Edinburgh parents accuse Council of excluding disabled children from after-school care
Parents describe "anger" and "disbelief" at what they're calling a "cruel funding cut"
Parents are accusing Edinburgh City Council of excluding children with additional needs from after-school childcare. Impacted families are calling for a reversal of what they've branded a "cruel funding cut".
In an open letter to Council leader Cammy Day, the group of parents claim: “funding for the Childcare 4 All programme has just been withdrawn with no warning or consultation, meaning that there is no support for these children to access childcare.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.’”
They say there’s been no public debate, and the decision leaves them scrambling for alternative after-school care, just weeks before the start of the new term.
"After-school club was almost a lifeline for him, where he was able to mix with neurotypical peers and neuro-diverse peers"
Gillian Coulter’s son Jack (10) has additional support needs. She said she received an email from his provider, informing her funding to Capability Scotland hadn't been renewed by the Council, meaning he’d no longer have an after-school club place at Kidzcare in Edinburgh.
"What usually happens" Gillian explains, "is they need an extra member of staff with them, to support them in any mainstream out of school activities, and so capability Scotland receive funding from Edinburgh Council to access that extra member of staff for after school club."
Gillian said the apparent decision to cut funding left her “angry” and “in disbelief”, and that Jack’s brother Max “who’s neurotypical, can attend after school club but he now can’t, so there is a huge unfairness there”.
“Jack’s a really sociable child and he really enjoys going to after-school club, because he can mix with his peers from school, and jack can’t attend a lot of mainstream out of school activities … so after school club was almost a lifeline for him, where he was able to mix with neurotypical peers and neuro-diverse peers.”
The Email Gillian received from Kidzcare in Edinburgh, said: "On 28th July we received notification from Capability Scotland, that City of Edinburgh Council have take the decision not to renew the funding for Edinburgh Childcare 4 All. This includes withdrawal of the Childcare Strategy Funding which was administered via Capability Scotland for Jack's funding, which ended on 31st July 2023. Currently we have no information about alternative provision."
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “Following a review of a contract with an external provider, the council is looking at alternative ways to work with families to ensure children are supported to attend private out of school care provision.
“We will be getting in touch with families affected to discuss what in-house support can be offered to them.”
Capability Scotland told us they wouldn’t be commenting at this time.