School age childcare delivery framework: island communities impact assessment screening

Island Communities Impact Assessment Template

Please ensure this template is completed in conjunction with the Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) Guidance on the Scot Gov Website

Name of Policy, Strategy or Service: School Age Childcare Delivery Framework 2023

Step one – develop a clear understanding of your objectives

• What are the objectives of the policy, strategy or service?
• What are the intended impacts/ outcomes and how do these potentially differ across the islands?

In October 2023, the Scottish Government will publish The School Age Childcare Delivery Framework 2023 (‘The Delivery Framework’). The Delivery Framework will set out our approach and principles that we will apply to design and build a new system of school age childcare, as well as outlining the action areas we will focus on over the next 3 years.

The Delivery Framework will outline our person-centred and place based design approaches, how we will test and sustain changes, whilst taking time to fully understand, learn, adapt and improve services for target families.

The approach we are taking will allow us to better understand the model needed to support lower income families, to build the capacity within communities to deliver this and, ensure we build a sustainable school age childcare system.

As part of this approach, the Delivery Framework will also set out how we intend to work collaboratively with children, families and our partners in the sector, as we build and test.

The Delivery Framework sets out our overarching Programme vision, which is underpinned by our key policy drivers, these are:

Tackling Child Poverty

Improving Outcomes for Children and Families.

The School Age Childcare Delivery Framework follows on from the recent Best Start: Strategic early learning and school age childcare plan for Scotland, 2022-26. This was published in October 2022 and sets the strategic direction for all our childcare commitments.

The Delivery Framework will not provide detailed timescales for delivery or implementation, nor will it set out any changes to policy at this stage.

Individual projects within the School Age Childcare Programme will carry out specific Impact Assessments. Projects will ensure that consultation with stakeholders (including with children and parents and carers) is embedded into their programme of work, in order to reflect and record any impacts on parents and carers and children and young people (especially those with protected characteristics). As such, formal programme-level or policy-level impact assessments are being considered and developed where necessary.

A full ICIA is therefore not required for the publication of the Delivery Framework.

Step two – gather your data and identify your stakeholders

• What data is available about the current situation in the islands?
• Who are your key Stakeholders?
• How does any existing data differ between islands?
• Are there any existing design features or mitigations in place?

The School Age Childcare Division has established data about the current situation in the islands through:

1) Out of School Care in Scotland – Draft Framework: consultation. This was published in 2019 and asked specific questions to families, key stakeholders and the sector around out of school care provision in Scotland including a question focused on rural provision.

2) Out of school care - draft framework: consultation analysis (Published 2020) provided an insight into barriers those in rural and island communities face

3) Accessing school age childcare in rural and island areas: research (Published 2022) looked at the existing models of childcare in rural and island areas, the challenges parents face accessing childcare, and challenges providers face delivering childcare services.

Our People Panel and Children’s Charter will also explore the impacts of a future system of school age childcare for rural and island communities and have already included engagement and consultation sessions in island communities.

The Delivery Framework will not set out any changes to policy or set out detailed delivery or implementation plans for a school age childcare system. The Delivery Framework will outline our person-centred and place based design approaches, how we will test and sustain changes, whilst taking time to fully understand, learn, adapt and improve services for target families. Taking this approach will allow us to better understand the model needed to support lower income families and to improve the capacity within communities to deliver and build, a sustainable system of school age childcare.

We want future policy and school age childcare to be shaped by those who use, or who may use, the school age childcare system, which is why we will continue to engage with people, including those with lived experience of poverty, to better understand the barriers they face in accessing childcare.

We will also work collaboratively with families, childcare providers and the wider public sector to build a system that meets their needs, and reflecting on our place based approach, recognising that there is no one size fits all solution to providing childcare solutions within communities.

The Delivery Framework outlines a specific action area in relation to rural provision, acknowledging there are specific policy questions which will have to be answered in order for appropriate provision to be designed and delivered to meet the needs of rural and island communities.

