuals will be used in the reporting of the research. Ask that no-one shares what others have said outwith the group.
• Explain that participation in the research in entirely voluntary, they don't have to answer any questions they are uncomfortable with and can stop at any point without having to give a reason.
• Request permission to record discussion [ask permission then ask them to confirm that once the recording has started]

Warm-up and introductions

Ask each participant to introduce themselves to the group saying:

• Their name
• Where they live
• Do they have any hobbies or what do they do to relax?
• [then]
• How long they have been a childminder
• How many children they currently provide care for, and the age range

Journey into childminding

I'd like to start with how you all became a childminders.

What one word would you use to sum up your experience as a childminder so far?

Would anyone like to start by telling us about how they got into it? [Ask Each To Explain]

Prompt:

• When did you first start looking into childminding? How did you find out about it?

What was it that particularly appealed to you about being a childminder?

Did anyone have any concerns? What were they?

Where did you go for information?

Did you speak to anyone about it?

Is there anything that would have made the process of becoming a childminder easier?

Experiences so far

Exercise: Please grab a pen and paper.

• I'd like you to note down a score out of ten for how satisfied you feel with your job now
• 1 is very low job satisfaction and 10 is very high

Now I'd like to go round and ask you to share your scores and the reasons for them.

[Note & Discuss Similarties And Differences In Scores]

Prompt:

How have you found the experience of being a childminder so far?

Has it been better or worse than you expected? Why?

What hours would you say you work on a typical day/week (if it varies) Is this similar to what you anticipated?

Has anything been better or easier than you expected?

What would make being a childminder better or more fulfilling?

Prompt: How could the day to day experience of being a childminder be improved?

Would you have found any additional support (such as business advice and/or access to a mentoring/support network) within your first few years/since you started helpful? If so, what?

Do you have any thoughts, at this point, on how long you are likely to stay in childminding?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Is there anything that would make you more likely to leave childminding? (e.g. changes to the profession or your circumstances)

Do you think bureaucracy/paperwork is an issue affecting childminders? How could that be improved?

Prompt: what proportion of your time is spent on paperwork? How do you feel about that?

Views on the ELC Expansion

I'm now going to ask about the Scottish Government's ELC expansion and funded hours.

What are your thoughts on the expansion of ELC and the impact it has had on childminding?

Prompt: How has funded hours impacted your service, if at all?

Are any of you delivering any ELC funded hours?

If Yes: How have you found that?

Prompt If Not Mentioned: Have you had to complete additional qualifications or do you plan to do so?

If Yes And Started Them: How have you found the process of undertaking the qualifications and training needed to meet the National Standard requirements for delivering the funded ELC hours?

If Not: Have you considered delivering funded hours?

What are the reasons you do not deliver funded hours?

Prompt If Not Mentioned: Did the qualifications and training needed to deliver funded hours affect your thinking?

Have you been able to access any professional support you might have needed to deliver funded ELC hours?

Views on the impact of Covid-19

I'm going to move on to ask about the Covid-19 pandemic. If there's anything here anyone does not want to share or talk about in relation to this, that is absolutely fine – please just say and we'll move on.

How do you think the pandemic has impacted childminders across Scotland?

Has the pandemic affected your service, and how you support children and families? In what ways?

Have you been able to access any professional support you might have needed?

Encouraging childminding

I'd now like to ask you about encouraging more people to consider childminding.

What words or phrases do you think people associate with childminders?

How to do you think childminding is viewed by policy makers/general public compared to other childcare providers?

e.g. do you think it is valued?

Probe On:

• by government and policy makers?
• by the general public?

Do these perceptions affect how childminders feel about their work?

If people better understood the benefits of childminding and what childminders do, do you think that would have any impact on the experience of being a childminder?

What would encourage people to stay in childminding for longer? I'm going to start with X (pick a participant) and ask you to come up with something, then come to Y then Z then W – let's see how long a list of things we can come up with.

Once generated list, share it with the participants on screen, then explore any that need more explanation

If you had to put these in priority order, what would it be?

And what might encourage more people to become childminders in the first place?

What do you think might encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to consider childminding? (e.g. more men, more ethnic monitories and more people in deprived areas)

Wrap up

We're just coming to the end of the discussion now, but before we do, is there anything else you would like to say about your experiences of childminding or the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it.

That's everything I wanted to ask you today, thank you very much for taking part this evening.

