Kathleen Funchion
Question:179. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for the regulation of the growing childminding sector. [30055/16]
View answerThursday, 13 October 2016
Questions (179)
Written answers
My Department provides annual funding to each CCC to enable them to support and advise all childcare providers, including childminders, at local level. In 2016, the total amount allocated to the CCCs was €10.4m. In addition, in 2016 my Department provided €250,000 to the CCCs for disbursement to eligible childminders by way of Childminding Development Grants. My Department also provides annual funding, totalling €2.44m in 2016, to six National Voluntary Childcare Organisations to provide support at a local level to their members. This included €340,000 for Childminding Ireland (CMI), the representative body for childminders. This national association supports quality development in family based care for children. It supports parents with childcare choices and concerns and also childminders.
Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, services providing care for children aged 0-6 years who have not yet commenced primary school are required to register their service with the Early Years (Pre-School) Inspectorate in Tusla, and are subject to inspection and report by the Inspectorate on a regular basis. Services covered by the Regulations include full-time, part-time, temporary, overnight, and sessional services, as well as childminders taking care of more than three pre-school children from different families in the childminder's home. Childminders taking care of not more than three pre-school children from different families are not covered by the Regulations.
My Department has asked Childminding Ireland to chair a working group on reforms and supports for the childminding sector. It is expected that this group will produce a Report for my consideration by the end of May 2017. The Group's recommendations will, inter alia, inform future policy in relation to the regulation of the childminding sector as a whole.