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SCHOOL'S OUT: Framework for the Development of Out-of-School Care
Section 4
What we mean by OSC
Definition of OSC
OSC means services that provide care for school-age children:
- before school starts in the morning (breakfast clubs);
- after the end of the school day (after-school clubs); and
- during school holidays (playschemes or all-day care).
Some services are available at other times, for example, during in-service teaching days and at weekends. Some services are for older children or young people only and may not be called 'care'. But the definition is flexible, and rightly so, given the emphasis on integrated services.
Information There will continue to be a need for stand-alone OSC for school-age children. This is now being delivered alongside services combining pre-school education and childcare for younger children with OSC for school-age children. Nurseries and family centres deliver OSC too. Some OSC is closely linked to Out of School Hours Learning (OSHL). |
The following is an example of providing childcare for all ages of children and activities for older children.
Good practice In the South Machars area of Dumfries and Galloway, voluntary and public-sector organisations combined resources to produce a fully co-ordinated package of summer activities for children up to and including age 16. Parents had one point of contact for bookings and information, and there was one pricing structure. The main programme of activities for children between 5 and 12 years of age was organised by Southern Machars Playcare, a voluntary childcare group based in Whithorn. The manager of Southern Machars Playcare said: 'By working together, we have been able to make the most of our resources and offer a much more comprehensive line-up than would otherwise have been possible. The partnership approach has allowed us to provide opportunities not normally available in such a rural, isolated community.' |
The range of activities provided in OSC services varies from club to club. The activities also vary depending on whether it is a breakfast club, an after-school club, a holiday playscheme or all-day care. Many breakfast clubs provide a nutritious start to the day and opportunities for play and mixing with friends. Holiday playschemes and all-day care normally include outings and visits. A general description of after-school clubs is:
'a safe environment for children with play and stimulating and developmental activities within a high-quality care setting that parents pay a fee for'.
This diagram shows the experience of children in good-quality OSC services, the effect this has on children and the benefits to parents.
Many childminders also provide out-of-school care. This is very useful for parents, and an extremely important service. The New Opportunities Fund has awarded the Scottish Childminding Association grants to develop childminding places throughout the Highlands and Western Isles. These places are for pre-school children and for school-age children.
There are also a few Sitter Services in Scotland that provide flexible, registered childcare for families in the child's own home. We are exploring options for extending the eligibility for the Childcare Tax Credit to approved childcare in the parents' home. Sitter services may provide a model for developing this.
Good Practice One Parent Families and Dundee City Council set up the Dundee Sitter Service. This service provides sitters for low-income families (lone parents and two parents) who need childcare, sometimes at unsociable hours, such as shift workers. It also helps some student parents. |
Terminology
OSC services are often called clubs - breakfast clubs and after-school clubs. Some providers prefer to use the term 'service' as 'club' may make parents think that it is a 'drop-in' centre that does not provide many developmental opportunities. Others prefer the term 'club' because it emphasises informality and gives a sense of belonging. Clearly, clubs must decide what they call themselves. In this document, we use the general term 'service' or the specific term 'club', as appropriate.
Who uses OSC?
It is mostly the children of working parents who use OSC, but this is not always the case.
Information A survey of local authorities carried out on behalf of the working group shows that: - 56% of local authorities offer fully or partly-funded OSC places for children from vulnerable families who have been referred by, for example, the Social Work services; and
- 52% have a system for offering places to children 'in need', as set out in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
- In total, 26 local authorities replied to the survey. We need to treat the information collected from the survey with caution because some of the questionnaires could not be filled in.
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We discuss the use of OSC by the children of parents who do not work, including children in need or children who have additional support needs, in section 9.
Statistics
There are about 1,140 services in Scotland. Some of these are after-school clubs and others provide OSC with another service such as a nursery for younger children. These clubs provide 33,600 places during term time and during school holidays, for 45,700 children. Since we carried out the Pre-school and Daycare Census in January 2002, from which these statistics are taken, the New Opportunities Fund has created another 10,000 places.
Demand for OSC
We estimate 1 in 9 children have such an OSC place.
Clearly, OSC is an important part of the childcare strategy. The research carried out in Scotland in 1999 on parents' demand for childcare showed that more lone parents with full-time jobs use childcare than was the case before 1999. 1 A child's age is the most significant predictor of childcare use, followed by household and employment structure, the number of children in the household and the household's income. Unmet demand for childcare was more common among lone parents than couples. The cost of childcare also affects demand.
Some clubs are full or nearly full with waiting lists. Others have vacancies. The general impression is that there continues to be a demand for OSC taking account of the various factors that influence demand, including the economic profile of local areas. Meeting demand for OSC will also depend on a range of factors including the outcome of funding applications, the availability of suitable premises and the ability to provide and sustain OSC services in rural areas.
Information We are planning to repeat the survey on parents' demand for childcare to get up-to-date information about the demand and supply of childcare. This research will take account of the universal nature of childcare and of issues for particular groups (for example, student parents and lone parents) who use, or want to use, childcare. |
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