Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2023
430. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he accepts that the number of childminders in the State is far in excess of the 15,000 quoted by his Department based on CSO data; and the methods his Department is taking to identify additional childminders who, for a particular reason, did not identify themselves on the CSO census. [6790/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is considerable uncertainty about the number of children cared for by childminders and the total number of childminders working in Ireland today. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 brought together data from a range of data sources, including the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the Growing Up in Ireland survey, and a 2020 IPSOS-MRBI survey of parents conducted on behalf of my Department. On the basis of these data sources, the National Action Plan for Childminding estimated that approximately 82,000 children are cared for by a childminder, nanny or au pair, with 70-75% of these children (i.e. approximately 60,000) cared for in the childminder’s home. Surveys of Childminding Ireland members indicated that on average childminders care for 4 children, when both pre-school and school-age children are counted. On this basis, it was estimated in the National Action Plan for Childminding that there are approximately 15,000 childminders caring for children in the childminder’s home.
As part of Phase 1 of the National Action Plan for Childminding, my Department is committed to carrying out further research and analysis to help inform estimates of the number of childminders likely to come within the scope of future regulation. Consultation processes being planned for 2023 will support this analysis.
Also as part of the National Action Plan for Childminding, my Department is now providing for employment by the City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) of a team of 22 Childminding Development Officers to work at local level providing supports to childminders. As part of their work, the Childminding Development Officers work to offer supports to childminders who have not yet engaged with the supports available through the CCCs or Childminding Ireland. The National Action Plan commits to further strengthening local supports over the coming years through the development and introduction of staffed local childminding networks.
