Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting, abandoning and exposing children to a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to their health.
The court heard she offered childcare places for more children than she could reasonably provide care for at the time.
A Care Inspectorate report published in August 2023 said Mathewson was registered to provide care for a maximum of eight children at any one time.
It included conditions that a maximum of six children could be under the age of 12, no more than three could have started primary school, and no more than one could be under 12-months-old.
The unannounced inspection from about a year before her arrest had rated areas including care, learning and the setting as “very good”, the second-highest level in the quality scale.
The report said “children were cared for in a comfortable, welcoming and homely environment” and “were cared for with warmth, kindness and a nurturing approach”.
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said this is a “distressing case” and they have “implemented changes as a result of learning from this case.”
In a statement given to the BBC, one of the parents said: “The criminal case is important for justice. But our ultimate goal is to ensure no other family has to endure what we have been through. Our trust was broken, but our resolve is not.
“We have turned our pain into a purpose: to rebuild the system of childcare regulation and family support so that it is truly fit to protect Scotland’s children.”
Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until 6 November to allow background reports to be carried out. Mathewson’s bail was continued.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr9dzljq56ejo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
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