Written Answers Nos. 1210-1229
1210. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of expressions of interest in fostering that have been received by Tusla in each of the past 18 months, broken down by local area office. [42213/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, the question has been referred to Tusla for their direct reply to the Deputy.
1211. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of applications to foster that have been received by Tusla in each of the past 18 months, broken down by local area office. [42214/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, the question has been referred to Tusla for their direct reply to the Deputy.
1212. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of social workers who are qualified to undertake joint interviews with gardaí, broken down by region. [42217/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
1213. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide a breakdown of the placement used by the out-of-hours social work service in the past 18 months, in tabular form. [42218/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
1214. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the possible closure of immigrant services (details supplied) in Kilkenny due to the lack of funding for the support officer; if the funding required of €20,000 will be sanctioned as a matter of urgency given the importance of this work and the new challenges arising from the intake of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42220/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth administers two primary funding schemes under the Migrant Integration Strategy: the National Integration Fund and the Communities Integration Fund. Additionally, the Department has recently established the International Protection Integration Fund 2022. Unfortunately, the Department is not in a position to provide ad hoc funding outside of these structures.
The National Integration Fund was developed to facilitate the effective integration of migrants, or persons of migrant origin, into communities all over Ireland on an equal basis with those of Irish heritage. The NIF does not make investments as such but rather makes grants to organisations, following a competitive funding process. Following a call for proposals in August 2020, 18 successful projects located throughout Ireland were granted funding totalling almost €2.2 million over a three-year period.
The Communities Integration Fund provides small grant funding to local community-based projects to support the integration of migrant and host communities. Following the 2022 call for proposals, 124 community projects will receive funding with a total value of €566,492.60 in the form of grants up to €5,000. These grants will be used to support local organisations allowing them to play a role in welcoming and integrating migrants into Ireland, including Ukrainian migrants.
As part of the commitments made under ‘A White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service’, the International Protection Integration Fund was established. The purpose of this fund is to support communities across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting the integration of International Protection applicants. A total of €1,000,000 has been made available to carry out integration projects at national, provincial or local levels. Applications will need to demonstrate how their project creates links between International Protection applications and their host communities. Applications for this fund will close on Wednesday, 7 September.
Other Government Departments also provide funding to assist with the integration of migrants. For example, the Minister for Rural and Community Development has announced an additional €10.5 million in funding, to assist and support people arriving from Ukraine. The funding aims to strengthen the capacity of those already working across the community and voluntary sector and to improve the experience and quality of life of Ukrainians arriving into Ireland.
In regard to EU Funding, Ireland has opted-in to the Asylum, Migration, and Integration (AMIF) Fund 2021-2027, having participated in the 2014-2020 AMIF. Accordingly, my Department will launch a call for proposals for projects under the new AMIF programme in 2023. The exact amount available under this call for proposals will be determined later in 2022.
1215. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the funding that is available for the provision of access-and-inclusion model supports for childcare facilities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42288/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of support, based on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting. As such, in order for a pre-school to access AIM supports, they must have a child that is registered on the ECCE programme in an ECCE-registered preschool service or be eligible to avail of the ECCE programme and has been approved for AIM supports.
Under AIM targeted supports Level 5, grants are available to pre-school providers towards the cost of minor building alterations or the installation of specialist equipment or appliances which may be required depending on an individual child’s needs. The maximum award for a capital grant is €7,000, inclusive of all professional fees. In order to receive Level 5 targeted supports, it must be found to be critical to a specific child’s participation in the ECCE programme.
A service provider, in partnership with a parent, may submit an application for a capital grant towards the cost of minor building alterations. An application should be accompanied by two short reports by designated professionals, as defined in section 7.2.2 of AIM Policy, available at aim.gov.ie which indicate the nature of the proposed minor alteration works.
There are additional supports outside of AIM. My Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during 2023-2025. Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars: Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP.
Up to €10m in capital grants will be available in 2023 under the first pillar, the Building Blocks - Modernisation Grant. The scheme will be split between two strands, Green Energy and Retrofit. Under the latter, grants will be provided to cover the costs associated with retrofit and accessibility of an existing building. Further information on the Building Blocks - Modernisation Grant and the application process will be communicated to the sector in the coming weeks.
