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Previous events

Local Networking

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Skills Development Funding

A Register for the Future

SSSC Codes of Practice Conversation

Access to Childcare Fund

Getting it Right for Business

Get Ready for Summer

International Learning Session

Back to basics- financial planning in OSC

Safer Staffing

Autism Learning Session

COVID-19 Inquiry Discussion

In-Person Play Training

Jim Taylor Knows Autism - Session 2

Building Resilience Event

Online Membership Catch-up

Support to Pay for Childcare

Staying Out

Networking Opportunity

What it Takes

Teaching Stem in OSC

Seeing the Whole Child

Shaping the Framework

Seeing the Potential

SOSCN Regional Events

Celebrating Out of School Care

Activity and Wellbeing 29/11/2022

OSC Practice during COVID

Networking Meetings

Networking Meetings - May and June 2021

Back to Basics

Delivering a Playful and Active Summer 2021

Scottish Government School Age Childcare Update

Care Inspectorate Update and 'Q and A' Session

SOSCN Members Online Network Meetings - October

more

SOSCN Conference 2024

Induction Training

more

Quality Assurance

Policy

SOSCN

OSC A to Z

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2023

June

Irene Audain MBE

Limited or Lack of Local School Age Childcare

14/06/2023

March

Irene Audain MBE

SOSCN's letter to First Minister Candidates

01/03/2023

January

Irene Audain MBE

Children's safeguarding at risk in unregulated out of school settings in England

09/01/2023

2022

December

Andrew Shoolbread

Staying Safe and Professional Online as a Social Care Worker

07/12/2022

November

Andrew Shoolbread

Reconnecting - to care for others you need to care for yourself

18/11/2022

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Access to Childcare Fund - The Learning So Far

14/11/2022

September

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

It's good to chat - SSSC Codes of Practice Conversation

16/09/2022

soscn

Greig Cavanagh, Physical Activity and Wellbeing Co-ordinator

Having a ball in the holidays

14/09/2022

August

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Superheroes are real- they work in school age childcare

18/08/2022

March

soscn

SOSCN

A time for change- reflection on the 2021 OSC Workforce Survey Results

02/03/2022

2021

August

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SOSCN

Stories of Summer 2021

19/08/2021

April

soscn

Irene Audain

Scottish Parliament Election Manifesto Overview 2021

22/04/2021

March

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

The longest year- a reflection

23/03/2021

February

soscn

Irene Audain

The Finnish way to a happier childhood - Putting Children First

10/02/2021

2020

November

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Andrew Shoolbread

Reflections on the Week

20/11/2020

September

soscn

Irene Audain SOSCN CEO

Re-opening services - keeping your staff onside!

21/09/2020

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Low pay and limited hours are push and pull factors which create a churn in the Out of School Care Workforce

07/09/2020

April

soscn

Irene Audain SOSCN CEO

Reflections on our journey and the way ahead

27/04/2020

March

Coronavirus Covid-19 Potential Impact on Out of School Care, Breakfast and Holiday Clubs

11/03/2020

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SOSCN

Coronavirus Covid-19 Information Update Monday 2nd March 2020

02/03/2020

February

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Irene Audain

Promising Children - a brief overview of the Care Review

11/02/2020

2019

November

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Andrew Shoolbread

OSC draft framework consultation- the time to have your say is now!

21/11/2019

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Working to live or struggling to get by? Why the Real Living Wage is important.

05/11/2019

October

soscn

Irene Audain

Welcome proposal for free holiday childcare

17/10/2019

soscn

Irene Audain

Giving Parents and Children a say in the Framework for Out of School Care

16/10/2019

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Out of School Care in Scotland Continues to Grow

04/10/2019

April

soscn

Irene Audain

Success for our STEM Champions in Out of School Care

16/04/2019

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

OSC Workforce - Most Recent Scottish Social Services Council Statistics

15/04/2019

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Training Opportunities for Out of School Care services- a selection of what's available

15/04/2019

March

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Supporting OSC Across the Country

11/03/2019

February

soscn

Irene Audain MBE

Recent International policy and research briefing for members February 2019

28/02/2019

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Andrew Shoolbread

Equal play? Does your service support or challenge gender stereotypes and roles?

