First Minister announces new childcare reforms aimed at getting parents back to work

First Minister John Swinney has announced new measures to help families struggling to get back into work due to childcare.

Swinney visited Fintry Mains Childcare and Community Hub in Dundee, where he set out his aims for assisting families with childcare as part of the Programme for Government.

The government is looking to provide a £15m cash boost for flexible childcare provision, easing the burden on parents and allowing them to work.

The scheme also includes a £44m annual investment in breakfast clubs in primary schools across the country, starting in August 2027.

This is followed by the introduction of after-school and holiday childcare for primary school children, starting in August 2029.

Speaking to STV News, Swinney said: “The Scottish Government believes that we have to work with parents to provide flexible childcare that will enable more and more parents to ensure that their children are well supported, but also able to contribute to the economy through work.

“And the expansion of a flexible childcare provision, with £15m worth of expenditure, is designed to support parents to assist in getting into work and it’s all part of the government’s efforts to eradicate child poverty.

“So, this is right at the heart of what I set out in the Programme for Government on Tuesday, which is about using all of the areas of government to work together, to deliver a more appropriate and flexible childcare, to ensure there’s support to get families and parents into employment, and as a consequence, to make sure that we succeed in our objectives of eradicating child poverty.”

More than 4,800 low-income families will be supported by the Childcare Support Fund, which is expected to help cover childcare costs at times when they most need it.

By reducing the burden of childcare, Swinney hopes to help the government’s efforts to eradicate child poverty.

He added: “This is an important investment in providing flexible childcare for families. When you talk to families, often the cost of childcare is a barrier to those families getting into employment.

“And what the evidence of the approach that we’re taking suggests is that if you provide some support to families to gain access to the labour market, the income of those families increases very significantly and that helps the government in its efforts to eradicate child poverty.

“So this is a very focused intervention by the Scottish Government to provide flexibility in the provision of childcare, to meet the needs of families, and to help families to enter the labour market and it helps the government to eradicate child poverty.”