Childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision, and they continue to be the option of choice for many families.
The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. The route to registration under the new regulations requires childminders to undertake pre-registration training, as well as meeting certain regulatory requirements including Garda vetting, proof of insurance, first aid certification and child safeguarding training.
As of end-May 2026,179 childminders are fully registered with Tusla and 814 childminders have completed the Pre-Registration Training. Among those, 8 childminders in County Clare are fully registered with Tusla, and 34 have completed the Pre-Registration Training.
I am aware that the rate of registration thus far has been lower than expected. It is for that reason that I asked Department officials to undertake a review of the regulations in advance of the conclusion of the transition period, to understand what barriers may exist, and to address them in a timely fashion.
The review, which will be managed by an external company, launched last week with an open call for submissions. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders and will provide an important opportunity to learn lessons from initial experiences with the regulations.
In addition to hearing from childminders who have not yet registered, it is important that the review adequately captures, and benefits from, the experiences of those who have registered and been through the registration process and who have operated within the new Regulations.
A consultation survey will follow the call for submissions, in addition to focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and case studies. The scope of the review is broader than initially outlined in the National Action Plan for Childminding and will now also examine the effectiveness of supports made available to assist the registration of childminders, as well as examining the barriers to registration and regulatory compliance, including financial and information barriers.
Supports are available for childminders at local level through the City and County Childcare Committees. Each City and County Childcare Committee employs a Childminding Development Officer, who provides a range of supports to local childminders, including the short pre-registration training course. The pre-registration training provides all the information that childminders need to understand what is required to apply to register, and explains the registration process.
I would encourage every childminder to have their say, and participate in the review.
I would also encourage any childminder who has questions or concerns about the new regulations to contact their local Childcare Committee. The Childminding Development Officers are there to provide the most up-to-date, accurate information, and to guide and support childminders at every step of the journey.
