Kathleen Funchion
Question:1007. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of the reinstatement of the childminding advisory service. [31672/21]
View answerTuesday, 15 June 2021
Questions (1007)
Written answers
The National Childminding Initiative, which began in 2002, contained a number of strands to support childminders. One of the strands was the appointment of Childminding Advisory Officers, some of whom were employed by the HSE and some by City and County Childcare Committees. Their roles included offering information, support and training to childminders; maintaining the voluntary notification system; and administering other supports for childminders. The Childminding Advisory Officer posts were largely discontinued in 2012-2013 in the context of widespread budget cuts at that time.
In 2019 my Department put in place a National Childminding Coordinator, who is located within the Department, and 6 Childminding Development Officers, who are located within City and County Childcare Committees around the country and who have a regional remit. Their role is to prepare the childminding sector for the move towards wider regulation and in the immediate term to support childminders who are subject to the current regulations but are not yet registered with Tusla to meet Tusla registration requirements, thus enabling more childminders to take part in the National Childcare Scheme. The cost of these posts is €500,000 per annum, which includes costs for salaries, PRSI, travel and subsistence and overheads. The cost of expanding the team of Childminding Development Officers in order to have a Childminding Development Officer in each of the City/County Childcare Committees would be an additional €1.6 million approximately.