Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 September 2022
98. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will consider steps to simplify the registration of childminders delivering service from a home; and if he will consider ways of supporting such provision where there is a shortage of registered childcare services delivering under the various national childcare supports. [46134/22]
View answerThe National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 sets out a plan for extending State support and regulation to childminding on a phased basis over the coming years, with accelerated access to subsidies for childminders through the National Childcare Scheme. The overall objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to improve access to high quality and affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare through childminding.
To do this, the Action Plan sets out an incremental and supportive pathway to regulation. This will enable more childminders to access Government subsidies, making their services more affordable to parents. It will also enable them to access a variety of supports to assist them in meeting regulatory and quality requirements. In achieving this overall objective, the Action Plan will contribute to the aims of supporting parental choice, and increasing access to affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare places. It will help support labour market participation for parents, and offer more flexibility for parents who work irregular hours. It will help improve the quality of provision, supporting child outcomes, and provide greater recognition and support for childminders.
The Action Plan has a number of specific objectives including:
- Enable a far greater number of parents who use childminders to benefit from subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme.
- Support quality assurance of childminders and safeguarding of children through extending the scope of regulation and inspection to all paid, non-relative childminders.
- Provide greater recognition of childminders and develop appropriate childminder regulations and inspection processes to reflect the home environment in which childminders work.
- Provide a supportive, phased transition process, to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for this reform.
- Support retention and recruitment of childminders.
A programme of actions is already under way during Phase 1 of the National Action Plan for Childminding to support childminders to come into the scope of regulation and supports. Actions under way include the development of new, childminder-specific regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home environment in which childminders work, as well as the development of new, bespoke training for childminders.
The National Action Plan for Childminding commits to opening the National Childcare Scheme to childminders at the earliest possible opportunity, though it will be necessary first to develop and introduce childminder-specific regulations, and to give childminders adequate time and support to meet regulatory requirements.
