Ms Julie Ahern:

We welcome the opportunity to address the committee on these important issues. For members who do not know us, the Children's Rights Alliance unites more than 150 membership organisations working together to make Ireland one of the best places in the world to be a child. Our members span all areas of children's lives across the life cycle.

This discussion has already touched on a broad range of issues that are facing different stakeholders in the sector. It is critical that today's deliberations are centred on children because they are the people who experience what is happening in early years settings. It needs to be informed by a child-centred approach to deal with the issues in the early years sector.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises parents and carers as the primary caregivers, but it also imposes a duty on the State to provide assistance to families, and this includes the provision of quality early years childcare services. Ireland was examined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child earlier this year, which had two key recommendations in the area of early years. These are the two issues that we will speak to today. The first is increased access to affordable childcare, especially for children who are living in poverty or disadvantage. The second is that the Government should increase the level of funding allocation to childcare and move towards a more publicly funded model of childcare.

Turning first to access to affordable childcare for children who are living in poverty and disadvantage, high-quality childcare is beneficial for all children, but it is particularly beneficial for those children who are living in poverty. This includes groups such as loan parents, Traveller and Roma children and other groups who we know experience significant disadvantages. The evidence shows that early years care is the single greatest leveller. If you invest money there, you will get the greatest return in terms of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. It is common sense to start investing money there to ensure that those who are the most vulnerable will have access to high-quality childcare and wraparound services.

The First 5 strategy recognises this. Under it, there is a commitment to the establishment of a DEIS-type model for early years care. A report by the expert group on the funding model recommended the introduction of a new funding stream to tackle disadvantage. This year, the Department have put in significant work on the development of what they call an equal participation model to fulfil this goal and they have secured some money in budget 2024. However, what we really need is for this model to be fully developed and expanded upon. It is an opportunity to have wraparound services within early years settings, such as family support, food and other things that are needed by families. These could be different supports for families who are experiencing issues with drugs and alcohol. It is a way through which we can look to break that cycle of disadvantage. Best practice internationally suggests this is the way to tackle many of these issues. Over the next few years, it will be key to invest in this area and roll out this equal participation model that is centred on children and children's rights.

I will now turn to the second issue, which is a public model of childcare. The Government have done a lot of work. Many of our colleagues here today have mentioned the significant investment the Government have made in recent years. They have been looking to reform different areas. However, we have seen that there is clear support for moving towards a publicly funded model of childcare. We saw this in the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality, which recommended that this should happen over the next decade. Developing a public model of childcare from a children's rights perspective would ensure that children have access to high-quality services, that cost is not a barrier to accessing these services and that all children get the same quality of care. It is also a way of ensuring that staff receive proper pay and recognition, which is essential for realising a children's rights-based early years service. I am here with my colleague, Dr. Naomi Feely, and we are happy to take any questions on any of these issues or other issues.