Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
870. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average processing time for sponsored childcare referrals under the national childcare scheme; the steps being taken to address significant delays reported by community childcare providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37006/26]
View answerThe turnaround time for National Childcare Scheme (NCS) Sponsorship application approval is dependent on factors, including:
• The medium i.e. whether the application is submitted online, offline or a mixture of the two and;
• Whether or not all information required is sufficiently provided.
Typically, offline and hybrid applications are processed on the same day on which they are received by the Scheme Administrator, Pobal. Online applications generally create an award, or CHICK, immediately. This is the fastest application route for NCS Sponsorship. As mentioned above, some offline applications may experience delays where required information, such as relevant signatures or official stamps, are missing – which would extend the overall process.
Officials in the Department have liaised with the Scheme Administrator, Pobal, to investigate the issue of delays, particularly those which may be experienced by community providers regarding NCS Sponsorship. Notably, Pobal have confirmed that they have not received any complaints from the sector with regards to their processing of applications in this context. Delays may occur where a child has already started in an early learning and childcare services with the understanding that a CHICK will be received imminently or where a Sponsorship Body is delayed in submitting a referral for a child. As mentioned above, an application may be missing sufficient information by Pobal to process – in which case, the onus is on the applicant or Sponsorship body to submit this information as their earliest convenience.
Generally, it is not advised for an early learning and childcare service to take on any child that does not have an active CHICK. However, where delays are experienced in obtaining a Sponsorship CHICK, Providers can initiate a review process with the Scheme Administrator via the Early Years HIVE. Upon submission of relevant documentation, Pobal (at its discretion) may issue an ad hoc payment in order to cover the affected period. The time limit for such reviews is six months and it should be noted that this process only exists for Sponsored children.
If a family has been engaged with one of the five designated Sponsorship Bodies and is experiencing a delay in receiving their Sponsor CHICK, it is advised that they engage with the Sponsorship Body directly for advice.
More broadly, if an early learning and childcare provider requires support specific to Sponsored CHICKs, for example how to initiate a review, they should contact the Service Provider Centre at 01 511 7222 or email eypc@pobal.ie.
