Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

International evidence indicates that raising the qualification levels of staff working with children is key to improving the quality of services. As part of the ongoing progression of the early years quality agenda, it was announced last year that by September 2015 all early years services staff working directly with children in the zero to six years age category would have to have a minimum level 5 qualification on the national qualifications framework in early years care and education, or an equivalent qualification. This requirement will apply to new services from September. Preschool leaders, delivering the free preschool provision to children between the ages of three years and two months to four years and seven months under the early childhood care and education programme, who are currently required to hold a level 5 qualification will have to have a minimum level 6 qualification, or equivalent, by September 2015.

In March this year the launch of a learner fund to assist existing staff working in the child care sector to meet the new requirements was announced. The first and most important objective of the funding is to ensure that all existing staff are in a position to meet the mandatory qualification requirements for their current roles; otherwise it will not be possible for them to continue in these roles after September 2015. This requires that all staff working directly with children in the child care sector hold a minimum level 5 qualification and staff in the role of preschool leader under the early childhood care and education programme hold a level 6 qualification.

The learner fund, which is administered by Pobal with the help of local city and county child care committees, has a total allocation of €3 million for the years 2014 and 2015. This fund has been clearly linked to the introduction of the mandatory qualifications and while other training priorities can be examined at a future date, the priority for now is to use the available funding for staff to achieve the mandatory qualifications if they are to continue in their current roles.

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