1216. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans for the upcoming budget to ensure the welfare and integration of all refugees into Irish communities. [42382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded to him as soon as possible.
1217. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a Ukrainian child born on 21 December 2017 would be eligible for free preschool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42435/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal, two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible for the September start date and a child cannot turn 5 years and 6 months of age during the course of the ECCE programme year.
The upper age limit of 5 years and 6 months for the ECCE programme was set in consultation with the Department of Education and is consistent with regard to school start age and the associated policy of the Department of Education.
Children born in December 2017 were eligible to enroll on the ECCE programme in 2020 and 2021 and no longer meet the age criteria.
1218. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department or any organisation acting on behalf of his Department purchased property in an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42446/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to end the current system of accommodation for International Protection applicants and replace it with a new model that is based on a not for profit approach. As part of this process, I published A White Paper to end Direct Provision and to Establish a new International Protection Support Service on 26 February 2021. This paper sets out a new approach for accommodating applicants that seek International Protection in Ireland and will replace the current system.
The new approach will end congregated and institutional living and will focus on supporting integration from day one.
Significant progress has been made to establish the new accommodation model. This work has involved working closely with the Housing Agency in the development of detailed policy advice papers including an acquisition policy, an ownership model and a funding model. The County and City Management Association has developed and approved a Local Authority allocation key. The key allows for a distribution of applicants across the country according to population criteria. Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and the Housing Agency are using the allocation key to identify suitable properties for purchase for Phase Two accommodation in the community.
Since January of this year the Housing Agency on behalf of DCEDIY have sourced and purchased a range of properties across the country. This includes a property in Westport. Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, this property is currently being used to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP). The property and residents are being fully supported by a NGO.
1219. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason that capital spending under his Vote group is -76.6% to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42527/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the end of June my Department was €8m or 46% underspent on its capital allocation and not the 76.6% indicated by the Deputy. The variance in the capital underspend was mainly due to an underspend on Subhead E04 of €7.9m, the International Protection Seekers Accommodation.
The capital allocation under E04 is €12.5m in 2022 and is being used to purchase properties as part of the commitments in the White Paper to end Direct Provision. Delays arose due to the Departments involvement in the humanitarian response to the Ukrainian conflict with staff working on the White Paper diverted to deal with this. However, this was a temporary arrangement and it is expected that all of the Department's capital allocation of €33m, including €12.5m for the White Paper, will be spent this year.
It should be noted also that at end August, the latest available data, that the capital underspend on the Vote was reduced to €7.4m or 34% and the underspend on subhead E04 was reduced to €6.9m.
1220. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 1327 of 26 July 2022, if he will consider a proposal to insert an interim measure at section 4.3.1 in the early childhood care and education programme rules allowing for choice of start date for parents of multiple births, pending the outcome of the upcoming 12-month review of the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42582/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAny significant change to the ECCE programme rules need to be considered carefully and comprehensively in consultation with stakeholders. My Department has recently appointed Stranmillis University College to undertake a 12 month review of ECCE which is expected to be completed by Q3 2023.
The ECCE review will assess whether the ECCE Programme is meeting these core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made to the Programme, based on international evidence, experience to date as well as consultation from a wide number of stakeholders. It is not envisaged any interim measures will be taken pending the outcome of the review, however all issues raised with my Department will be considered as part of the review.
1221. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children referred by Tusla for special care; and the number of children who were accepted and not accepted in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [42609/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
1222. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of places in special care through Tusla; the number of annual referrals; the extent of the waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42610/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla has informed me that as of August 2022, there were 14 Special Care beds in operation, all of which were occupied. There were three young people approved and awaiting Special Care. Tusla further advised that they hoped to admit one of those young people to special care due to a vacancy arising.
Tusla has advised that due to several challenges, including staffing recruitment and retention, the three Special Care Units are operating at reduced capacity. Tusla is making extensive efforts, including ongoing recruitment campaigns, to address the staff challenges. The individual needs of children may also determine the number of children accommodated in a Special Care Unit where there are children with challenging behaviour, requiring specific supervision and therapeutic input.
