Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 September 2024
349. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to resolve the crisis in after-school childcare in Kilkenny, where there are no places available for working parents to have their children cared for; if he has examined the models of care in other European countries, such as Sweden, to determine what might work better in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37284/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEach year, Pobal compiles data from the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile Survey. The most recent capacity data for the 2022/23 programme year estimated that there were 4,293 children enrolled in Kilkenny ELC and SAC services, 57% of services had at least one vacant place, and 55% had a waiting list.
Waiting list data can be used as an indicator of demand for places for a given age group or service type. However, it should not be used as a measure of demand as not all services operate a waiting list and an individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services.
To support parents to find appropriate ELC places to meet their needs, my Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees which provide support and assist families and ELC providers with ELC matters. Parents can contact Kilkenny County Childcare Committee on 056 775 2865 or at mail@kkccc.ie.
The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare (which includes school aged childcare) is a key Government priority. Considerable investment has taken place in recent years to improve the resourcing, quality and availability of early learning and childcare.
It should be noted that the substantial progress that has been achieved in relation to affordability (detailed below), which in addition to high employment levels and increasing population, is contributing to increased demand which in some locations is outstripping increases in supply.
The development of the Action Plan on School Age Childcare (2017) was informed by national and international literature considering models from Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia focusing on non-parental care and after-school. The literature review identified three essential components of a SAC system which were the importance of Access, Quality, and Affordability.
There have been major developments in the areas of access, quality and affordability in recent years.
Access
This year, I established a Supply Management Unit within the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division of my Department. A key part of the Supply Management Unit’s remit is to develop capacity for monitoring, analysing and forecasting of supply and demand. The development of a forward planning model is currently underway. The model will seek to identify the nature and volume of different types of ELC and SAC 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.
Since 2020, there has been a significant increase in the number of stand-alone SAC services registered with Tusla, with 546 more services now on the Tusla register. At the end of Q1 2024, there was a total of 2,546 registered school-age services. The latest data on new service registrations and service closures provided to my Department by the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate for January to July this year shows a net increase of 39 standalone SAC services.
According to latest data, almost 17% of all ELC services are located in schools. The scope for wider use to be made of school buildings is a matter for the Department of Education and the various patrons that govern schools across the country. The Department of Education policy is to encourage the use of school facilities, where possible, for community, training and education-related activities, including ELC.
To assist schools in considering applications for use of their facilities, the Department of Education recently published Procedures on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours. To encourage the greater use of such facilities, the Department of Education has committed to provide schools with a guarantee that any income from after-school use of their facilities will not affect their State grants, capitation fees or any other form of departmental funding.
Quality
The publication of the National Quality Guidelines for School Age Childcare Services (2020). It describes the features of a high-quality service and is intended to show how services can go beyond the minimum standards that are specified in regulations. It is intended to be a practical tool, and it will form the basis of training and other supports to help school-age childcare providers to offer high quality services for children.
My Department will continue to build on the Guidelines over the years ahead in the development of comprehensive regulations for school-age childcare and the development of training to support staff to deliver high quality services in line with these Guidelines.
Affordability
More children than ever, over 181,000, are benefitting from subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Since September 2022, the upper age eligibility for the NCS Universal award increased from 3 years of age to 15 years of age meaning more parents could avail of subsidies for school-aged children. Furthermore, as of 2 September 2024, the minimum NCS rate has increased from €1.40 to €2.14 meaning that parents may receive a higher rate towards their ELC, including after-school and childminders.
Also of note is the extension of funding supports and regulation to childminders who are currently outside the scope of regulation under the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028. The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024, which was enacted in July, will remove the legal exemption of childminders from regulation. Childminding specific regulations are due to be commenced, along with the opening of the Tusla registration process, at the end of September 2024. Following registration, childminders will be able to take part in the NCS.
A list of early learning and childcare services participating in the NCS, including childminders, is available on: https://www.ncs.gov.ie/en/childcare-search/
