Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 March 2021
150. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that initial training and certified continuous professional development through the medium of Irish is not available to naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht; the way he plans to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13618/21]
View answerMy Department strives to support and facilitate early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services operating through the medium of Irish, both inside and outside the Gaeltacht.
The Department encourages all ELC and SAC services to engage in continuing professional development (CPD) on an ongoing basis to ensure quality of provision and to meet regulatory requirements. Central to training, mentoring and CPD supports are the Better Start Quality Development Service and supports for the implementation of the Aistear national curriculum framework and Síolta national quality framework, which are available in all areas of the country.
The Better Start Quality Development Service provides mentoring supports to ELC services including through the medium of Irish, and an Irish-speaking mentor can be requested at entry to this process. The foundation training courses in Aistear and Síolta, and the follow-on Aistear and Play CPD programme, are available in Irish when requested. Online resources to support services with implementing the Aistear-Síolta Practice Guide are available in Irish (at https://www.aistearsiolta.ie/ga/) through the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The online foundation level in Children First child protection training is also available in Irish.
As part of the response to Covid-19 restrictions on ELC and SAC services, a new online repository of CPD resources and training has been made available on the First 5 website, which is available in Irish (https://first5.gov.ie/practitioners/forbairt-ghairmiuil-leanunach). Some but not all of the CPD resources available through this website are in Irish.
My Department is currently engaged in a significant planning process for training and continuing professional development in the ELC and SAC sector through the Workforce Development Plan. This work will include consideration of the availability of CPD through the medium of Irish.
More broadly, while a wide range of supports are available in Irish to services both inside and outside the Gaeltacht areas, my Department continues to examine how further to strengthen engagement and supports to our important Naíonraí services.
