The scheme, which will run in Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire for 18 months, links new childminders to an experienced childminder who will offer one-to-one support and advice for up to a year after registration.
The scheme has received funding from the Scottish Executive and will be co-ordinated by the Scottish Childminding Association.
The SCMA has already recruited ten support childminders who will begin a month-long induction course on 24 May. By the end of June, each support childminder will be allocated responsibility for up to ten new childminders.
The original Support Childminder Pathfinder Scheme was piloted by the NCMA in seven areas of England in April 2003. The project aimed to improve retention and recruitment by increasing the support available to prospective and new childminders.
An evaluation of the NCMA scheme published in February 2005 found that new childminders who participated in the scheme felt less isolated and were less likely to drop out during the registration period.
Lynne Murray, SCMA support childminding project co-ordinator, said she hoped the Scottish scheme would have similar benefits. She said, 'There is a lot of pressure on new childminders and we have noticed more people dropping out over the past three years. There is a lot of paperwork and policies, procedures and guidelines from the Care Commission to follow. It is achievable, but many of them need a wee bit of extra support to boost their confidence.
'We have already recruited the support childminders and they are enthusiastic about it. Many of them said how much they would have liked a scheme like this when they started out. If the pilot scheme is a success we hope other local authorities will work with the SMCA to fund its spread across Scotland.'
Sue Sprott, co-ordinator of the NCMA's Support Childminder Pathfinder Scheme in England, said she was delighted that a new scheme was running in Scotland. She said, 'It is such a simple scheme, but it is very effective.
Perhaps in the future we could look to extend the scheme into Wales as well.'