The Sponsorship arrangement available under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) makes special provision for vulnerable children. The NCS Sponsorship arrangement allows designated bodies to refer children to the Scheme where childcare is needed on child welfare, protection, family support or other specified grounds.
Where a referral is made by a Sponsor body, the family will automatically qualify for a subsidy without having to satisfy the Scheme’s eligibility, income or enhanced hours requirements. The Scheme will pay the full weekly cost of childcare for families referred to the Scheme by a Sponsor Body up to the maximum of €264.15 depending on the age of the child and the hours required.
The need for a sponsored referral is a determination for the relevant Sponsor Body and one that they make based on the particular needs of the child in line with their defined criteria as set out in the Childcare Support Act 2018, and further defined by the agreement the Sponsor Body has with the DCEDIY.
The HSE is one of five Sponsor Bodies that has a signed agreement in place with my Department. The HSE may refer children:
1. who are aged under 4 years of age, who are not enrolled in a pre-school programme funded by the Minister or the Minister for Education and who would otherwise not attend a childcare service, and
2. who are deemed to be in need of early intervention and require additional supports under the domains of child developmental needs, parental capacity and environmental factors following completion of a Child and Family Health Needs Assessment by a Public Health Nurse, and
3. where there is an identified need for childcare as an additional support to the home environment to meet child developmental needs.
My Department has undertaken a series of measures to raise awareness of the Sponsorship arrangements for the NCS, including introducing a dedicated phone line and email address for sponsor contacts. Pobal has also provided training sessions to service providers on sponsorship arrangements. We will continue to raise awareness about the Sponsor Programme on the NCS, which has sponsored over 5,595 children since the Scheme launched in 2019.
For details on the Sponsor process, I would encourage contacting the NCS Sponsors Team on 01 906 8535 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday or by email at sponsors@ncs.gov.ie.
