PARENTS struggling to access free childcare places in their chosen nurseries under a flagship Scottish Government initiative have called for an independent inquiry.
A group of campaigning families from Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian want Scotland's Commissioner for Young People to assess how well the policy is being delivered.
The move comes after the Fair Funding for Our Kids group met First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Friday to raise their concerns with her.
Under SNP legislation, families are entitled to a mandatory 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare for three and four-year-olds.
Councils deliver the policy by using part of their overall block grant to provide enough free places in state nurseries - or by paying partnership providers in the private sector if they cannot meet the demand themselves.
However, a survey has shown thousands of children are unable to secure fully funded places at the private nurseries they currently attend with alternative council provision unsuitable because it does not cover the working day.
Sarah Metcalfe, a spokeswoman for Fair Funding For Our Kids, said: "There are thousands of children missing out because what councils deliver doesn't match the government's promise.
"We believe this is a national problem and it needs national strategic oversight if the First Minister's childcare revolution is to be realised.
"We had a positive meeting with the First Minister and are very keen to contribute to making Scotland's childcare the best in the world, but our children cannot wait and we need action now."
The group wants to see the Children's Commissioner made responsible for assessing the delivery of the policy Scotland-wide.
Campaigners also want to see a formal mechanism set up to prevent children missing out on funding when their parents live and work in different authorities as well as a Scotland-wide exercise to identify the scale of the problem.
A spokeswoman for Children's Commissioner said: "We have received a request from the campaign group. While it's obviously too early to comment on what the Commissioner's involvement might be - if any - the commitment made by Scottish Government was very welcome and parents and carers should certainly be able to access these childcare hours."
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