Mental Health Issues Cause Over 8,000 Nursery Staff to Be Absent in Scotland

Mental Health Issues Cause Over 8,000 Nursery Staff to Be Absent in Scotland

The number of nursery and childcare staff taking time off sick due to stress has increased by 53% in the last five years, the Scottish Conservatives claim.

The new figures following a Freedom of information requests submitted to all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, show a workforce that is overwhelmed with stress and in urgent need of support.

Meghan Gallacher MSP, Scottish Conservative deputy leader and shadow minister for children and young people said that “The invaluable work of early years staff and childcare providers is transformative in allowing new parents – like myself – to return to work, boosting our economy and benefiting young families”.

Qualifying parents in Scotland can get up to 1,140 hours of free childcare a year, funded by the Scottish Government. Independent nurseries make up a third of providers for free childcare but only receive a fifth of the funding, it has been revealed.

In the Renfrewshire Council alone, 436 nursery and childcare staff employed by the council have taken time off sick due to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, or depression in the last five years.

A spokesperson from the council reassured that the council works hard to promote a healthy working environment for all their staff and that they have in place a range of supportive services available to staff. The spokesperson added that “Renfrewshire Council continues to provide high-quality early learning and childcare provision for all eligible children.”

Overall, the actual number of staff absence relating to stress in Scotland is expected to be higher than the figures reveal, as three councils did not respond to the freedom of information requests and four did not provide figures for 2022/23.

Furthermore, freedom of information does not apply to nurseries and early education settings within the private sector.