Group 3 – Childminders considering leaving the profession

Introduction

• Introduce self and Ipsos MORI
• Remind them of the purpose of the research: looking at the reasons for the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it. The workforce has declined 22% between 2014 and 2019 and initial assessments point to more childminders leaving than new practitioners coming into the sector.
• Explain that the group discussion will last around 2 hours and we will give each participant £30 as a thank you for taking part.
• Provide reassurances of anonymity and confidentiality. Explain that no identifying information about individuals will be used in the reporting of the research. Ask that no-one shares what others have said outwith the group.
• Explain that participation in the research in entirely voluntary, they don't have to answer any questions they are uncomfortable with and can stop at any point without having to give a reason.
• Request permission to record discussion [ask permission then ask them to confirm that once the recording has started]

Warm-up and introductions

Ask each participant to introduce themselves to the group saying:

• Their name
• Where they live
• Do they have any hobbies or what do they do to relax?
• [Then]
• How long they have been a childminder
• How many children they currently provide care for, and the age range

Background

What initially appealed to you about childminding? Do you think that's similar for other childminders?

How did you first get into childminding?

Had any of you worked in childcare before becoming a childminder?

Exercise: Please grab a pen and paper.

• I'd like you to note down a score out of ten for how satisfied you felt with your job when you were 1 year into childminding
• 1 is very low job satisfaction and 10 is very high
• Then note down a score out of 10 for how satisfied you feel now about your job

Now I'd like to go round and ask you to share your scores and the reasons for them.

Tell me about how you felt / feel at each of those points.

[Note & Discuss Similarities And Differences In Scores]

Did you find that the factors that initially appealed turned out to be the case?

What would you say the negative sides to childminding are? Anything that you didn't expect when you started?

Why they are considering leaving

Now I have some questions about why you may be thinking about leaving childminding, so I can understand that in more detail.

I understand that you are all considering leaving childminding in the next three years or so, is that correct?

What are the main reasons you are thinking about leaving childminding?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

• Have your working hours had an impact on you considering leaving childminding?
• Did the pandemic affect your thinking about leaving childminding? In what ways?
• Family / partner – did they have an influence?

How long have you been thinking about leaving?

What first prompted you to think about leaving?

Is anyone thinking about a career change?

Prompt: What to and why?

Is there anything that might change your mind about leaving childminding? [Probe For What Would Influence Their Decision]

Views on ELC expansion

I'm now going to ask about the Scottish Government's ELC expansion and funded hours.

What are your thoughts on the expansion of ELC and the impact it has had on childminding?

Prompt: How have funded hours impacted your service, if at all?

Are any of you delivering any ELC funded hours?

If Yes: How have you found that?

Has the experience of delivering funded hours affected your thinking about leaving childminding?

If Not: Have you ever considered registering for funded hours?

What are the reasons you are not delivering funded hours?

Have you been able to access any professional support you might have needed to deliver funded ELC hours?

Has the ELC expansion and funded hours affected your thinking about leaving childminding at all?

Prompt If Not Mentioned: Have the qualifications and training needed to deliver funded hours affected your thinking about leaving?

Views on everyday experiences

Do you think the day to day experience of being a childminder has changed over the few years? In what ways?

What would make being a childminder better or more fulfilling?

Prompt: How could the day to day experience of being a childminder be improved?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Do you think bureaucracy/paperwork is an issue affecting childminders? How could that be improved?

Prompt: what proportion of your time is spent on paperwork? How do you feel about that?

What words or phrases do you think people associate with childminders?

Compared with other childcare providers, how to do you think childminding is viewed by others?

Probe On:

• by government and policy makers?
• by the general public?

Do these perceptions affect how childminders feel about their work?

Have they effected your thoughts about leaving?

If people better understood the benefits of childminding and what childminders do, do you think that would have any impact on the experience of being a childminder?

Ideas to halt the decline in numbers

What would encourage people to stay in childminding for longer? I'm going to start with X (pick a participant) and ask you to come up with something, then come to Y then Z then W – let's see how long a list of things we can come up with.

Once generated list, share it with the participants on screen, then explore any that need more explanation

If you had to put these in priority order, what would it be?

And what might encourage more people to become childminders in the first place?

What do you think might encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to consider childminding? (e.g. more men, more ethnic monitories and more people in deprived areas)

Wrap up

We're just coming to the end of the discussion now, but before we do, is there anything else you would like to say about your experiences of childminding or the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it?

That's everything I wanted to ask you today, thank you very much for taking part this evening.

We will be back in touch to arrange the £30 'thank you' payment.

