Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1394. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has any proposals to assist children providers who have difficulty in delivering the carer to child ratios in their settings and therefore have to deny some children places at their facility; if he will consider allowing students or apprentices to form part of the carer ratio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57384/23]
View answerI acknowledge that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, staffing pressures in the sector are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by high levels of staff turnover.
Providers of ELC and SAC are private businesses. As the State does not employ staff in ELC and SAC services, neither I nor my Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
However, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC) process, a formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment including minimum pay rates for different roles in ELC and SAC services. It is my understanding that the JLC is continuing to meet to discuss possible changes to Employment Regulation Orders first introduced in 2022.
In line with commitments in First 5, in December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC), 2022-2028. Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in ELC and SAC and to raise the profile of careers in the sector. It includes a career framework and commitments to support early years educators to upskill and develop their careers. It also includes commitments to strengthen continuing professional development for staff working in the sector.
Pillar 4 of Nurturing Skills includes a commitment to examine the development of a range of entry routes into the sector, including apprenticeships or other work-based learning, and access programmes in further education and higher education. Work on this action will begin shortly through commissioning research on alternative entry routes into the sector workforce.
While Nurturing Skills commits to examine alternative entry-routes, the development of an apprenticeship would rely on the formulation of proposals by employers and education institutions, and approval by the National Apprenticeship Office. The consideration and potential introduction of an apprenticeship model for early years educators is therefore not solely a policy matter for my Department. During the public consultation that took place in the development of Nurturing Skills, there were mixed views amongst stakeholders on the benefits of an apprenticeship model to support recruitment in the sector – some were in favour while some were opposed.
A particular challenge in designing an apprenticeship model suitable for the ELC sector is that apprentices are employees of providers, and all employees of ELC providers must meet a minimum qualification requirement (level 5) before they commence work with children and count in adult-child ratios.
I have recently established a sub-group of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum to discuss issues of recruitment and retention with stakeholders in the sector. The first meeting of the sub-group took place on 13 December and the stakeholder group will continue to meet during 2024.
