Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2019
450. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the new parental online application form for the affordable childcare scheme will cause difficulties for some parents who may not be used to filling in forms online; and the measures she has put in place to mitigate same. [20703/19]
View answerIn designing the National Childcare Scheme's online application system, including the application form itself, the Department has been very conscious of the needs of parents. In order to ensure the best experience possible for parents, the Department has put in place a number of initiatives and supports including:
- Dedicated expertise in the area of the user's experience to ensure that the application form and process is as accessible and user-friendly as possible;
- Ongoing consultation and focus groups with parents, with further user testing planned;
- A dedicated phoneline for parents, which will be in place from June onwards and will provide advice on all aspects of the National Childcare Scheme, including the application process;
- Support for parents from the staff of 30 City and County Childcare Committees nationwide, all of which are fully trained and available;
- Ongoing consultation and engagement with a large variety of stakeholders who provide services to the public, such as Libraries, Citizens Information Centres, Local Government Offices etc., to ensure that there is community level support available to parents who may not have used an online application process previously; and
- Engagement and training for groups who represent and support vulnerable families or sections of society.
There will also be a range of dedicated information materials, including detailed step by step 'how to' guides available on www.ncs.gov.ie to support parents on their application journey.
A postal application will also be available should applicants choose not to apply online. However the online process is designed to give applicants an award within a matter of days (or minutes in some instances), depending on their application type. Postal applications will take longer and will affect the start date from which the new childcare subsidy can be paid.
