Out of school care in Scotland - draft framework: consultation

Annex A: Summary of Questions

Future Policy on Out of School Care

What we want to find out: What can the Scottish Government do to ensure that out of school care better meets the needs of children and families in Scotland?

How can national policy support and enhance out of school care?

• What name should we use for the range of out of school services and activities? Is there a better term than 'Out of School Care'? (Q3)
• Do you agree with our 3 key aims for a future out of school care framework? (Q4)

What sort of out of school activities do families want/need?

• What range of services are needed: regulated out of school care, childminders, activity-based clubs and programmes such as sports clubs, creative arts clubs, outdoor activities, other types of activities? Can you tell us why these services are important? (Q1)
• What ages of children do parents/carers need provision for? (Q13)
• What flexibility do parents and carers need from out of school care services? Can you tell us why this flexibility is important? (Q11)
• What is important for parents and carers in terms of location of out of school care services? Should they be delivered in school, community facilities, outdoors? (Q12)
• Do parents/carers need food provision as part of after-school and holiday clubs? (Q14)
• What do children and young people want from out of school care services and does this differ depending on age? (Q6)
• What different activities or provision might secondary school aged children want? (Q7)

How can we make out of school care accessible to all families and children?

• How can we make sure out of school care is an affordable option for more families? (e.g. subsidised provision, remove barriers in accessing benefits, help with the upfront costs) (Q8)
• How can we help to ensure that all families have access to an out of school care place for their child/ren if they want it? (Q5)
• How can services be more effectively delivered in rural/remote areas to meet the needs of families? (Q9)
• How can we ensure that children with disabilities and additional support needs can access out of school care services? (Q10)
• What can we do to support community based approaches to delivering out of school care? (Q2)

How can we support the out of school care workforce to deliver high quality services?

• What qualifications, skills and experience should the out of school care workforce have? What is most important and why? (Q15)
• Thinking about the full range of provision - regulated out of school care, childminders, holiday programmes and other activities - should qualification requirements for staff working across these provisions be the same or different? Why? (Q16)
• How can we promote working in the out of school sector as a more attractive career choice? (Q17)
• How can we increase diversity across the out of school care workforce? (Q18)