Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021
928. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if officials in his Department have requested that a company (details supplied) contact service providers in disadvantaged areas; the methodology of the engagement by his Department with the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30553/21]
View answerI can inform the Deputy of the following engagement by my Department with the company referred to.
As part of the monitoring, review and evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), section 26 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 requires that a formal review of the NCS takes place. The fundamental purpose of the review is to provide key data and information to support the future development of the NCS. The review will provide a basis for the Department to consider how effectively the NCS is operating.
The review is an independent assessment of the implementation and impacts of the NCS during its first year of operation, and a specialist research company, Frontier Economics, has been procured to undertake this work. As part of the evidence gathering and analysis, a number of methods have been undertaken in the review approach. These include:
- A comprehensive review and analysis of the administrative/management data amassed since the Scheme launch.
- Consultation with parents and providers using the NCS was carried out in May 2021, with the aim of gathering information on parental and childcare provider experience of engaging with the NCS during its first year of operation. There was a considerable response to the survey with 3,242 parental responses and 969 provider responses. A further 238 responses were also received from providers who have not yet contracted to the NCS. The data from the surveys is currently being examined by the consultant.
- Supplemental interviews with a sample of representative stakeholders who have engaged over the past year on the NCS.
- A review of the comprehensive and intensive consultations conducted as a part of the review of the funding model.
- A review of reports and assessments conducted throughout the NCS launch process and across the past year.
- A review of submissions received from a variety of stakeholders since the Scheme launched including a number of submissions, which were received from providers or community organisations in disadvantaged communities.
All of these engagements and reviews will include data and submissions encompassing providers serving disadvantaged communities. The review itself has a number of specific tasks with regard to considering the impact on families who may be experiencing socio-economic disadvantage as this is a key objective of the Scheme itself. The terms of reference include:
- Uptake of the NCS with a particular emphasis on families from lowest income groups or most disadvantaged households; single parent households; families where one assessable member of the household is not in work or study; families targeted by specific sponsor interventions according to need; and uptake of the universal element of the NCS;
- The issue of sustainability for services in disadvantaged (and other) areas, particularly with regard to feedback from some services that the Scheme design has impacted their sustainability.
Separately, an Expert Group to design a new funding model for childcare, is currently undertaking a comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement to inform its work. This is comprised of three phases. Phase 1 took place between August and December 2020, and consisted of a call for submissions, a parental poll, two webinars, nine focused discussion sessions with providers and practitioners, and seven focused discussion sessions with parents. Phase 2 took place over April and May 2021 and involved four facilitated events that brought together a range of participants to examine in depth issues of affordability, sustainability, quality and inclusion. Phase 3 is set to build on Phases 1 and 2 and takes place in July 2021.
Frontier Economics is facilitating Phases 2 and 3 of the consultation with participants from the organisations that are part of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum (ELCSF). Reports from Phase 1 of the consultation and engagement, along with other material relating to the Funding Model including Expert Group meeting documentation and research papers, are available on a dedicated website at www.first5fundingmodel.ie.
