The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to extending regulation and supports to all paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes. The National Action Plan sets out a phased approach to regulation with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition period, to allow childminders lead-in time for any requirements. This supportive, phased process aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for this reform.
Phase 1 of the National Action Plan is nearing completion. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 will remove the registration exemption relating to childminders to facilitate the extension of regulation to all paid, non-relative childminders. The Act provides a definition of a childminding service and includes it as a type of early years service, and amends the Childcare Support Act 2018 to align with the definition of early years service in the Child Care Act, thus ensuring that childminders will have access to the National Childcare Scheme. The Act also provides for a transition period of three years before registration becomes mandatory. During the transition period, childminders will be able to register with Tusla under new childminder-specific regulations and will then be able to take part in the National Childcare Scheme.
I am satisfied that the new, childminding-specific Regulations, which were published last week, are proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work. In finalising the new Regulations, substantial changes were made in response to feedback in the public consultation earlier this year. Childminders will be able to start applying to register under the new Regulations from 30 September. Pre-registration training, which has been designed to support childminders with regulatory compliance and the registration process, is being rolled out nationally through the City and County Childcare Committees.
Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. My Department has in place a range of supports and funding schemes to support the delivery of early learning and childcare places but services are independently operated, either by community not-for-profit or by private for-profit providers.
Data available to my Department demonstrate that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding nationally. There is evidence, however, that demand for places is increasing and, for certain cohorts and in certain areas, outstripping supply. This is partly driven by the significant improvements in affordability that have been achieved in recent years and I acknowledge that some families experience challenges in accessing places, particularly for younger children. It is my intention that the capital funding schemes, to be delivered over the next few years will go some way towards alleviating this issue.
An important project that I have initiated this year is the development of a forward planning model to develop a better understanding of the nature of supply and how it relates to demand and in order to support the delivery of more early learning and childcare places in the parts of the country where they are needed. The model will identify the quantum and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country, whether or not those places are occupied and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level.
My Department also oversees the administration of capital investment under the National Development Plan, through the Building Blocks Capacity Grant. The primary focus of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Schemes is to increase capacity in the 1-3 year old, pre-ECCE, age range for full day or part-time care. Appraisal of applications for this scheme considers the supply and demand in the area around the proposed projects and seeks to prioritise funding for areas with the biggest supply/demand mismatch. I hope to announce further details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme in the coming weeks.
Additionally, my Department is currently engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine and review the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings with a view to updating them.
