The event, Working 9-5: How does childcare fit?, was part of the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences, and brought together academics, policymakers, practitioners, advocates and parents to reflect on the role childcare policy has in shaping socio-economic outcomes for families and communities.  

The morning opened with Dr Claire MacRae, Centre for Public Policy Senior Lecturer, and Carole Erskine, Pregnant Then Screwed Head of Policy and Campaigns (Scotland), sharing insights from new research the Centre has carried out on behalf of Pregnant Then Screwed. The work looks at changes to the delivery of childcare in one Scottish Local Authority.  

A report from this work, which illuminates the impact this change has had on working parents and includes recommendations, will be published in early 2026. 

Expert panel

The main part of the event was an expert panel, chaired by Centre for Public Policy Associate Director Professor Kezia Dugdale.  

It featured leading voices in this area: 

  • Carole Erskine, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Pregnant Then Screwed 
  • Carmen Martinez, Policy and Engagement Lead, Scottish Women’s Budget Group 
  • Eleanor Passmore, Scotland Director, Thrive at Five Scotland 
  • Lorna Kettles, Policy and Engagement Manager, Early Years Scotland 

Each panellist shared their perspective on childcare and early learning, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. Panel Chair Professor Kezia Dugdale then led a series of questions and facilitated a Q&A with the audience.  

Key messages

Key points discussed include: 

  1. The development of national childcare policy and its delivery at a local level including local authority decision-making and setting budgets for childcare provision.  
  2. Policy coherence and long-term objectives in the childcare policy including the expansion of the 1140 of childcare policy. 
  3. Provision and employment, and how we can better recruit and retain staff in early learning and childcare. The real living wage and the implications for childcare delivery. Risk of employment options reinforcing ‘traditional’ gender roles and inequality. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this event, for sharing your insights and perspective, and bringing engaging questions for our panel. 

The event was part of the Economic and Social Research Council Festival of Social Science, an annual, UK-wide, free celebration of the social sciences.  

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Upcoming report on changes to childcare delivery in Scotland

The report on changes to delivery of childcare in a Local Authority in Scotland will be published by Pregnant Then Screwed and the Centre for Public Policy in early 2026. Sign up to the Centre for Public Policy mailing list to receive it straight to your inbox: 

https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/about/ 

First published: 25 November 2025

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