Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
56. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how his Department facilitates childcare providers staying open when there is a change in management. [48400/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraPobal are the administrators of all early learning and childcare funding programmes on behalf of my Department.
Where there is any change in circumstances for a service provider i.e. change of address, change of legal structure or change of ownership, the provider engages with Pobal to flag this change of circumstance and advise of the date that the change will be implemented.
Pobal will then close the existing provider service reference number and close all the associated funded programmes. They will work with the new provider to have them on-boarded to Early Years Hive platform with a new service reference number which will allow them to contract into the funded programmes/schemes and register children.
Pobal, through their Integrated Case Management Team (ICM), will also advise providers to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee who will provide support around any governance issues. The CCC and ICM will liaise with each other to identify and agree if there are specific sustainability supports required to ensure good governance and stability. These supports are provided through the CCC, in consultation with ICM.
If a provider is experiencing any issues around a change of circumstance they can contact their local CCC for assistance.
The following are the statistics on change of circumstances processed by Pobal in 2023 to date.
• Change of Address- 12
• Change of Legal Structure- 67
• Change of Ownership- 39
