The Covid-19 pandemic has put the whole country into lockdown and sent many sectors into disarray.

A crucial problem that has surfaced is many ley worker parents are not able to work due to a lack of childcare provision.

However, Flexible Childcare Services Scotland, has announced today that it is working in partnership with Scottish Government and Local Authorities to make sure that vulnerable children and children of key workers will be able to access crucial childcare solutions that will allow their parents to participate and keep working in the national response to Covid-19.

The took will help local authorities assess the high demand for childcare and what available childcare provisions there are. Furthermore, it will also match eligible parents with suitable childcare providers. The tool is an adapted version of FCSS’s Flexible Pathway toolkit and will provide a quick and seamless route to flexible childcare provisioning.

Therefore, from today, childcare providers will be notified that they can register their setting and advertise their availability; parents can register their childcare requirements from Friday 24 April.

Susan McGhee, FCSS chief executive said: ‘In Aberdeen City alone there is demand for 1,800 childcare spaces from key worker parents. Filling this gap would mean that hundreds of key workers would be able to return to work and support our nation throughout this pandemic.

‘The demand for critical childcare and availability of staff is, and will continue to be, a changing picture as people across Scotland change working patterns and commitments in response to Covid-19 and undertake social isolation measures where necessary. Our software has already been developed to meet the needs of shift workers and will be ideal in supporting this ever-changing environment.’

Alison Cumming, interim director of Early Learning and Childcare Directorate at Scottish Government stated: ‘In order to support local authorities to manage the changing need and provision of critical childcare, the Scottish Government is working with FCSS to rapidly develop a digital tool that will support this work’.

This new system is available at no cost at all and efficiently balances with the existing solutions developed by Local Authorities to combat the Covid-19 childcare challenge.