Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
992. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to his statement to provide financial supports for parents who opt to look after their children themselves, if he will provide further details on the proposals; if this will be pursued through the national childcare scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19745/20]
View answerGovernment is committed to supporting parents in caring for young children at home in a range of ways.
Within my Department, a policy priority is to provide access to high quality and affordable Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC), whether parents work or are in education full time or part time, or look after their children at home full-time. These policies seek to support children’s optimal development, to support families, and to ensure that families can choose options to best suit their needs and preferences.
All children are eligible to avail of two years of universal pre-school provided under the ECCE Programme, without cost. More than 100,000 children participate in this Programme annually, many of whom are children of stay-at-home parent(s).
Under the National Childcare Scheme, a universal subsidy is available to all parents of children from six months until their child becomes eligible for universal pre-school, regardless of whether parents are working outside the home or not. Income assessed subsidies are also available to parents, including stay-at-home parents. The Programme for Government commits to continued investment in this Scheme, reducing costs for parents and introducing greater parental choice and flexibility
My Department also provides funding for parent and toddler groups to organise activities for parents and children in the community to support their development through play. Both working parents and stay-at-home parents participate. There were 414 such groups supported in 2019.
A new model of parenting services is also being developed covering key stages of child development and taking account of parents and children in a range of contexts and parenting relationships.
More widely across Government, there are various initiatives that support stay-at-home parents. A child benefit payment of €140 per child per month is available for all children. When one spouse or civil partner works in the home caring for one or more dependent people (a child for whom Child Benefit is payable is considered a dependent), then a home carer tax credit can be claimed. Budget 2020 increased the home carer tax credit to €1,600 per year. The Programme for Government has committed to further increases.
There have also been a number of new measures to support parents to spend time at home with children in their early years. Two weeks of paternity leave and benefit for fathers was introduced in 2016. In 2017, there was an extension to maternity leave and benefit to mothers of babies born prematurely. 2019 saw the introduction of a new paid parental leave scheme available to both fathers and mothers. The Parent’s leave aims to let working parents spend more time with their baby or adopted child during the first year. In November 2019, an individual entitlement to two weeks of paid parental leave per parent (up to a potential four weeks in total per child) was introduced. The Programme for Government commits to further extensions to this individual entitlement.
There has also been an extension since September 2019 of unpaid parental leave from 18 to 22 weeks under the Parental Leave Amendment (Act) 2019. A further 4-week extension from September 2020 will bring the amount of unpaid parental leave to 26 weeks. Also the age of children for which it can be applied has increased from 8 to 12 years.
First 5, a Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, published in November 2018, includes over 150 actions covering a broad a range of measures to support families given their fundamental importance in shaping children’s experiences and outcomes. The First 5 Implementation Plan, published in May 2019, sets out how these actions will be progressed in the coming three years. There are major commitments on children’s health services, parenting supports, child-friendly communities and Early Learning and Care among a broad range of actions. The actions are designed to contribute to positive experiences and outcomes for children in all family types with parents with different types of working arrangements. The Programme for Government is committed to full implementation of this Strategy.