Whilst young people are awaiting Special Care, the Agency Tusla ensures robust oversight and governance of their risk profile and care planning.
Regarding the number of annual referrals to Special Care, Tusla has provided the following data:
Annual Referrals
|
Year |
Number of Referrals |
Number of Re Referrals |
Total Number of Referrals |
|
2018 |
34 |
5 |
39 |
|
2019 |
37 |
6 |
43 |
|
2020 |
39 |
8 |
47 |
|
2021 |
40 |
3 |
43 |
|
2022 Jan-July |
27 |
5 |
32 |
1223. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children reported missing whilst under the care of Tusla in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42611/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraChildren reported missing from care are recognised as being among the most vulnerable in society. Tusla along with An Garda Síochána work together on such cases through a Joint Protocol where children can be listed as missing from care after a certain period if there is a concern about their safety, well-being, or if there is a risk present. The joint protocol sets out how social workers and social care workers should make a report of a missing child in care; when and how information about the child may be released to the public if the child is not located, and arrangements for the return of the child to care when they are found.
Tusla has further advised that if social work or social care staff determine that a child is missing they must report the child as missing to An Garda Siochána in line with the joint protocol. The Gardaí have primary responsibility for investigating once a child is reported missing and throughout the Garda investigation, Tusla staff and carers maintain regular contact with the Gardaí, pass on all relevant information and assist in the safe return of the child. Tusla has stated that this also applies in the small number of cases where a child remains absent for a longer period.
Tusla has advised that most of the children and young people reported missing return to their placement after a brief period of time and remain in a safe and caring environment.
Due to the very vulnerable nature of children in care, Tusla has also advised that they prepare an Absence Management Plan for each child in care. This plan is a tool to manage the risk in the event of a child going missing.?? It aims to ensure that children are given age-appropriate curfews/coming in times which reflect their ability to keep themselves safe when they are unsupervised within the community.? Interventions following incidents are focused on the individual child, the care placements and/or “pull” factors in the community following which, the Absence Management Plan for the young person may be reviewed to ensure the ongoing safety and well-being of the young person.
Tusla does not currently collect national data on missing children across all care types (Foster Care and Residential Care) as part of their statistical matrix. However, following the roll out of their new agency information system later in 2022, they hope to be in position to provide validated statistics in their data sets in 2023.
Data is available in relation to children placed in Residential Care (statutory, voluntary, private, and special care) from 2018 until 1st September 2022. This data is maintained on the National Significant Event Database and the information requested is set out in the table below.
Tusla would like to highlight the following in respect of the data provided:
- The figures relate to children placed in residential care by Tusla across all care settings including statutory, voluntary, private and special care.
- The figures refer to incidents where a child is missing for a period of 20 minutes or longer. It is important to note that generally most of the incidents/reports are for children missing for less than 24 hours.
- In all these cases, the children were returned to the care of Tusla.
|
Number of children reported missing from Residential Care Homes |
|
|
2018 |
337 |
|
2019 |
366 |
|
2020 |
319 |
|
2021 |
295 |
|
2022 – Up to 1st September |
236 |
1224. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the criteria and process for a child being taken into special care by Tusla; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42612/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial care is where a child, in the absence of criminal charges, is detained on foot of an Order of the High Court, so that the child, deemed to be at immediate risk of harm to his or her life, safety or well-being, can receive the appropriate therapeutic support.
The decision to detain a child is not one that is taken lightly. The Child Care Act 1991, as amended, provides the statutory framework governing Special Care. Part IVA of the Act sets out the process for a child's entry into Special Care. This includes a determination by the Child and Family Agency that a child requires special care (23F), the notice of application for special care order or interim special care order (23G) to relevant parties, and criteria which must be met for the High Court to make a Special Care order (23H).
Tusla has advised that the Agency has put in place the requisite statutory steps to enable it to make an application for Special Care pursuant to the legislation.
1225. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of a child (details supplied) whose parent and guardian ad litem have applied for special care with Tusla; if they will be receiving this care; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42613/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial care is where a child, in the absence of criminal charges, is detained on foot of an Order of the High Court, so that the child, deemed to be at immediate risk of harm to his or her life, safety or well-being, can receive the appropriate therapeutic support.
