Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 November 2018
36. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on whether there is a staffing crisis in the early years sector; the steps she is taking to combat same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45932/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra41. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which she will address the need for quality childcare and the low pay levels of staff in view of the fact that additional funding was announced for early years mostly targeted at the affordable childcare scheme. [45786/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 41 together.
Supporting the delivery of high quality early learning and care for children and families is at the centre of my Department's work. In recent years, we have enhanced supports for quality childcare provision in many ways, including:
Funding to support further and higher education, as well as continuing professional development, for staff in the sector;
Increases in capitation funding across all programmes;
Provision of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which supports service providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience;
Introduction of the Better Start national quality development service, which provides mentoring and training for providers to improve quality standards;
Statutory inspection of services by Tusla (the statutory regulator) as well as the introduction in 2016 of early years education-focussed Inspections undertaken by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills; and
Capital grants to enable service providers to expand and improve their premises.
Regarding the pay and conditions of staff, I have been unequivocal in my support for better pay and conditions for staff in the sector. However, there are 4,500 childcare businesses nationwide. Those businesses are the employers of the early years sector staff. Given this context, I must be clear that there are limits to the action my Department can take.
I have engaged directly with the sector, and have suggested that one approach the sector could consider is applying for a Sectoral Employment Order (SEO) through the Labour Court, seeking a recommendation in relation to pay for the whole early years' sector. Under a SEO process, organisations substantially representative of employers and employees come together to agree a way forward and submissions are sought from key stakeholders. My Department would not be a party to the SEO process. However, as a significant funder, and with policy responsibility for quality, my Department would be well placed to make a submission to the Court once it publishes its notice in relation to the matter of the application for a SEO for the sector.
I have also introduced practical steps to improve the conditions of staff in any way I can. I have introduced additional capitation into our childcare programmes wherever possible, such as:
the higher rate of ECCE capitation for graduate-led pre-school rooms;
the recent 7% rise in ECCE capitation;
the increased capitation for services with qualified Inclusion Coordinators as part of AIM; and
the programme support payment in recognition the administrative roles services play in delivering my department’s programmes.
I have encouraged services to use additional funding to support the pay and conditions of the hard-working frontline staff that make such a lasting difference to children’s lives. While I am aware that some service providers are reporting difficulties with recruitment and retention of staff, I am confident that the changes being brought forward by my Department will lead not just to higher quality early learning and care, but to a more robust professional environment for both staff and employers.
I have outlined the Affordable Childcare Scheme in detail to the House on previous occasions; the development of the scheme, the expansion of the ECCE programme and the provision of increased funding and support measures for the Early Years sector are all aimed at increasing access to quality early learning and care for children while reducing the cost for parents, and providing greater income and stability for service providers. The development of the Affordable Childcare Scheme should not be seen as separate from the questions of quality and staff pay, as the scheme is intended to subsidise the cost of delivery of quality childcare, including helping services to meet the cost of staff wages, which are the main driver of overall costs.
My Department has also commissioned an Independent Review of the Cost of Delivering Quality Childcare, which is examining the factors that impact on the cost of delivering quality childcare, including staff wages. When complete, this will inform future policy development and funding decisions.
