Yesterday four of our group spoke in front of a full Edinburgh Councillor meeting and handed in all your signatures to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
The council then debated the issue and voted on what to do next. We are absolutely delighted to report that the council voted overwhelmingly to continue Edinburgh Childcare 4 All, and so we have won!!!
We're due a full investigation and report into how this happened , guaranteed funding for children currently in the scheme and, importantly, a guarantee that the scheme remains open to new applicants!
For all of us this was never just about our individual children. Because we know how vital this support is to vulnerable children and their families, we are so relieved that more kids and communities will now get to benefit! Edinburgh remains a shining light in inclusive practise and can be proud of the example it is setting to the rest of the country.
If you are interested to watch our deputation and the petition hand in, a recording is available on this website.
https://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/801091
Our speeches and the hand-in begin at 1 hour 5 mins and the debate and vote begin at 3 hours 49 minutes.
We couldn't have won this without you all sharing this petition and emailing your councillors. You really made a huge difference by putting pressure on when it counted. Thank you for your time and energy!
We will keep the petition open for now while we hold Edinburgh Council to account and make sure they keep their promises. You'll hear from us again if we need you to put the pressure on again.
But just now we can all celebrate! Woo Hoo!
From all of us in our Keep Edinburgh Childcare4all group - thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
PS - Here's a news report from yesterday
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/parents-demand-edinburgh-council-restart-27630509?int_source=nba
The City of Edinburgh Council have effectively banned disabled children from after school care by cutting funding to the Edinburgh Childcare 4 All scheme just weeks before the new school year starts.
Disabled children returning to school after the holidays have been told that they can no longer attend their clubs and play with their friends. And their parents have been left scrambling for alternative after school care with two weeks' notice.
These families need your help to tell CEC to reverse their cruel funding cut.
We believe that Edinburgh Childcare should be accessible 4 All children! You might think this is obvious, but if your child has additional support needs, it’s not necessarily so straightforward. After school clubs and other childcare providers may not have enough staff to support them if they need an extra person to help them with additional needs such as mobility, learning, or toileting.
Edinburgh Childcare 4 All, funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and administered by Capability Scotland for the past 10 years, has aimed to address this issue by “support(ing) mainstream childcare settings to develop their capacity to include children with additional support needs within their services and provision.”
However, the funding for this programme has just been withdrawn with no warning or consultation, meaning that there is no support for these children to access childcare. Parents are being told, via our childcare providers and just a couple of weeks before term starts, that there is no funding for our children this year. “Sorry, you can’t come to after school club any longer.”
There was no public debate about this decision. Even Councillors were unaware that the funding was being cut. MSPs have told us that they were not aware of the Council decision, and are very concerned.
Why is this important?
Edinburgh after school clubs should be accessible to all children that need them, regardless of disability!
Imagine the impact on disabled children, who are already excluded from many activities that most families take for granted, for whom after school club with their friends was a highlight. Now they are faced with being excluded from their after school clubs while their peers continue to attend!
Imagine the impact on parents suddenly having to decide whether they can continue with jobs or studies with two weeks' notice. Finding alternative provision at this short notice is next to impossible – the childcare crisis is even more of a crisis if your child has additional support needs.
What’s the bigger picture?
According to the Scottish Government, “Disabled people should have freedom, dignity, choice and control over their lives. We want to remove the barriers that stop people from enjoying equal access to full citizenship.” The recent City of Edinburgh Council decision is clearly at odds with this ethos.
Moreover, the Equality Act of 2010 states that when public authorities make policies and decisions, they must think about the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity between people who share a “protected characteristic” (which includes disability) and those who don’t, and foster and encourage good relations between these two groups of people. Enabling disabled children to participate in mainstream after school provision self-evidently advances equality of opportunity and fosters good relations between our children and the other children, and so the decision to eliminate this funding violates the public sector equality duty under this Act.
Not only does this target disabled children, some of the most vulnerable members of our society, it also makes no economic sense because it will limit the ability of parents and caregivers to work, forcing us to rely more, not less, on public funds. And it will make society less inclusive for all of our children.
What can you do to help ?
Please stand with us and tell the City of Edinburgh Council that our children are not just numbers on a balance sheet; they continue to deserve support to access childcare alongside their peers.
You can sign this petition.
You can share this petition.
And if you have time, please also get in touch with your Councillors (https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1) and MSPs (https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps) to let them know why Childcare 4 All matters.
How it will be delivered
In person to the City of Edinburgh Council.