The decision to detain a child is not one that is taken lightly. The Child Care Act 1991, as amended, sets out criteria which must be met for the High Court to make a Special Care order. In addition, Section 23F of the Act requires that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, shall not apply for a special care order in respect of a child unless it is satisfied that the child has attained the age of 11 years and it has made a determination, in accordance with that section, that the child requires special care.
I am informed by Tusla that the case referred to by the Deputy was most recently considered by the Tusla Special Care Committee on the 23rd August 2022, and that the Committee concluded that the young person in question does not meet the criteria for admission to special care at this time.
1226. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will ensure that small to medium childcare providers are not disadvantaged when applying for core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42663/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCore Funding marks the beginning of a new funding model to transform the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector to one that is increasingly publicly funded and publicly managed, delivering a service for the public good, through a partnership between the State and providers, to the benefit of children, parents, educators and practitioners, and society overall.
Core Funding, with a full year value of €221 million, is equivalent to an estimated increase of 19% in the cost base for the sector. The primary purpose of Core Funding is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.
The budget for the scheme makes provision for improvements in staff pay and conditions, for additional administrative staff/time, and a contribution to non-staff overhead costs. It is important to note that both contact and non-contact time, holiday pay, sick pay and other employer costs, are all factored in to the estimated staff costs allocation in Core Funding.
There is also provision as part of the budget to contribute to supporting graduate leadership in services. This will make funding for graduates available for the first time in respect of early learning and provision outside of ECCE, including for 0-3 year olds, as well as supporting the employment of graduate Managers in ELC or combined ELC and SAC services.
Core Funding is distributed in a fair, reasonable and proportionate manner that is related to services’ costs of delivery. Core Funding is allocated to services based on the number of child places being made available (whether filled or not), the age group of children for whom the places are available and the number of hours the places are available for, as well as the graduate qualifications of leaders in the service. These are the primary drivers of services' costs and this is therefore the most proportionate and transparent manner to allocate funding.
Services opening for longer hours, offering more places and offering places for younger children will receive a higher value of Core Funding than other services. This is because their costs of operation are higher.
It is important to acknowledge that Core Funding will intentionally address some of the existing disparities in funding levels across ECCE and non-ECCE provision, providing funding proportionate to the cost of delivery and supporting the employment of graduate Lead Educators across ELC provision as well as graduate Managers.
While Core Funding will operate in addition to and alongside ECCE (standard capitation), AIM, CCSP and NCS, it replaces ECCE higher capitation and incorporates funding previously allocated to the discretionary Programme Support Payments (PSP) from September 2022. This distributes public funding in respect of graduate staff more fairly across ELC provision.
Services currently in receipt of ECCE standard capitation will see capitation increase at least 9.5%. A majority of services currently in receipt of ECCE higher capitation will also see a moderate capitation increase. A very small percentage of services will see no increase. These are larger ECCE-only services – with 20+ children in a session. ECCE sessional services with 22 children currently receives income of €1,829.30 per week. This will be matched in Core Funding.
No service will see a decrease in funding. In examining all of the data available to the Department there is no evidence about a significant lack of sustainability for ECCE-only services or to suggest that services will face closure as a result of Core Funding. For any service that does experience financial difficulties, a Sustainability Fund will be put in place. This new strand of the Sustainability Fund, linked to Core Funding, will be designed to provide an extra safety net for providers. This will be open to both private and community providers.
The new funding model being implemented aims to transform the sector to one that is increasingly publicly funded and publicly managed, delivering a service for the public good, through a partnership between the State and providers, to the benefit of children, parents, practitioners, and society overall. This transformation starts with Core Funding and the new approach will entail a shift in the relationship between the State and providers in relation to delivering ELC and SAC, with new responsibilities on both sides.
I am committed to ensuring more stability of income for services, and that is one of the key objectives of Core Funding.
Core Funding is open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding. It is my ambition that the maximum number providers choose to participate in this partnership to deliver ELC and SAC for the public good and come into contract for Core Funding and I look forward to working with Partner Services under this new funding model.
