Letter from Minister for Children and Young People
08 March 2022
Dear Convener,
Today (8 March 2022) the Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund opened for applications.
The Scottish Government is making up to £9.8 million available through the Fund to provide one-off grants to childcare providers this financial year. The grants are available to all private and third sector day care of children services and all childminding services who were registered with the Care Inspectorate on 31 December 2021.
The one-off grants are being made available in recognition of the challenging circumstances in which childcare sector providers have been operating during the Omicron wave. Case rates and absence levels in the childcare sector during January 2022 were higher than at any previous point in the pandemic. The Fund is aimed at mitigating some of the financial impacts that services have experienced as a result of these conditions, including loss of income resulting from partial and full temporary closures when staff or children have been self-isolating.
The Scottish Government greatly appreciates the efforts made by providers, and the dedicated childcare workforce, in supporting children and families during these most difficult of times.
Grant amounts vary according to the registered size (Care Inspectorate registered places) of each service and range from £950 to £4,500. The Fund will be open until 17 March, and further details are available here.
Including the Childcare Sector Omicron Impacts Fund the Scottish Government has now made up to £35 million of dedicated financial support available to the childcare sector during the pandemic. This includes the Transitional Support Fund in Autumn 2020, the Temporary Restrictions Fund in early 2021, and the Childminding Business Sustainability Fund in March 2021.
I am happy to provide further updates to the Committee should you find this helpful.
Yours sincerely