Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
1111. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure that when a childcare setting indicates that it is going to close, it must first be signalled this within the Pobal Hive, by giving a minimum of three months' notice and six months if at all possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11816/24]
View answerTusla is the independent statutory regulator for early years services, including Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services, and is responsible for maintaining the register of services under the Child Care Act 1991. Where an ELC or SAC service ceases operations, the registered provider is required by law to advise Tusla of this within 28 days of ceasing operation and the service will then be removed from the public register. The Tusla register is publicly available on their website a month in arrears, to allow time for verification.
My Department already has a range of supports in place to avert closures, or assess closures of services.
Through Case Management, City/County Childcare Committees and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to early learning and childcare services experiencing difficulties. This support focuses on operational as well as financial supports to assist services to manage their immediate difficulties and transition to a more sustainable model of delivery.
Where services close, City/County Childcare Committees have successfully supported the reopening of closed services. In the event of closures, City/County Childcare Committees also assist parents with sourcing alternative early learning and childcare places where possible.
A new Supply Management Unit was established in my Department in January 2024. A key part of the Supply Management Unit’s remit is to develop a planning function, for monitoring, analyzing and forecasting supply and demand for early learning and childcare provision, in line with a recommendation of the Expert Group in their Report – Partnership for the Public Good. The new until will also develop policy to respond to evidence of supply and demand misalignment, including through the administration of capital funding.
