Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for improving regulation of the child minding sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15832/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I recently announced that my Department has begun work on Ireland's first early years strategy. I have received Government approval for the approach I am taking in developing this strategy. I hope that, with all Deputies co-operating, it will be an innovative and dynamic blueprint for the future development of Ireland's early years sector aimed at providing a coherent approach to seeking to improve the lives of children from birth to age six. One of the issues of policy which I have identified for consideration in the preparation of the new strategy is the development of the childminding sector as a fully integrated component of early childhood care and education, in particular for the under-one age group.

At present, preschool services are regulated under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991. Services providing care for children who have not yet commenced primary school are required to notify their service to the preschool inspectorate of the HSE and are subject to regular inspection and report by the inspectorate. Services covered by the regulations include full-time, part-time and sessional services, as well as childminders taking care of more than three preschool children from different families in the childminder's home. Childminders taking care of not more than three preschool children from different families are not covered by the regulations, recognising parental choice to place children with friends and neighbours, and the challenges of the excessive regulation of the more informal arrangements chosen by parents.

The national guidelines for childminders, compiled by the National Childcare Co-ordinating Committee, which oversees the development of an integrated child care infrastructure throughout the country, provide guidance to childminders on good practice and assist them to decide whether they are subject to the regulations, as well as providing other useful information on the role of the childminder in the provision of child care services.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The 2006 regulations replaced the earlier regulations, introduced in 1996, and made a number of improvements to the regulatory environment, including the introduction of a requirement for all staff and students working in a preschool service to have been vetted by the Garda. The main focus of the child care regulations is to ensure that services adhere to appropriate standards of health and safety. The 2006 regulations also refer specifically to the educational development and well-being of children and the need for services to ensure appropriate age related activities and material are in place.

As is the case with all regulatory requirements, the child care regulations set the minimum standards with which services are legally required to comply. However, my Department is proactive in promoting and developing the highest standards of care and education throughout the sector, given the important role these services play in this crucial phase of children's lives. In December 2010, national quality standards for preschool services were published by the then Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. These provide a framework within which services are encouraged to work towards best practice and a child-centred approach in their provision of early childhood care and education to preschool children. In addition, almost every preschool service in the State is now participating in the free preschool year in early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme, which is implemented by my Department. The ECCE programme introduced significant new requirements to ensure quality provision in preschool services.

All preschool leaders are required to hold an accredited major qualification in early childhood care and education. In addition, a higher capitation rate is in place for services which employ more highly qualified staff. This is acting as an incentive to service providers to improve the quality of their services and increasingly higher numbers of services participating in the ECCE programme are qualifying for the higher capitation.

A further aspect of the ECCE programme is the fact that it requires services to implement Síolta, the early education framework developed by the Department of Education and Skills. The programme also encourages services to implement Aistear, the early education curriculum for children from birth to age six. My Department will continue to review and monitor the regulatory environment for preschool services as well as supporting quality developments within the sector.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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There are 73,000 families with preschool children relying on child care providers to enable them to work. However, the regulation and administration of the current regulations is patchy in many instances. It is from talking to people working within the system that one hears of the limited ability of the HSE to inspect childminders who should notify to the HSE but do not. This is an issue the Minister needs to examine further in regard to-----

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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A question, please.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Minister intend to introduce additional regulations to enhance the ability of the HSE to check an inspect childminding operations which have not been notified?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Obviously, inspection of childminding facilities is critical and very clear rules are laid down in that regard. If the Deputy has information about any service which is not being inspected and which has been brought to his attention, I advise him to contact the HSE or my Department. We have very vigilant oversight. When I visit centres throughout the country, I hear of the ongoing challenges in regard to inspection, which the centres are happy to meet. There is a very proactive inspectorate. However, if there are services operating outside of that of which the Deputy is aware, he should bring them to the attention of the HSE.

One of the initiatives I would like to see in regard to childminding is more contact between childminders, who are often somewhat isolated, and local services. There is scope for work between the two. The child care committees are also working very proactively with the National Childminding Association of Ireland, which I have met on a number of occasions. Just last month, I launched a childminding development grant scheme, which has been welcomed by everyone in the sector and which seeks to encourage people to discuss standards and training and to access educational support. A lot is happening in this area.

The regulations are very important and a particular point is that staff must be vetted by the Garda. When the Government came into office, vetting was taking 13 weeks but it is now taking an average of two weeks. There has been a huge initiative in regard to vetting and dealing with the chronic delays which have been a feature in recent years.