Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2020
775. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason a child (details supplied) in County Donegal was refused their after-school childcare place despite their enrolment prior to Covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13404/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile its not Departmental policy to comment on individual cases, I would like to bring to your attention my Department's guidance for eligibility for childcare upon reopening, which I have included in full below.
Guidance on eligibility for childcare
The Government Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business allows for the phased reopening of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services, including childminders, from 29 June. While the Roadmap initially indicated that services would resume only for the children of essential workers, this has now been widened.
It is important to note that, as Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare services are private businesses, and now that the Roadmap has extended eligibility for services, the allocation of places is a matter for the service provider. This guidance is provided to help support providers in managing allocation of places when services reopen in a situation where demand is greater than the supply available.
In the best interests of the child and families, children should, as far as possible, be enabled to return to the service they attended Pre-COVID-19. Services availing of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (TWSCS) are contractually bound to retain places for families who used those places pre-COVID-19, until such time as the services reopen. There are significant benefits for children’s wellbeing and development in maintaining the link with their pre-COVID-19 providers of Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.
If a service has additional capacity, they may register new families who have not previously used the setting, either on a long-term or a short-term basis depending on the service's capacity.
If capacity is limited, services are asked to prioritise the children of health and social care workers and other frontline workers, where possible. Services are also encouraged to support:
- vulnerable children sponsored under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and children funded through legacy childcare schemes who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage or child welfare issues;
- children with disabilities who previously attended part or full-time early learning and care, including those preparing to start school in September; and
- children whose parents need access to childcare in order to return to work, including children of childcare practitioners.
Childcare service providers are private enterprises and therefore if there is a dispute between the parents of a child and a childcare service provider, unfortunately my Department cannot directly intervene. I would recommend that the parents in question get in contact with the provider to resolve this issue in the first instance. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached then I would recommend that the parents contact their local County Childcare Committee who may be in a position to provide some support with this.