Group 4- Former childminders

Introduction

• Introduce self and Ipsos MORI
• Remind them of the purpose of the research: looking at the reasons for the decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it. The workforce has declined 22% between 2014 and 2019 and initial assessments point to more childminders leaving than new practitioners coming into the sector.
• Explain that the group discussion will last around 2 hours and we will give each participant £30 as a thank you for taking part.
• Provide reassurances of anonymity and confidentiality. Explain that no identifying information about individuals will be used in the reporting of the research. Ask that no-one shares what others have said outwith the group.
• Explain that participation in the research in entirely voluntary, they don't have to answer any questions they are uncomfortable with and can stop at any point without having to give a reason.
• Request permission to record discussion [ask permission then ask them to confirm that once the recording has started]

Warm up and introductions

Ask each participant to introduce themselves to the group saying:

• Their name
• Where they live
• Do they have any hobbies or what do they do to relax?
• [then]
• How long they were a childminder
• When they stopped and what they are doing now

Background to leaving

What initially appealed to you about childminding? Do you think that's similar for other childminders?

How did you all first get into childminding?

Prompt: Had any of you worked in childcare before becoming a childminder?

Exercise: Please grab a pen and paper.

• I'd like you to note down a score out of ten for how satisfied you felt with your job when you were 1 year into childminding
• 1 is very low job satisfaction and 10 is very high
• Then note down a score out of 10 for how satisfied you felt with your childminding job in the end

Now I'd like to go round and ask you to share your scores and the reasons for them.

How did you feel at both of those stages?

[Note & Discuss Similarities And Differences In Scores]

Did you find that the factors that initially appealed turned out to be the case?

What would you say the negative sides to childminding are? Anything that you didn't expect when you started?

Why they left

Now I'd like to focus in on deciding to leave in childminding in a bit more detail.

Was there anything in particular that prompted you to start thinking about leaving?

How long had you been thinking about leaving childminding before you actually left?

What were the main reasons for you deciding to leave?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

• Did your working hours have an impact on the decision?
• Did the pandemic have an impact on the decision?
• Family / partner – did they have an influence?

What, if anything, might have changed your mind about leaving?

Are you glad you have left childminding?

Prompt: Any reflections on how the decision to leave has worked out for you?

If you could turn back the clock, would you have done anything differently?

Views on ELC expansion

I'm now going to ask about the Scottish Government's ELC expansion and funded hours.

What are your thoughts on the expansion of ELC and the impact it has had on childminding?

Prompt: How did funded hours impact your service, if at all?

Were any of you delivering any ELC funded hours before you left childminding?

If Yes: How did you find that?

Did the experience of delivering funded hours influence your decision to leave?

If Not: Did any of you ever consider registering for funded hours?

What are the reasons you did not deliver funded hours?

Did the ELC expansion and funded hours influence anyone's decision to leave childminding at all?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Did the qualifications and training needed to deliver funded hours affected your thinking about leaving?

Views on everyday experiences

Do you think the day to day experience of being a childminder has changed over the few years? In what ways?

What would make being a childminder better or more fulfilling?

Prompt: How could the day to day experience of being a childminder be improved?

Prompt If Not Mentioned:

Do you think bureaucracy/paperwork is an issue affecting childminders? How could that be improved?

Prompt: what proportion of your time is spent on paperwork? How do you feel about that?

What words or phrases do you think people associate with childminders?

Compared with other childcare providers, how to do you think childminding is viewed by others?

Probe On:

• by government and policy makers?
• by the general public?

Do these perceptions affect how childminders feel about their work?

If people better understood the benefits of childminding and what childminders do, do you think that would have any impact on the experience of being a childminder?

Ideas to halt the decline in numbers

What would encourage people to stay in childminding for longer? I'm going to start with X (pick a participant) and ask you to come up with something, then come to Y then Z then W – let's see how long a list of things we can come up with.

Once generated list, share it with the participants on screen, then explore any that need more explanation

If you had to put these in priority order, what would it be?

And what might encourage more people to become childminders in the first place?

What do you think could encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds to consider childminding? (e.g. more men, more ethnic monitories and more people in deprived areas)

Wrap up

We're just coming to the end of the discussion now, but before we do, is there anything else you would like to say about your experiences of childminding or decline in the childminding workforce and how to address it.

That's everything I wanted to ask you today, thank you very much for taking part this evening.

We will be back in touch to arrange the £30 'thank you' payment.