Ms Helen Crickard:

When the funding from the European Social Fund was reduced last year, many groups struggled. The UK Government introduced the levelling-up fund, which was administrated from Westminster. There was no say in where that money went at a local decision-making level. There was a great deal of opposition to that. In the women's sector, we were lucky to get that funding for a collaborative project involving four of the main network organisations. We have been able to put that money into the 14 women's centres. They all have part-time workers and a budget for training and education, something they had not been able to do. Sometimes, it can work for you. We would like to be part of the decision-making process in Northern Ireland but because there is not the same transparency, honesty and accountability and such a shortage in resources, people will tend to fund what is already there. Even within our sector, we have had a couple of crèches close such as Small Wonders on the Shankill Road.

During Covid-19, all of the women's centres provided childcare for key workers. When that was over, they were back to their contracts being on protective notice. They are all paid below the minimum wage. There is a lack of respect of what we do within that sector. There is this attitude that we will not do it anyway. That is not good enough. People will say that women should not do it anyway, but there is no way women's centres are not going to provide what they have.

There are other things, such as the cap the Department for Communities placed on pension contributions. The cap is 3% and most people opt out of the pension contribution as a result. In many ways, the Department operates in a way it would not do if it were giving these contracts to private concerns. In the way it operates with the community sector, there is a serious lack of respect. It is not always about funding; it is also about respect and resources. They do not come in bucketfuls at all.