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SOSCN Professional Development Book Club - First Book
Personal Plan Toolkit
Everything you need to create personal plans within your service
Medication Management Toolkit
Medication storage, administration and record keeping
Experiences for Older Children
This month's practice focus area is experiences for older children
Service Environment
This month's practice focus area is Service Environment
Dec 2024
Winter edition with updates from Care Inspectorate, SSSC, Members Stories, and more
Professional Development Book Club
Join up with your colleagues in the school age childcare sector from across the country, to read, learn, network and develop
Happy Playday 2024- the culture of childhood!
SOSCN is a committed play champion. This year's theme is Play- the culture of childhood. Supporting play, fun and friendships
Muthill Kiddy Club
We took a trip to visit the children, parents and staff at Muthill Kiddy Club in Perthshire, to learn more about what it’s like at a rural service
Workforce Survey 2024
The SOSCN School Age Childcare Workforce survey 2024 is now live
Key UK Budget announcements October 2024
National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, and National Insurance Contributions
Season's Greetings
We hope you enjoy the holidays and wish you all the best for 2025
children's guide
SOSCN Children's Guide to Out of School Care and your 20 questions play book
information
Information for service providers and practitioners
Impact Assessments
Information and a sample impact assessment form
Factsheets
download information PDFs here
sick pay
Pensions
Guidance on pay rates
Adverse Weather and Extreme Temperature
video (DVD) licences
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
anti-bullying guidance
STEM in OSC
Information on STEM in school age childcare and SOSCN previous work in the area
Physical Activity in OSC
We are committed to encouraging physical activity and active play both indoors and outdoors at school age childcare services
Essential Guidance For School Age Childcare Services
Documents and guidance most relevance currently to registered school age childcare services
Business Support
It is vital that in addition to expert childcare knowledge, services need to have good business knowledge
Play
Article 31 of the UNCRC states that children have a right to culture, leisure, rest and play
funding
Information for funding opportunities for services
Financial Support to Parents
Understanding Financial Support to Parents to Pay for Childcare
Wellbeing in OSC
GIRFEC, SHANARRI, professional responsibility and more
management
different management structures for school age childcare servicves
regulation
Registration requirements for school age childcare in Scotland, including information on Scottish Social Services Council, Care Inspectorate and PVG Scheme
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<
BLOG
Thought and opinions from SOSCN staff and other colleagues
2023
June
Limited or Lack of Local School Age Childcare
This survey addressed the issue of whether parents and carers have access to sufficient school age childcare to meet their needs
March
SOSCN's letter to First Minister Candidates
We have sent a letter to each of the three candidates for First Minister
January
Children's safeguarding at risk in unregulated out of school settings in England
The UK Government Department for Education published a report in November 2022 which has raised serious concerns about the safety and wellbeing of the millions of children in England who attend out of school settings
2022
December
Staying Safe and Professional Online as a Social Care Worker
November
Reconnecting - to care for others you need to care for yourself
Access to Childcare Fund - The Learning So Far
September
It's good to chat - SSSC Codes of Practice Conversation
Having a ball in the holidays
August
Superheroes are real- they work in school age childcare
March
A time for change- reflection on the 2021 OSC Workforce Survey Results
2021
August
Stories of Summer 2021
April
Scottish Parliament Election Manifesto Overview 2021
March
The longest year- a reflection
February
The Finnish way to a happier childhood - Putting Children First
2020
November
Reflections on the Week
September
Re-opening services - keeping your staff onside!
Low pay and limited hours are push and pull factors which create a churn in the Out of School Care Workforce
April
Reflections on our journey and the way ahead
March
Coronavirus Covid-19 Potential Impact on Out of School Care, Breakfast and Holiday Clubs
Coronavirus Covid-19 Information Update Monday 2nd March 2020
February
Promising Children - a brief overview of the Care Review
2019
November
OSC draft framework consultation- the time to have your say is now!
Working to live or struggling to get by? Why the Real Living Wage is important.
October
Welcome proposal for free holiday childcare
Giving Parents and Children a say in the Framework for Out of School Care
Out of School Care in Scotland Continues to Grow
April
Success for our STEM Champions in Out of School Care
OSC Workforce - Most Recent Scottish Social Services Council Statistics
Training Opportunities for Out of School Care services- a selection of what's available
March
Supporting OSC Across the Country
February
Recent International policy and research briefing for members February 2019
Equal play? Does your service support or challenge gender stereotypes and roles?
CHANGE Project and T.I.C.T.A.C.S. - low cost quality template test of change
2018
August
Animal Magic- animals in care settings and children in animal settings...
July
Top free foody activities you can do over the summer break
March
Out of School Care - believing that children matter
OSC A to Z
A comprehensive list of information about school age childcare
A - B
accessibility
Services should be as far as possible, accessible to all families and children in their community