1227. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to increase capitation for early childhood care and education, ECCE, children by up to €76. [42669/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is making significant investment to support parents with the costs of paying for early learning and childcare and to support providers with the costs of delivering early learning and childcare through increased investment in the NCS, ECCE and the new Core Funding Stream being introduced this month.
At a minimum, for every ECCE child €78.75 per week is now available (compared to €71.90 previously from ECCE standard capitation and PSP combined).
Because Core Funding is paid in respect of places rather than children, effectively this could mean a greater ‘per child’ marginal increase if the service has unfilled capacity. With average ECCE occupancy of 9 children per staff member, Core Funding is equivalent to weekly per child capitation of €80.92.
My Department will continue to focus on reducing the cost of early learning and childcare for parents through increased investment as part of Budget 2023 – specific measures to be taken will be decided as part of Budget 2023 and announced on Budget Day on September 27th.
I would also note that I recently announced the appointment of Stranmillis University College, Belfast to undertake an independent review of the ECCE programme. The review will assess whether the ECCE Programme is meeting its core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made to the Programme, based on international evidence and experience to date. As part of the ECCE Review, there will be a wide stakeholder engagement which will include parents and pre-school providers. The review is due to conclude in Q3 of 2023.
1228. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of foster carers receiving an enhanced payment; the reasons for the enhanced payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42753/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla has advised that if required they can provide additional financial supports to foster carers, including an enhanced foster care allowance.
Enhanced allowances for foster carers can be made when a longer term financial need is identified for additional supports for the child. A maximum of twice the weekly allowance may be paid in respect of children aged between 0-18 years if they require significant care over and above the needs of other children in foster care. This includes children who have been diagnosed with significant special needs and require a high level of personal care and supervision.
The purpose of considering an enhanced allowance in these cases is to support foster carers in providing care to these children who have who have been diagnosed with significant special needs and require a high level of personal care and supervision. The amount of the allowance needed is determined by the assessment of need.
The foster care allowance is in respect of and for the benefit of the foster child and therefore must be used to meet the day to day costs associated with looking after the foster child. In considering any enhanced allowance the assessing social worker is required to evidence that the standard fostering allowance does not adequately provide for the cost of caring for the child.
A request for enhanced supports must be certified by the relevant Tusla Principal Social Worker and approved by the Area Manager following submission of an assessment of the child’s needs and supporting documentation. A review arrangement for the enhanced allowance must be part of the submission for approval.
The number of foster carers receiving an enhanced allowance was 193 out of 3,991 foster carers in Q1 2022.
Further, Tusla has advised that they have recently engaged with foster carers in a consultation to inform the development of a Strategic Plan on Foster Care. The issue of financial supports available to foster carers was raised during these consultations. Once the Strategic Plan on Foster Care is finalised by Tusla, it will then be considered by the Department.
1229. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the changes that took place to the ready reckoner for childcare providers; when those changes took place; the reason they took place; if childcare providers were notified in relation to the changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42759/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn Friday the 12th August, Pobal issued the following communication to the sector at 11:30 via the Early Years Platform:
“Pobal also wishes to notify service providers that for a short period, between the 28th July and the 5th August, the Ready Reckoner tool produced incorrect estimate values. This has now been rectified and the Ready Reckoner is performing as expected. Pobal wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
As advised in the communications that issued alongside the Ready Reckoner, the tool is not an exact calculation and should not be relied on for financial planning. The Core Funding Ready Reckoner gives an approximate indication of your potential value for Core Funding based on the information that you provide in response to the questions asked.
The Core Funding application process which is now available provides the most accurate Core Funding value that services can expect.”
The technical issue arose as a result of the Application process going live on the Early Years platform. Again, I would like to reiterate that all results provided by the Ready Reckoner are estimates and should not be relied on for financial planning. However, the incorrect answers were only being produced in the period identified, and any results prior to and after the period defined above should be considered as providing accurate estimates based on the information provided.
If service providers require further support with completing their application, I would urge them to contact their local City and County Childcare Committee (CCC). Individual support sessions can be organised and CCCs are available to guide services through the Core Funding application process.
