Scottish Children’s Minister Natalie Don-Innes has been invited to meet Uist and Barra parents who warn that childcare in the islands is reaching “crisis point.”

Isles MSP Alasdair Allan has extended the invitation after renewed concern about the fragility and lack of childcare provision locally, particularly for the under-3s.

Dr Allan says that despite the hard work of existing providers and staff, the childcare situation in Uist and Barra has “grown even more acute in recent weeks.”

He met with parents last week in Uist and heard that urgent action is required to prevent more people from leaving the workforce, relocating, or abandoning hopes of having children.

In his letter to the Scottish Children’s Minister, the Isles MSP said: “They [the parents] warn of impending and heightened problems for the local economy if parents are required to give up work, from nursing to business owners to fire service officers to a ferry port manager, to look after their children.

“Some parents face the unattractive decision between work and children, or indeed relocation, in the coming months and therefore view the matter with urgency.”

He continued that many of the parents he spoke to felt childcare provision had now reached a “critical junction” due in part to the recent closure of the sole childminder in Benbecula and the current limited childcare provision, particularly for after-school and the school holidays.

Presently, there is no 0-2 years childminder in Uist, and wraparound childcare does not meet current demand. In Barra, there is no childcare available for the under-3s. One Barra resident is accessing childcare in South Uist, which requires a ferry journey and onward commute.

The Children’s Minister has also heard that while a shortage of childcare is an island-wide problem, it is being felt most acutely in Uist and Barra.

Dr Allan points out in his letter to the minister that there are grounds to question “certain rules and regulations” concerning how childcare is being provided in island areas.

“In Uist and Barra, there is a keen appetite amongst parents for innovative solutions to these problems,” comments Dr Allan. “Parents asked me about whether, in the future, childminders could be guaranteed a living wage, particularly in areas with low childminding provision.

“If childminders were able to operate in non-residential community settings, such as village halls, this would be helpful. The possibility of a single care model, allowing crossover between childcare and nursery workers, was seen as a useful mechanism to widen the workforce through greater flexibility and the pooling of resources.”