accidents and emergencies
Every service will have accident and emergency procedures in place and a method of recording information on anything that happens to children while in the care of the service
additional support needs
Services should do their utmost to be inclusive of children with additional support needs, including children with sensory or physical disabilities, or with a range of learning difficulties
allergies
It is very important that services are informed of any allergies a child has as well as any medication they require
anti-bullying
Anti-bullying Policy Guidance
attainment
Children learn informally through good quality play and social interactions in out of school care
behaviour rules
In general SOSCN advocates a promoting positive behaviour approach which ensures children receive attention for good behaviour
Ch - Co
childcare tax credits
Parents and carers who work and pay for childcare may be able to get extra tax credits to help with childcare costs
childcare vouchers
Employee voucher schemes are being phased out except for those who have already joined.
child protection
As a parent or carer, volunteer or member of staff in a service, the need to ensure children are protected is fundamental
children's charter
Every Out of School Care Service should have its own Children's Charter
children's participation - UNCRC
Links for UNCRC
codes of conduct
All staff members employed in out of school care have to be registered with the SSSC, unless they are already registered with another equivalent regulatory body
consent
Services must seek parental/carer consent for children to have their photographs taken and to clearly state what these purposes may be used for
Co - G
contracts, costs, fees and cancellations
It often comes as a surprise to many parents that their local out of school service or holiday care service is not a statutory service run by their local council
creativity
Creativity and opportunities for self-expression are key
Data Protection
The Data Protection Act controls how your personal information is used. Everyone has to follow rules called data protection principles
equality and diversity
Parents, children and staff involved in an out of school care service should expect that the service has a clear equality policy and is inclusive of local communities
First-Aid Training
The Care Inspectorate and the SSSC require that staff are appropriately trained to do their role
food choices
Information on the Health and Social Care Standards and food
Getting it Right
Links for GIRFEC
H - J
health and safety and insurance
Information on infection control; safety of equipment and food preparation, transport and escorting children to and from school, or on outings
homework
Out of school care is not a homework club or extracurricular club, provided by the school
illness, infection and medication
Information on illness, medication and more
Induction
All new children attending an out of school care service should be supported in their transition into the service
introduction
Jargon Buster
Find out what the terms mean
Just A...
Childcare workers are carers, role models, teachers, counsellors and many other roles, who will consistently support children and families over a number of years
K - Pa
Kids' Club
This term is more often used in England and Wales to describe an out of school care or after school or holiday club
Learning
Children learn in after school care through a wide range of physical activities indoors and outdoors, mental challenges and creative experiences
Lone Parents
Lone parents are often those who are most in need of out of school care, especially if they are living and working away from family network
Moving and Handling
Every service, especially those including children with disabilities, will have a policy on moving and handling children
Nature
A good quality service will give children daily access to natural pursuits, including exploring outdoors and growing plants amongst other activities
Outdoor Play
The benefits of outdoor play are recognised but there is a concern that today's children are becoming more accustomed to indoor activities rather than playing out
parental rights and involvement
Information for parents and carers about rights and getting involved
Pe - T
Personal Plans
Services are legally required to keep up-to-date records of children in their care which must be reviewed on a 6-monthly basis
Play
Article 31 of the UNCRC states that children have a right to culture, leisure, rest and play- play is a fundamental right for children
play and risk
Parents and the professional play and care staff in out of school care have to get the balance right for children and young people in terms of play and risk
Quality in OSC
Ensuring ongoing quality experiences should be at the heart of all services and embedded in all aspects of the service from delivery to administration
Risk and Challenge
Information for taking a positive approach to risk in order to achieve the best outcomes for children
social media and mobile phones
OSC services should have a comprehensive social media policy
trips and outings
Things to consider for trips and outings
U - Z
United Nations
Links for the United Nations
volunteers
Information on volunteering in services
workforce
Workforce considerations
X-Boxes and Screens
There is growing concern in academia and the media about the negative impact pro-longed screen time can have on children and young people
Young Adults
Services can provide care for young people up to age 16 or even 18, if they have a disability, although the majority of services provide care for children attending primary school
Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance is acharity working to end men's violence against women by promoting gender equality and challenging attitudes which normalise violence and abuse
September 2019

