Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
47. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports her Department is considering for parents whose childminders are not participating in the Core Funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47469/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraChildminders 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.
Shaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, published in 2025, makes clear that childminding remains central to the Government's vision for the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare. Shaping the Future sets out an ambitious process of reform to benefit children, parents and families, and those working in the sector.
Shaping the Future involves a phased approach. The Phase 1 Report commits to actions in 2026 to make services more affordable, accessible and improve quality, while a consultation process will be undertaken during 2026 to inform the development of Phase 2 actions for the years 2027-2029.
The Phase 1 Report includes a commitment to restructure the Core Funding pilot for registered childminders, noting that the Core Funding pilot aims to strengthen childminders' sustainability while helping parents to benefit from the fee-freeze and fee-caps. Further information will be issued later in 2026.
All paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes can now register with Tusla and access the National Childcare Scheme.
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to also benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered childminders are eligible to participate in the Scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision.
As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 and the Childminding Services Regulations, which came into effect on 30 September 2024, childminders are now able to apply to register with Tusla. The 2024 Act, under which the timeframes are established, provides for a transition period of three years, to September 2027, after which registration is due to become mandatory.
Supports are available to assist childminders to register, 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.
