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Supporting School Age Childcare in Scotland
National Conference - March 2026
Inclusion in Action! Listening, learning, and leading for children with additional support needs in school age childcare
Become one of our members and access training, discounts, and join up with other services.
What we do
How we can help?

We have a range on in-person school age childcare specific training and offer a bespoke consultancy service to help keep your childcare service in good health.

Resources and Templates

We have various templates, toolkits, and sample policies to help you manage your service and meet its regulatory requirements.

Policy and research

As the national intermediary organisation in Scotland for school-age childcare, we are involved in advocacy work on behalf of the sector and provide expert opinion and offer views, on proposals, issues or policies affecting the sector.

Information and Guidance

If you are a parent, carer, child, workforce member, or anyone else with an interest in school age childcare, we provide a range a free guides and materials.

School Age Childcare Specific Training
GIRFEC and Personal Plans
Play in School Age Childcare
Medication Management
Managing Distressed Behaviour with Trauma Informed Practice
Quality Assurance
Our online quality assurance badges will help you aim high in all aspects of your service provision.
find out more
information
Business Support
Factsheets
sick pay
Guidance on pay rates
Pensions
Adverse Weather and Extreme Temperature
video (DVD) licences
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
anti-bullying guidance
Essential Guidance For School Age Childcare Services
Play
funding
Financial Support to Parents
Wellbeing in OSC
UNCRC explained
finding childcare
regulation
SSSC
Regulation of the out of school care workforce
Care Inspectorate
Regulation and inspection of out of school care services
PVG Scheme
Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme<
funding
funding
Information for funding opportunities for services

General Information

Grant funding through grant awarding agencies such as the Big Lottery Fund is normally only available to school-age childcare services which are based within the voluntary/community sector, although they do not need to be registered charities.

Private services may be eligible for funding through such agencies if they are a member of a local network which is a constituted voluntary organisation, such as a local out of school care network. As a member of the network, a private service may be eligible to receive partial funding.

Some local authorities continue to provide financial support to school-age childcare services through subsidised premises, qualifications and training.

Before applying to any grant funding, please check that you match the eligibility to apply and also your work and project directly relates to at least one of the funding priorities.

Children in Need

New funding programmes will begin launching in Autumn 2022.

In spring 2023, they will launch a funding stream for smaller, emerging organisations. This stream is aimed at organisations who may need greater support to access funding.

For further information on the new funding streams please see this link:

https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants/apply/

Foundation Scotland

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/apply-for-funding

PF Charitable Trust

Grant size: Up to £5,000

Projects must meet one of the following priorities: Disability; Health; Children and Families; Youth work; Elderly. The fund can support core costs as well as project costs. However, it can only support applications where the grant request is at least 25% of the total costs. Please do not apply if your project as a whole costs more than £20,000.

Please note this fund is only open to Registered Charities with an annual income of under £250,000.

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/apply-for-funding/funding-available/pf-charitable-trust

Baillie Gifford Community Awards

Grant size: Up to £5,000

The fund aims to support local organisations working to address food insecurity and social isolation. Priority will go to projects benefitting the most vulnerable groups including children and families on low incomes, veterans, people with disabilities and long-term health conditions and those affected by homelessness.

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/apply-for-funding/funding-available/baillie-gifford-community-awards

Baillie Gifford Grassroots Sports

Grant size: Up to £5,000

This fund is aimed at supporting grassroots sports organisations. Grants are available for helping people to participate in sport by improving quality and participation in sport - all ages and abilities, all sports (excluding elite participation), widening access to sport by removing barriers to participation and improving the sustainability of clubs.

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/apply-for-funding/funding-available/baillie-gifford-grassroots-sports

The Robertson Trust

https://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/funding

The Robertson Trust offer funding to charitable organisations that support people and communities in Scotland who are living with poverty or trauma, this is their overarching focus.

Currently, funding is aimed at constituted community groups and registered charities who are working to alleviate poverty and trauma in Scotland, and who have an annual income of under £2 million.

There are no set closing dates, so you're welcome to apply anytime.

They offer both revenue and capital funding

There are 3 main funds - Wee Grants, Small Grants and Large Grants: https://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/funding/our-funds/

The National Lottery Community Fund

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes?location=scotland

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-scotland

A quick way to apply for smaller amounts of funding between £300 and £10,000.

Applications should do at least one of the following:

  • bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities
  • improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
  • help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage.

Suitable for Voluntary or community organisations, Public sector organisations

Funding size: £300 to £10,000

Application deadline: Ongoing

National Lottery - Community Led

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/grants-for-community-led-activity

Funding to support community-led activity and wellbeing.

The Community Led funding aims to support communities to improve the places in which they live and the wellbeing of those most in need.

They will fund organisations to deliver work that achieves the following outcomes:

  • Everyone in the community has the opportunity to influence and get involved in community-led activity.
  • People in the community are better connected and work together to improve their wellbeing.

Suitable for Voluntary or community organisations

Funding size: £10,001 to £150,000

Application deadline: midday 30 September 2022

National Lottery - Improving Lives

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/grants-for-improving-lives

Grants from £10,001 to £200,000 to help people facing challenging circumstances

Many people experience challenges at some point in their lives. Through Improving Lives we aim to support activity that helps people overcome these difficulties and become more resilient.

They want to fund activity that means people:

  • are better able to identify ways to take control over their lives and build resilience
  • are able to shape the activities and services they use to better meet their needs
  • have more access to support and opportunities to improve their lives.

Suitable for Voluntary or community organisations, Public sector organisations

Funding size: £10001 to £200,000

Application deadline: midday 30 September 2022

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