Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response

Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed)

Photo of Jennifer WhitmoreJennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the different groups that have come in to talk to us. It is important that we have this level of engagement with them because it is patently obvious that there has not been sufficient engagement with the sector in recent months. We are really reaping the non-rewards of that at the moment.

I will refer to a comment Ms Byrne made earlier and with which I could not agree more. She said that children have largely been invisible during the pandemic except when they are being blamed and called superspreaders and vectors. The discussion around children has largely been negative. That has been very problematic. Children as a group were not hit from a health perspective but mental health issues will impact on them much more than on other cohorts and groups in our society. I have been very vocal about the need to incorporate advice from psychology experts into development of policies relating to children and their transition back into normal childcare and educational settings. It is being recognised that the mental health curve is the next curve we will have to flatten. We have not had the necessary focus on that issue recently.

My question relates to those psychological supports. Do the representatives think their organisations' members are sufficiently resourced and have the capacity to identify and respond to the emotional, social and psychological challenges children may face when transitioning from a family setting and lockdown scenario back to the crèche environment? As a mother of four, I know that a lot goes on in their heads that they may not be able to verbalise. Childcare settings can provide somewhat of a family setting. When one has the right childcare provider, they become a member of one's family. There is an opportunity that children will open up when they go back to those settings. Are providers ready for that? Have they received the proper guidance and supports from the Department?

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