Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
11. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on the recent interdepartmental group policy seminar, in which he invited child stakeholders to contribute to the discussions; and the outcome of that meeting. [14467/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department currently provides approximately €260 million annually to early years and school-age care and education services. This funding is directed towards three programmes, which aim to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of early years and school-age care and education. These programmes – the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programmes – support the provision of early years and school-age care and education for more than 100,000 children each year.
To ensure that all the benefits of this (and future) investment are fully realised, it must be evidence-based and strategically coordinated. It is critically important that any investment is designed to achieve the best outcomes for children and their parents. Accordingly, I have established an Inter-Departmental Group to develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in early years and after-school care and education.
This Group is considering the needs of children in their early years as well as the needs of school-going children. The Group is still in the early stages of its deliberations but has begun to solicit the views of key stakeholders through a number of consultative processes including the Open Policy Debate on Future Investment in Early Years and School-Age Care and Education Services, which was hosted by my Department on 31 March 2015. This Debate, which was conducted in line with recommendations contained in the Civil Service Renewal Programme, was attended by some 40 invited representatives. These included parents, providers, academics, City/County Childcare Committees, and non-governmental organisations. The Debate provided a forum for a range of options for future investment to be discussed and for views on the future policy direction for early years and school-age care and education to be articulated.
The views presented at this Debate will inform the on-going work of the Inter-Departmental Group. A report of the Debate is currently being compiled and will be published in due course. Further engagement with stakeholders is planned before the Inter-Departmental Group's final report is prepared and submitted to Government.
