Accountability, challenging times, a workforce in crisis and more...

Accountability, just one word but with so much meaning and often seen differently by different people.

For me accountability is about honesty, responsibility and willingness to do what has to be done, even when it’s not easy and not what you want to do.

It’s about being there for our team, having their back when needed, and being willing to be the person in the unenviable “buck stops here” position. 

It’s about acknowledging mistakes, apologising where appropriate, and taking necessary remedial action on time and as promised. 

We’ve had a tough few weeks at FCSS, in amongst some really positive events, regulatory activity, team building, and successes there have been a few much less positive situations. TBH, there have been a few moments where the you know what has hit that spinning thing, and our team have been in the firing line. I’ve had to apologise on behalf of the organisation and I’ve had to work alongside our incredible teams to put things right. 

Some of this has been uncomfortable but fair, some very unfair, and some utter nonsense, but regardless it has to be dealt with and it’s not been easy.

Yesterday was a seemingly average day, supporting the team in one of our services, but yesterday I planned to go home at the end of the day. As the day progressed I realised that I needed to be there again today for that team, necessitating another night away from home. 

The workforce capacity crisis in the early learning and broader childcare sector has left us struggling to have enough strong leaders to support, and truly lead, our teams. It has left those teams depleted and created situations where inexperienced team members are supporting new colleagues, where practitioners with only a couple of years practice under their belt are training new entrants and where our succession planning pipeline has run dry. 

It has created a situation where my only option was to be accountable, to do the right thing, and to be there for our team. 

As we slowly recover post Covid, we face staffing pressures, a harsh regulatory regime and sustainability challenges that are putting Scotland’s early learning and childcare sector at risk. On a daily basis our sector is losing incredibly good, experienced practitioners, for whom the whole operating model has just become too much. 

Early learning and childcare, plus school age childcare, are not a “nice to have” they are critical underpinning functions of a thriving and successful country. They help reduce the attainment gap, and provide opportunities that some children may otherwise never have. 

So today, as I take accountability, after staying another night away from home, missing my family and my doggos (unnecessary but cute pic alert), to support my FCSS colleagues, I am also asking that our local and national leaders, those responsible for the models of funding and regulation, and those who lead in workforce capacity planning take accountability, and work with this vital sector, to ensure that together we can create a Scotland that truly is the best place to grow up, to live and to work.