11/02/2019

guest

Alison Hay

CHANGE Project and T.I.C.T.A.C.S. - low cost quality template test of change

05/02/2019

2018

August

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Andrew Shoolbread

Animal Magic- animals in care settings and children in animal settings...

23/08/2018

July

guest

Nigel Denby

Top free foody activities you can do over the summer break

10/07/2018

March

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

Out of School Care - believing that children matter

23/03/2018

latest

toolkits

Risk Assessment Toolkit

A selection of Daily Checklists and Risk-Benefit Assessment (RBA) Templates

members: £10

non-members: £15

£15

Find out what support is available to parents to pay for childcare, and what other benefits they may be entitled to.

previous events

Support to Pay for Childcare

news

Revised Common Core and Survey

We have been working with a number of key partners across the children and young people’s workforce in Scotland to undertake a review of the Common Core

22/04/2024

news

SSSC Updates

The SSSC will shortly have new timescales for registration.

19/04/2024

Scottish Out of School Care Network

Supporting children's rights to play, care and learning

events

SOSCN Conference 2024

Reaching Out! Growing your community presence. Wednesday 18th September 2024

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Induction Training

In-person training this August looking at the important knowledge and skills required to help new staff to school age childcare hit the ground running

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2024

April

Health and Safety

17/04/2024

practice-focus-health-and-safety-apr-24.pdf

1 MB

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Medication Management

05/02/2024

practice-focus-medication-management-feb-24.pdf

2 MB

2023

December

Personal Plans

05/12/2023

practice-focus-personal-plans-dec-23.pdf

3 MB

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About SOSCN

The Scottish Out of School Care Network is a Scottish registered charity, established in 1991 and is the national infrastructure umbrella organisation providing support, mentoring, training, information and resources to the nearly 1,000 school-aged childcare services in Scotland, which provide childcare, play and learning to over 50,000 children.

All of our work is underpinned by a commitment to supporting and promoting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), in particular Articles 31; the right to culture leisure, rest and play; Article 12, the right to consultation and Article 18; states parties to develop appropriate services to support families, including assistance with childcare for working parents. We also have a particular focus on children in need or on poverty (Article 22) and support the provision of care for children with disabilities (article 23).

We are also committed to promoting and delivering the outcomes of Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) and the Playwork Principles. We also engage strategically at national and local levels to assist in the development and delivery of policies relating to childcare, children's rights and family support.

Information for Services

information

Financial Support to Parents

Understanding Financial Support to Parents to Pay for Childcare

information

Essential Guidance For School Age Childcare Services

Documents and guidance most relevance currently to registered school age childcare services

information

Business Support

It is vital that in addition to expert childcare knowledge, services need to have good business knowledge

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Regular information focusing on areas of best practice within the school age childcare, out of school care and playwork sector

BLOG

2023

June

Limited or Lack of Local School Age Childcare

Irene Audain MBE

14/06/2023

March

SOSCN's letter to First Minister Candidates

Irene Audain MBE

01/03/2023

January

Children's safeguarding at risk in unregulated out of school settings in England

Irene Audain MBE

09/01/2023

2022

December

Staying Safe and Professional Online as a Social Care Worker

Andrew Shoolbread

07/12/2022

November

Reconnecting - to care for others you need to care for yourself

Andrew Shoolbread

18/11/2022

Access to Childcare Fund - The Learning So Far

soscn

Andrew Shoolbread

14/11/2022

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March

Mar 2024

26/03/2024

soscn-newsletter-mar-2024.pdf

8 MB

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Dec 2023

01/12/2023

soscn-newsletter-dec-2023.pdf

6 MB

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June 2023

21/06/2023

soscn-newsletter-jun-2023.pdf

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May

May 2023

17/05/2023

January

Jan 2023

11/01/2023

2022

November

Nov 2022

18/11/2022

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Resilience and ACEs

What is School Age Childcare?

Daycare of children is defined by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 as a service that provides care for children on non-domestic premises for a total of more than two hours a day and on at least six days per year.

The school age care childcare sector is the largest provider of play, care, and informal learning opportunities for school-aged children. There are nearly 1000 registered school age childcare services in Scotland, 588 breakfast clubs and 482 holiday services. More than 50,000 children of school age are registered in childcare. (Care Inspectorate, 2021).

Scottish Out of School Care Network

Supporting children's rights to play, care and learning

SOSCN is a Living Wage Employer

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