Step three – consultation

• Is there are information already gathered through previous engagements?
• How will you carry out your consultation and in what timescales? Public meetings/Local Authorities/key Stakeholders
• What questions will you ask when considering how to address island realities?
• Separate consultation events for Island communities/Local Authorities?

As noted above, the Delivery Framework will not set out any changes to policy or set out detailed delivery or implementation plans for a school age childcare system.

The Delivery Framework will outline our person-centred and place based design approaches, how we will test and sustain changes, whilst taking time to fully understand, learn, adapt and improve services for target families. Taking this approach will allow us to better understand the model needed to support lower income families and to improve the capacity within communities to deliver and build, a sustainable system of school age childcare.

Individual projects within the School Age Childcare Programme will carry out specific Impact Assessments. Projects will ensure that consultation with stakeholders (including with children and parents and carers) is embedded into their programme of work, in order to reflect and record any impacts on parents and carers and children and young people (especially those with protected characteristics). As such, formal programme-level or policy-level impact assessments are being considered and developed where necessary.

There will be no formal consultation associated with the publication of the Delivery Framework

Step four – assessment

• Does your assessment identify any unique impacts on island communities? (Further detail in the Guidance):
  • Demographic
  • Economic
  • Gaelic
  • Social
• Does your assessment identify any potential barriers or wider impacts?
• Are there mitigations already in place for these impacts raised?

As outlined above, the Delivery Framework will not provide detailed timescales for delivery or implementation, nor will it set out any changes to policy at this stage.

Individual projects within the School Age Childcare Programme will carry out specific Impact Assessments. Projects will ensure that consultation with stakeholders (including with children and parents and carers) is embedded into their programme of work, in order to reflect and record any impacts on parents and carers and children and young people (especially those with protected characteristics). As such, formal programme-level or policy-level impact assessments are being considered and developed where necessary.

A full ICIA is therefore not required for the publication of the Delivery Framework.

Is a full Island Communities Impact Assessment required?

You should now determine whether, in your opinion, your policy, strategy or service is likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities). To form your opinion, the following questions should be considered:

• Are there mitigations in place for the impacts identified and noted above from stakeholders and community consultations? (If further ICIA action is not required, complete the section below and publish).
• Does the evidence show different circumstances or different expectations or needs, or different experiences or outcomes (such as levels of satisfaction, or different rates of participation)?
• Are these different effects likely?
• Are these effects significantly different?
• Could the effect amount to a disadvantage for an island community compared to the mainland or between island groups?
• If your answer is ‘no’ to the above questions, please complete the box below.
• If the answer is ‘yes’, an ICIA must be prepared and you should proceed to Step 5.

In relation to Delivery Framework, a full ICIA is not required as the document will not provide detailed timescales for delivery or implementation, nor will it set out any changes to policy at this stage. As a result, the publication of the Delivery Framework will not directly impact island communities.

A full Islands Community Impact Assessment is not required

In preparing the ICIA, I have formed an opinion that our policy, strategy or service is not likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities). The reason for this is detailed below.

Reason for not completing a full Islands Communities Impact Assessment:

The Delivery Framework will not provide detailed timescales for delivery or implementation, nor will it set out any changes to policy at this stage. The publication will be high level and will set out our approach and action areas over the next 3 years. This document will therefore not have any effect on an island community.

Individual projects within the School Age Childcare Programme will carry out specific Impact Assessments. Projects will ensure that consultation with stakeholders (including with children and parents and carers) is embedded into their programme of work, in order to reflect and record any impacts on parents and carers and children and young people (especially those with protected characteristics). As such, formal programme-level or policy-level impact assessments are being considered and developed where necessary.

A full ICIA is therefore not required for the publication of the Delivery Framework.

Screening ICIA completed by (name): Kerrie Harkness

Position: School Age Childcare Policy Officer

Signature and date: 30 January 2023

ICIA authorised by (we recommend DD level): Kate Smith

Position: Deputy Director, Early Learning and School Age Childcare

Signature and date: 12/02/2023