Professional Learning with SCMA

Our Scotland-focused learning content will help you to build upon your existing skills and knowledge.

All courses are available as e-learning and some are fully funded if you are an SCMA member.

We also offer face-to-face training for small groups which can be delivered in person at a local venue or online.

View our courses
We understand how important learning is to our members.

All SCMA courses are designed specifically for childminders in Scotland, supporting your professional growth at all career stages, so that you can continue to deliver a high quality service to children and families.

We know that childminders lead busy lives, so we have tailored your essential professional learning to work around what suit you best and in a variety of formats.

Our e-learning courses are particularly popular as they allow the flexibility to learn at a time that suits you, progressing at your own pace. You can pause for breaks, save and come back to it later.

Did you know?

It is best practice for all professional childminders to complete a minimum of 12 hours of Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) each year, and for childminders providing Funded ELC this is mandatory.

All childminders must now work to the childminding indicators of the Quality Improvement Framework, which stipulate that:

“Professional learning and development is promoted through training and reflective practice. This is well planned and linked directly to enhanced outcomes for children, their individual needs, and the service improvement plan. A positive, compassionate and responsive culture where children thrive should be evident.”

Remember to update your learning log!

Our Scotland-focused learning content will help you to build upon your existing skills and knowledge.

Your learning log is the ideal place to reflect on this learning and how it will impact your practice – which can then be used to evidence improvement to parents, local authorities (if relevant) and during your inspection.

Prefer interactive learning?

Interactive, face-to-face training for small groups can be delivered in person at a local venue or online.

If you have a group of eight childminders or more with an interest in a particular topic, please get in touch to find out more.

Courses

All courses are available as e-learning and some are fully funded if you are an SCMA member.

Fully Funding Available
Child Protection: Understanding Child Neglect

Understand the signs and indicators of neglect, and your role in supporting children who may be experiencing neglect.

Fully Funding Available
Trauma Informed Practice

Understand trauma-informed practice and support children within your service.

Fully Funding Available
Healthy Relationships: Attachment in Action

Understanding relationship-based practice, and promoting healthy relationships.

Fully Funding Available
Personal Plans

Understanding and implementing Personal Plans as part of your childminding practice.

Fully Funding Available
Understanding Observations in a Childminding Setting

The aim of this course is to help you understand and use observation to support children's learning and development.

Fully Funding Available
Understanding Child Development: 5 - 8 Years

Gain a better understanding of child development (between 5-8 years).

Fully funded for all SCMA members

Fully Funding Available
Understanding Child Development: 0 - 3 Years

Gain a better understanding of child development (between 0-3 years).

Fully Funding Available
Child-Led Planning

Child-led planning to create meaningful experiences in a childminding setting.

Fully Funding Available
Understanding Child Development: 3 - 5 Years

Gain a better understanding of child development (between 3-5 years).

Fully Funding Available
Think STEM - Autism, ADHD and the Senses

Develop your understanding of STEM, Autism, ADHD, and the senses.

Fully funded and available as e-Learning for all SCMA members

Fully Funding Available
Children's Rights: Participation in Practice

Promoting child-led participation and children and young people's rights.

Fully Funding Available
Curriculum for Excellence: Early Level (3 - 5 Years)

Understanding the Curriculum for Excellence, and how it works in a childminding setting.

Fully Funding Available
Realising the Ambition

All you need to know about Realising the Ambition: Being Me guidance and how it relates to your childminding practice.

Fully Funding Available
Enhanced Child Protection

Consolidate and build upon your child protection knowledge

Fully Funding Available
GIRFEC into Practice

Understand the eight wellbeing indicators and the four capacities surrounding the GIRFEC approach.

Fully Funding Available
The Business Side of Childminding

Adopting a professional approach to providing a childminding service.

Fully Funding Available
Child Protection in a Childminding Setting (2025)

Comply with Health and Social Care Standards and meet your legal requirements associated with running a small business.

Fully Funding Available
Infection Prevention and Control in a Childminding Setting

Learn about health and safety issues and providing a safe environment.

Fully Funding Available
Parental Involvement

Adopting a professional approach and developing effective partnerships in a childminding service.

Fully Funding Available
Childminding Induction e-Learning

Designed to support potential childminders in Scotland through every stage of the registration process and beyond. Our Childminding Induction Support Programme covers everything you need to know.

Fully Funding Available
Evidence In Practice (Quality in Practice series)

Producing evidence that demonstrates knowledge and understanding and enables you to cross-reference and link policies to practice.

Fully funded for all childminders

Fully Funding Available
Translating Policy into Practice (Quality in Practice series)

Increase confidence when linking legislation, standards, guidance and frameworks with your childminding practice.

Fully funded for all childminders

SCMA Member

I’ve completed three SCMA e-Learning courses and I found the system very easy to use…. I enjoyed the fact that I could do them in my own time and when was suitable and convenient to myself.

SCMA Member

Get in touch

For further information or queries about any aspect of professional learning with SCMA, please email learn@childminding.org and we will be happy to help.

Want to further your learning?

Whilst SCMA should always be your first port of call for exploring your learning and training needs, we recognise that sometimes additional, more specialist knowledge is required.

As well as benefiting from a special discount with Mini First Aid (KS8.1), SCMA members can access more than 30 fully funded courses to extend your learning and support your practice – including Food Hygiene Level 2, Mental Health Awareness and supplementary Child Protection bitesize sessions through our partnership with ‘Flick Learning’. Select ‘Flick’ in the search above to see what is available.

Lastest News and Stories

Boost your CPL with more bitesize e-Learning for SCMA members

The Professional Learning team at SCMA is delighted to announce the addition of three new titles to our suite of bitesize e-Learning from Flick Learning.

25th June 2026

SCMA Chief Executive meets with the new Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise

The Chief Executive of SCMA, Graeme McAlister met with Siobhian Brown MSP – the new Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise – at the Scottish Parliament yesterday (24 June 2026).

25th June 2026

New Podcast Episode Alert! Childminding Matters

SCMA’s second podcast episode for members is now available… Join host Nyree Cooper, SCMA’s Quality and Learning Lead, alongside special guest Wendy Smith — a childminder from Falkirk - who also works part time as an SCMA Childminding Development Officer. Wendy shares with us her love and enthusiasm for childminding, alongside her experience supporting other childminders. Wendy and Nyree touch on Wendy’s own experience of her last inspection back in October 2025 – and how although they’re a bit daunting, inspection is a valuable opportunity to showcase the amazing work you do in your setting, and demonstrate the high-quality childcare service you provide every day.

18th June 2026