Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
126. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department is aware that an after-school service in County Cork (details supplied) is facing closure due to issues with the Core funding model; if his Department has engaged with the service provider regarding its concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55287/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for this query. While it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the individual circumstances of this service in this reply, I can outline the supports which are available to all services if they require them.
Investment in early learning and childcare is at unprecedented levels with public funding for the first time reaching more than €1 billion in 2023 for early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector.
Core Funding is in operation since 15 September 2022 and has achieved very significant success in terms of the high levels of participation. With 95% participation in year 1 and to date, 94% or over 4,300 providers have signed up for Core Funding Year 2, with applications still open. There are officially more services contracted for Core Funding year 2 than there were at the peak of Core Funding year 1.
Participation in Core Funding is optional but it remains open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding.
Core Funding has increased by 11% to reach €287 million for year 2 of the scheme, providing a sustainable platform for investment with increases for all services.
Budget 2024 allocated an additional €37.4m to Core Funding. This increase on the 2023 allocation will support continued implementation of the scheme for the second programme year (September 2023 to August 2024) and into the third programme year from September 2024.
It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to withdraw from the Core Funding scheme, the significant financial supports it provides to providers and the certainty it provides to parents through the associated fee freeze.
My Department oversees a Case Management Process through which local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to services experiencing difficulties.
This support can take the form of assisting services with interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances. In this particular case, I can assure the Deputy that Pobal’s Integrated Case Management Team (ICM) have been in touch with the owner in question in recent days to offer these supports.
In addition, sustainability funding is available to Core Funding partner services, both community and private, who are experiencing financial difficulty. As with previous strands of the Sustainability Fund, it focuses on the provision of operational as well as short term financial supports where appropriate, and will assist services in managing their immediate financial difficulties, providing advice to support their long-term sustainability, while transitioning to a more sustainable model of service delivery.
Any service in difficulty is encouraged to engage with these supports. Contact details for local CCC can be found at: www.myccc.ie
