Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2019
515. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the planned changes to school-age care; the rationale for the 12:1 staff-to-child ratio in view of the fact that primary-age children are often in classes with staff-to-child ratios of up to 40:1; when the changes will come into effect; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3749/19]
View answerThe regulation of school-age childcare is an important measure to secure children's health, safety and welfare. The registration of school-age childcare services is also necessary given the restriction of the Affordable Childcare Scheme to services that are registered with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Initial regulations will come into force on 18 February, enabling services to register in time to take part in the Affordable Childcare Scheme when it opens later this year.
The primary focus of the initial regulations is that school-age childcare services are registered with Tusla. The regulations also specify requirements on Garda vetting of staff, insurance, access to outdoor space, and the maintenance of policies and procedures on child safeguarding, fire safety, complaints, administration of medication, dropping off and collection of children, and other key policies.
The requirements being introduced include a minimum ratio of one adult to 12 children. The 1:12 ratio was determined following the advice of the School Age Childcare Standards Working Group, which submitted draft proposals on quality standards for school-age childcare to my Department in 2018. Membership of the Standards Working Group included organisations that represent full-day care providers, parents, primary schools, children’s rights and regulators, as well as organisations focused on the quality of school-age childcare. In developing their proposals, the Working Group reviewed international evidence and practice, in which there is considerable variation in ratio requirements. The School Age Childcare Standards Working Group was reconvened for a meeting with officials from my Department in September 2018, during drafting of the School-Age Childcare Regulations, for consultation specifically on the adult-child ratio and outdoor space requirements.
The Standards Working Group recommended a ratio of 1:11. The previous working group to examine the issue, which issued the report, "Developing School Age Childcare" in 2005, under the auspices of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, recommended a 1:8 ratio at that point in time. A higher ratio of 1:12 has been adopted for the Regulations, reflecting the fact that the age group is on average higher than that in the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, for which a 1:11 ratio is required.
School-age childcare services cater for children of very varied ages, from four to 14 years of age, though data from Pobal's Early Years Sector Profile suggests that the majority of children attending school-age childcare are less than eight years old.
Comparison with the pupil-teacher ratio in schools must take into account the fact that the classroom environment in a school is very different from a childcare setting, and that school-age childcare services are not provided by the State. Similarly, the National Youth Council of Ireland, in its 2015 publication, "Working Safely in a Youth Club", recommends a ratio in youth clubs - which may cater for young people of school-going age - of one adult to eight young people.
Furthermore, school-age childcare can involve full-day participation (during holiday periods) of up to ten hours. For a similar reason, whereas the ratio for sessional care for three to five year olds is 1:11, the ratio for full-day care for the same age group is 1:8.
The regulations come into force on 18 February. Existing services will have either six or three months in which to apply for registration with Tusla, depending on whether or not they are also registered pre-school services. The 1:12 ratio as required in the regulations will apply to all school-age childcare services. The three to six-month period for registration is intended to allow existing providers time to prepare. Acknowledging that some services may require time to adjust to the new ratio requirement, officials in my Department are currently and expediently examining the matter of commencement of the ratio requirement and will issue a further communication very shortly.
The regulations coming into force in February are initial regulations, and a public consultation process is planned for 2019 on the development of more comprehensive regulations.
