Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the professionals and advocates. The first big step to changing Irish child care forever is now just eight weeks away. Up to 70,000 children will benefit from extra subsidies and supports. It will be an important moment. This is the first big practical step to changing one of the most expensive child care systems in the world into one of the best. By addressing the affordability issue, we will ease the burden on many parents for whom child care costs have become a second rent or mortgage. The changes are radical and represent real change. I am particularly happy that we are delivering the highest level of supports to those families who need it most — with supports of up to €7,500 available per child.

Deputies will be aware that are two elements to the payments we are introducing. There are universal payments available for all children aged between six and 36 months and then there are targeted supports. It is these targeted supports that will open up jobs, training and education for parents who want to lift their families out of poverty. Overall, total spending on child care programmes this year is €466 million, which represents a 79% increase on figures from 2015. I mention this solely to highlight the progress that has been achieved, in particular over the past year. From the outset, I have been clear that despite the increases in funding we are only at the beginning. If we are to achieve a truly affordable accessible child care system, there is more to be done. As Minister, I am working to correct policies by successive Governments which have left Ireland bottom of the OECD league in terms of child care investment.

Affordability is one step. Of course we must also continue to focus on quality. In order to ensure quality child care, we must ensure that it is a sector where dedication, qualifications and skills are recognised and rewarded.

Addressing the concerns of those who provide child care in our communities requires new approaches. It is time to think outside of the box. As Minister, I established the National Early Years Forum and in that context I have met with members of the Association of Childhood Professionals, private early education providers, the community forum and Childminding Ireland on a number of occasions. I have visited child care centres throughout the country. I have addressed Early Childhood Ireland twice. I have met trade union representatives both at Early Childhood events and informally through my officials. Each discussion, meeting and encounter reinforced what I already knew as a long-standing campaigner in the areas of child care, education and community work. It is clear that the significant progress we have made in opening up training and qualification opportunities for the child care sector is not being matched with better pay and conditions.

In terms of pay and conditions, new approaches need to be explored. The Government is not the employer in the child care sector. However, to me, it is unacceptable that as a Government we would be oblivious to the needs of people who provide such a vital service to children, parents and families. I have raised this with the Early Years Forum and with my Cabinet colleagues consistently, as recently as this morning at our meeting. One approach would be a sectoral employment order through either the Workplace Relations Commission or the Labour Court. Under such an order, organisations representing employers and employees come together to agree a way forward. This process through the State’s industrial relations mechanism would be supported by submissions from other relevant stakeholders. As the main funder of child care, my Department together with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform would have a significant interest. I assure the House that my Department would make a submission to such a process and make its expertise available to help achieve an outcome agreeable to all.

Much of the €466 million being spent on child care this year is targeted at reducing the cost of child care to parents. However, some measures were designed to target the workforce itself. For example, the higher capitation payment in ECCE was designed to incentivise the employment of graduates. The payment of €75 per child per week is €10.50 higher than the standard rate and was designed to enable services to attract and retain graduates in their service. In 2011, only 8% of services were eligible for this higher payment but this grew to 38% in 2016.

Delivering a quality child care system with skilled and qualified carers looking after our children and keeping them safe creates an administrative burden. We cannot allow public money to go to sub-standard or unsafe services. I am sure we all agree on that. I have also been listening to the concerns of child care providers about red tape and those concerns are genuine. Clearly there is a balance to be struck between ensuring quality and safety while at the same time keeping administration to a manageable limit. As Minister, I have taken a number of initiatives to recognise this workload, which is referred to as non-contact hours. In the past few weeks, I announced an extra €3.5 million in payments to providers who sign up for the extended schemes, starting in September, to recognise this work. This is on top of €14. 5 million in non-contact hour payments announced in the last budget. This funding of €18 million is significant. As the House will be aware, the changes coming in September are leading the way to the new affordable child care scheme. This will amalgamate existing child care schemes into one. The new scheme will cut the administrative burden and I look forward to making further announcements about that in the coming months.

There have been changes in community child care recently. New regulations have caused difficulty as a number of community providers moved from a dependency on community employment scheme participants to qualified practitioners. A total of €1 million in payments has commenced to help services through this transition. I want to acknowledge that Deputies from all sides of the House approached me on this issue and I assure them that action has been taken. Obviously, with public money we have a duty to ensure that it is spent effectively and has the desired impact. My Department is working with those providers who have yet to provide the necessary information in order that they have their money as soon as possible.

Delivery of a national early years strategy is a priority. When it is published later in the year, the strategy will set out policies and priorities across a wide range of areas for children under the age of six. I can confirm now that these areas will include, but will not be limited to, childhood care and education. It is important to note that the strategy will be the result of a number of consultations with the sector, including an open policy debate at the end of last year.

Child care in this country is emerging from a period of huge underinvestment by successive Governments. Getting us back on track was never going to be easy and neither was it going to be solved with a single budget. I mentioned at the outset that in terms of child care we are about to take the first big step. Families will be benefitting within weeks and that is huge. However, more is needed. I have never made a secret of that. I welcome the debate today. The contributions of the Deputies and their support will help strengthen my hand at the negotiating table ahead of the budget. Our goals in child care are ambitious. They have to be. We owe it to the providers, the parents and, above all, our children to continue working towards the goal of genuine, affordable, accessible and quality child care delivered by valued professionals. After taking the first big step, let us make sure there is no going back. I do not take child care professionals for granted.

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