Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
152. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress that has been made to date in advancing reforms to the operating model for childcare in Ireland; the timeline that he expects the proposed agency to be established by; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50386/22]
View answerOn 29th March, Government accepted the findings of the independent Review of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) Operating Model that a dedicated State agency is the optimal operating model for the ELC and SAC sector for the years ahead. It is envisaged that this dedicated agency will undertake the functions currently carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the City/County Childcare Committees, as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department.
A dedicated State agency will assist in the development of a more streamlined structure to better support the delivery of ELC and SAC, and will facilitate my Department in implementing and progressing the significant reform agenda envisaged under First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families.
Significant progress has been made in advancing this ambitious and transformative reform programme. My Department has commenced a comprehensive phase of detailed analysis and open planning, consultation, and engagement with sectoral stakeholders, to determine how the recommendation arising from the Review can best be implemented. This phase will include, inter alia, a detailed design of a new operating model, an examination of all legal requirements, transition and continuity planning, risk management, and a comprehensive evidence-based cost projection for the establishment and annual running costs of a new state agency. This work will culminate in a full agency design and implementation plan which will be presented to Government for approval.
This work will be carried out under the guidance of a Programme Board comprising inter-departmental representatives and external experts in the fields of early learning and childcare, public sector governance, and major organisational reform projects. I will be announcing details of the membership of the Programme Board shortly.
My Department is also committed to ongoing consultation with stakeholders, and engagement in this regard has already commenced. Officials from my Department have met with all organisations comprising the existing operating model, and with other key stakeholders, to brief them on the Review and to provide them with an opportunity to share their feedback and views. Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders will continue as a key feature of this reform programme as we work together to design a new operating model for the benefit of children and their families, providers and practitioners.
The implementation of this multifarious reform programme will likely require considerable lead-in time and the full establishment of a new agency will take several years to complete. A detailed timeline for the design and implementation of this complex programme of work, which will involve multiple strands of interdependent work streams, is currently being developed as part of the design and implementation planning phase currently underway.
I look forward to bringing a further report to Government following the completion of this phase of what is a significant and transformative reform programme.
