Vol. 475 No. 2
12 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the conclusions of the evaluation of the pilot child care scheme for disadvantaged areas; the proposals, if any, he has to expand child care provision in designated areas on foot of the evaluation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4489/97]
40 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the progress, if any, of the pilot child care projects in disadvantaged areas, established by his Department in 1994 for working parents and those wishing to pursue education and training; and the progress, if any, he proposes for this initiative in the future. [4532/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 40 together.
I am heartened at the very positive nature of the conclusions and observations in the report of the independent evaluator appointed by ADM Limited to evaluate my Department's pilot child care initiative.
The pilot child care initiative commenced in 1994 and has continued in each subsequent year, including this year. The scheme is intended to assist the initiation of projects on a pilot basis for the establishment of child care measures utilising the skills of trained local people and to enable local residents to undertake education, training, retraining and employment opportunities which they would otherwise be unable to undertake in the absence of a child care facility.
It is a condition of the scheme that grants are confined to groups in disadvantaged areas. It has been agreed that these be defined as those areas in which there are area based partnership-local community groups currently in receipt of funds from the global grant for local development. The scheme is being administered, on behalf of my Department, by Area Development Management ADM Limited, an independent company designated by the Government and the European Commission to support integrated local economic and social development in co-operation with relevant area partnership companies.
To date, 109 projects have been approved for funding in two tranches. In the initial period encompassing 1994 and 1995, a total of 73 projects were approved and a further 36 were approved in 1996. A total of £1.85 million was made available to fund these projects. The impact and the results of the initiative were evaluated on my instructions. This exercise was carried out by an independent evaluator during 1996 and, naturally, it covered only those 73 projects in the initial tranche. I will confine my comments on the report to a small number of the more significant conclusions in it.
Projects aided under the initiative were able to generate, on average, an additional £1.33 from other sources for each £1 allocated under the initiative. The report estimates that the number of children being cared for by projects assisted under the initiative has more than doubled, from 1,679 before funding to 3,650 after funding, an increase of 1,971 children.
While more than half of the projects, 65 per cent, cater for pre-school children only, the proportion of projects making provision for school-going children has nearly doubled since the commencement of the initiative and now accounts for more than one third, 35 per cent, of all projects.
Staffing ratios in child care projects aided under the initiative, particularly in the case of children under one year, have improved considerably since funding from the initiative was made available. The vast majority of projects now meet the Department of Health's recommended staffing ratios in each age category. The employment potential of assisted child care projects was highlighted by the report. It estimated that the total number of persons working in all 73 projects funded by the initiative increased by 90 per cent, from 349 before funding to 663 after funding. The average number of people working in each participating child care project increased from 4.7 to 9.
The majority, 66 per cent, of mothers of children being cared for by projects funded by the initiative are involved, mainly on a part time basis, in some activity outside the home, notably work, 22 per cent; education and training courses, 24 per cent; community employment, 16 per cent and other 4 per cent. It is worth noting that in addition to promoting labour market integration and the uptake of courses, the projects, in a minority of cases, support families under stress where the child is referred, and paid for, by the local health board.
It is clear from these findings that the initiative has been instrumental in bringing about a radical transformation in the child care projects which benefited from its funding and in the related communities. The evaluator's report, which was launched on 7 February, is being studied in my Department. In due course I will determine the manner in which the child care initiative can be best progressed, having regard to the material furnished in the report and the results of its consideration by my Department. I am arranging for copies of the evaluator's report to be circulated to all Members of the Oireachtas.
I congratulate the Minister on the appointment of an independent evaluator to evaluate what appears to be a very successful initiative. Will he agree it would be more advantageous to have all projects under one Department? I mean no disrespect to the Department of Equality and Law Reform but the initiative may be better progressed under the Department of Health which has responsibility for pre-school and créche facilities, etc. The Minister may believe it will get more attention in his Department.
This is a matter which could be considered but the Department of Health is primarily responsible for families under stress, children at risk, etc. I initiated this measure at the commencement of my term as a Minister under the previous Government and it has progressed extraordinarily well. It has been heartening to go around the country and visit many of these projects. One such project in Deputy McDaid's constituency, the naíonaire outside Letterkenny, impressed me very much. It was encouraging to see what had been achieved there.
It is also interesting to emphasise the level of support received by these projects. For every £1 of grant assistance which may Department gave them, they were able to raise a further £1.33. It has been a source of great enthusiasm in my Department. Since its inception in 1993-4 this initiative has blossomed as over 100 projects have been possible as a result of this funding. We have to examine the evaluator's report carefully to see how we will proceed with this worthwhile initiative.
