Hansard

Every child deserves the best possible start in life. Every parent deserves the chance to work, study, rest or simply breathe without the crushing anxiety of impossible childcare costs. Every childcare worker deserves dignity, fair pay and recognition for the profoundly valuable work that they do. That is why the Scottish Greens were proud to stand in the recent election on a pledge to introduce the biggest expansion of childcare in a generation.

We see today’s motion as the start of the changes that need to happen, and our amendment pushes the Scottish Government to go further and faster. Expanding childcare is not simply a matter of economic policy; it is about equality, justice and human dignity. I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for her letter last night, which stressed the importance of working together on this vital work. I welcome her to her new role and confirm that the Greens will work with her to deliver the best for our children and young people and those who care for them.

We have much work to do. For too long, childcare has been treated as a private burden that is carried disproportionately by women rather than as the essential social infrastructure that it is. The reality that faces families across Scotland is stark. Research from Pregnant Then Screwed found that two thirds of mothers in Scotland say that their childcare costs are the same as, or more than, their income. Half of mothers said that, after paying for childcare, it simply does not make sense for them to work. More than a third said that they regularly face a choice between paying for childcare and paying for household essentials. Those figures should shame us all.

Behind every statistic is a person, a family or a mother who is trying to hold everything together. One mum in Aberdeen said:

“I have two children 20 months apart and pay over £2000 a month for childcare that isn’t even full time. There is no support. It’s exhausting, terrifying."

Another mum, from Angus, said:

“Recently, I found out that I am pregnant with my second child and the joy I should be feeling is dampened by already worrying about childcare costs when it’s time to return to work.”

No parent should describe raising children in Scotland as terrifying. The joy of a new baby should not be marred by anxiety about childcare costs. However, that is the reality for many families in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. That is why the Scottish Greens are clear that childcare must be universal, flexible and genuinely accessible.

Universal provision matters, because cliff edges punish families and means testing leaves people behind, whereas universal services create dignity, certainty and fairness. Flexibility matters, because families’ lives are not neatly lived between 9 and 5. Too many people—shift workers, rural families, parents of disabled children, single parents and parents working irregular hours—are locked out of the current system because it was not designed around the reality of modern life.

That is why our amendment calls for immediate, practical changes. First, by making available cross-border placements across Scotland, so that funding follows the child rather than stopping at arbitrary council boundaries. Secondly, by providing access to funded hours immediately after a child’s relevant birthday, rather than forcing families in some council areas to wait months for support, costing them thousands of pounds. Thirdly, our amendment recognises something that is too often ignored: expansion will work only if we properly value the workforce.

Care work is work. Childcare workers are not volunteers propping up a broken system through goodwill and exhaustion; they are skilled professionals carrying enormous responsibility for children’s wellbeing and development. The childcare workforce, which remains overwhelmingly female—95 per cent—is underpaid and undervalued, and poor pay and conditions are driving problems in recruitment and retention.

If we want a world-class childcare system, we need world-class terms and conditions. That means fair pay across councils and private providers. It means workforce planning and investment in training, particularly around additional support needs. It means collective bargaining that puts power in the hands of workers to negotiate better terms and conditions. It means recognising childcare not as a cost to be minimised but as a public good worthy of investment—because investment in childcare delivers enormous social and economic returns. The evidence is clear: childcare investment creates jobs, supports women into employment, reduces child poverty and boosts economic participation.

Care jobs are also low-carbon jobs. Investment in care creates more jobs and less pollution than equivalent investment in traditional infrastructure. This is feminist economic policy, green economic policy and, fundamentally, humane economic policy.

Let us build a childcare system that is rooted not in patchwork fixes or postcode lotteries but in equality, dignity and collective responsibility—a system that values children, parents and, finally, truly values care.

I move amendment S7M-00128.1, to insert at end:

“and further agrees that as a first step towards this expansion, the Scottish Government and COSLA must work together to ensure that cross-border placements are available across Scotland, that all children can access the current funded hours the week rather than term after the child's relevant birthday, and that the required flexibility in provision will only be achieved with proper workforce planning.”