I have a germ of an idea about starting a childcare business in Scotland. Can anyone point me to information sources please?

[Twinklemegan]

This really is a germ of an idea at the moment. DH and I moved up here with the aim of eventually starting a business. I've noticed the lack of childcare in this area, particularly at unsociable hours, and we're thinking of starting up something as a unique selling point that would be part of a wider rural/tourism type of business.

Before I spend too much time thinking about this I need to do some research into what would be involved in setting up a childcare facility and if it would be at all viable. I've done some googling this evening but I'm not finding much useful information.

Can anyone please point me to some information sources specific to Scotland?Things like legalities, health and safety regulations, training (I have no childcare experience, only my DS). I realise I'm being very vague indeed, but TIA.

You have a germ?

Beware of Flash wipes, or it will be gone!

Message withdrawn

All I want to know is where in Scotland if you are nowhere near me it needs to be a chain so that you can open a branch near me.

Guess I'm right about the lack of provision then eh? I'm in Highland, you lazy slattern you (love the name btw!)

Message withdrawn

The Care Commission would probably be your best initial source of information

Since I seem to have a group of potential customers here (albeit living in the wrong area) would there be a market for this do you reckon? I'm thinking, for example, that people might appreciate somewhere to leave their child occasionally on a weekend when they go shopping - there's nowhere you can do that round here. And holiday-makers - like the children's clubs you get on a package holiday.

The broad idea is it would be like a children's farm kind of a place, but somewhere that would look after your children for the day, and get them involved in outdoor stuff (useful as well as fun) like caring for animals, growing/picking veg, etc. Possibly a H&S nightmare actually. Am I totally mad or is there something in it?

Yeees, I'd had a wee look at the CC site - not the easiest site to use is it? I'll go back and look properly.

Oh God, I've just found the whole section on starting up a childcare business. Duh! Might be a good start!

Right I demand to know where in the highlands

Where I am ther is NO blinking chidcare of any reasonable description.

And I would love an option like that, a more ad hoc basis uring the week for ds when dd at school, both of them on the weekend so I could go shopping in peace aaaaahhh bliss.

Well don't be holding your breath Slattern - it could be a way off yet. But FYI I'm not too far from Inverness at the moment. Great to get such a positive response though.

ooooh north or south???
I do think this far up north ther isn't enough childcare options of any sort though it is one of the main reasons I have never returned to work. Childminders are like hens teeth where I am and there are only a handful of nurseries that would only be any use to me if I was travelling that way to work because the towns are so spread out.

South - ish. We have one childminder in our area who has a huge waiting list. DS is now going to a nursery in town - fine because I happen to work in town, but not everyone does.

Hmmmm loads of good places for a nice wee farm just North of the city
It just isn't cost effective for me to work in town I would need to work full time to justify the travelling and ideally I would work part time if I could.
Don't come across MN'r often this far north have "spoken" to one or 2 nice to know I'm not alone. I am about half hour north on the road to Wick.

Scottish Childminding Association

Thanks Nannynick. I'm very puzzled by the varying requirements for training and very surprised indeed that childminder's apparently need none at all.

I think realistically speaking I would probably be looking to employ a manager, though of course that would cost bigtime. It seems that I wouldn't be able to train unless I already had a job looking after children and I can't afford to give up my job to do that at the moment. Also I see that I'd need 2 years experience before I could manage a nursery - and rightly so I reckon. It does worry me though because over-subscribed childcare facilities have been shutting up here due to lack of staff.

Slattern - I'll pencil you in as my first customer then shall I, in about 5 years time.

Look at starting something like I have

A group childminding setting - it solves the training issue and you can choose the staff you want & register them

That sounds interesting. Can you explain a bit more about that please?

Ds' childmider was a "group" childminder in as much as she ran it with her Mum and MIL. 'Cos there were three of them it was more like a mini nursery and with the expcetion of the "staff weekend away" (staff plus SIL ) and the Christmas "shutdown", you ever had to worry about holiday cover. It wasn't run as flexibily as you are considering - but it is certainly feasible.

Good luck

I started off as a childminder with my DH

Now I have me plus 5 other minders & 3 assistants

We all job share & we have a maximum of 9 under 5's or a total of 12 children

It might be a bit small for what you have planned but if you did it for 2 yrs you could then expand

I'm not sure about Scottish legislation, but in England what you are considering could possibly fall under Crèche definition. Could be worth you looking at what differences there are between regulations for Nurseries and Crèche in Scotland.

If you are in a rural area offering a pick up/ drop off service might be an idea. I live in a small vilage and until recently there were no child minders, so further away ones couldn't pick up from my DC's school. Plus they go to after school activities in a nearby town. No child care can offer me a drop off service for their activities so even though there are now 2 childminders in the village I still can't work more hours as I can't get them into activities, I even looked at hiring taxis

If you are in a rural area offering a pick up/ drop off service might be an idea. I live in a small vilage and until recently there were no child minders, so further away ones couldn't pick up from my DC's school. Plus they go to after school activities in a nearby town. No child care can offer me a drop off service for their activities so even though there are now 2 childminders in the village I still can't work more hours as I can't get them into activities, I even looked at hiring taxis

Hi, thanks for the input. Yes Nannynick, I was thinking that myself. What I find up here is that the information on the web is not very helpful at all.