Out of School Care in Scotland - a draft framework for consultation

The Scottish Government's Out of School Care in Scotland draft framework consultation has been launched.

We shall be holding a series of events October/November around the country in partnership with the Scottish Government looking at the consultation questions and issues raised within the document. Dates and venues to follow in the next few weeks- keep an eye out for details. For further information please see this link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/out-school-care-scotland-draft-framework-2019/

STEM Creative Computing Masterclass - places remaining

Places are available for our Creative Computing Masterclass taking place on Saturday 14th September at the Albany Centre in Glasgow. This session takes place from 10:00am - 12:45pm and will be of interest to new participants, as well as those who previously attended SOSCN Creative Computing training. For further details and how to book, please see this link: https://soscn.org/participate/teaching-stem-in-osc

SOSCN Membership Survey - closes Friday

Last chance to complete our online membership survey. A big thank you to everyone who has already submitted a response. The information and comments provided have been great and will be very helpful for our funding bid. The survey can be found here: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/brmiad0h

Workforce Survey 2019

Hopefully most members will have already received their paper copies through the post for our 2019 Workforce Survey. The information gathered in this survey is essential for SOSCN policy work and we are very grateful for the many responses that we receive for this each year. If you haven't had any through the post yet, or would like to access the survey, then you can download a paper copy from our website or fill out the survey online.

Online: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/mMli5Km4

Paper Copies to download: https://soscn.org/downloads/news/workforce-survey-2019.pdf

Recruitment and Retention Survey

Increasingly services are reporting to us that they are having problems retaining and recruiting staff. In order to learn how widespread this is, and also the reasons behind any issues, we are asking managers of services to complete this survey.

The more responses we have the more accurate the information- this survey should take about five minutes and can be completed online here: https://freeonlinesurveys.com/s/etLvKMvn

The Disclosure (Scotland) Bill

The Disclosure (Scotland) Bill seeks to amend the law governing how the state discloses previous offending behaviour and the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. You can find out everything about this Bill here: https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2019/8/30/The-Disclosure--Scotland--Bill

Heartstart Training

We are still offering free Heartstart training to members. Participants of this training will gain an awareness of how to handle the 5 most likely emergency situations, including CPR, Recovery Position, Serious Bleeding, Choking and Suspected Heart Attack. The practical part of the training will include using a choking vest, a defibrillation training unit, as well as CPR models - both infant and baby size. Participants will also be shown video clips from the British Heart Foundation Heartstart programme. This training is free, however, services may be required to pay travel costs if, for example, car hire or an overnight stay is required. This can vary from approx. £75 to £200 based on location. For further information, as well as details for how to book, please see this link: https://soscn.org/participate/heartstart

Physical Activity Training

SOSCN's Physical Activity training remains a great practical session for OSC staff to learn about the benefits of being active, as well as providing the skills for how to get children of all abilities to take part in, and overcome the barriers to, getting active. This training also looks at the benefits of physical activity in terms of developing children's skills and attributes and looks in more detail at resources and activities promoting inclusion, self-awareness and goal-directed behaviour.

You can find out more about the two sessions in the series, as well as some testimonials from those who have taken part, here: https://soscn.org/participate/active-training

2024
December
Dec 2024
Winter edition with updates from Care Inspectorate, SSSC, Members Stories, and more
June
Jun 2024
Summer edition with information on holiday guidance, campaigning, activities ideas, and more features
March
Mar 2024
Spring edition highlighting our new shop and online training platform, with guest articles, essential updates, activities, and much more
2023
December
Dec 2023
Essential updates, information resources and much more
June
June 2023
May
May 2023
January
Jan 2023
2022
November
Nov 2022
August
Aug 2022
June
Jun 2022
April
Apr 2022
January
Jan 2022
2021
November
Nov 2021
October
Oct 2021
April
April 2021
March
March 2021
2020
December
December 2020
July
July 2020
May
May (End) 2020
May 2020
January
January 2020
2019
December
December 2019
November
November 2019
October
October 2019
September
September 2019
August
August 2019
April
April 2019
February
February 2019
2018
December
December 2018
September
September 2018
March
April 2018
2017
December
December 2017
October
October 2017
June
June 2017
March
March 2017
2016
October
October 2016
March
March 2016
February
February 2016
January
January 2016
2015
December
December 2015