Niall Collins
Question:542. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will advise a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42470/23]
View answerTuesday, 3 October 2023
Questions (542)
Written answers
The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities or additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high quality early learning and care.
AIM Level 7 support provides additional funding to pre-schools who have a child requiring extra support. Providers can use this funding either to reduce the adult-to-child ratio in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting. This is all centred on supporting the pre-school leader to ensure the child’s optimal participation.
In line with emerging best practice to support the integration and independence of children with a disability or additional needs, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) does not fund Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). Rather, AIM Level 7 assistance is a shared resource for the pre-school setting.
For this reason, staff who are supported with AIM Level 7 funding must adhere to the same qualification criteria as their colleagues in the early learning and care setting, as prescribed in Regulation 9 of the Early Years Services Regulations 2016.
I am committed to supporting providers to respond to current challenges. In designing responses, however, it is important that any measures considered are proportionate to the problem they seek to address and that wider impacts are carefully considered. In that regard, it is important to stress that the minimum qualification requirement to work directly with children in an early learning care service was introduced in 2016 in order to improve the quality of provision and to achieve better outcomes for children.
To remove this minimum qualification requirement could be contrary to the best interests of children and the vision for the sector that is outlined in First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families. Such a move could be a significant backwards step in efforts to improve quality outcomes for children and could only be considered if there were a very strong evidence base requiring a change.
Individuals who wish to work directly with children in a pre-school service must hold at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), or a qualification deemed equivalent. My Department has published a list of qualifications that meet this regulatory requirement. If an individual's qualification does not appear on the list they may apply to my Department for assessment of equivalence of their qualification.