Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she will publish the national early years strategy; when it will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50171/17]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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When will the Minister publish the national early years strategy and when will it be implemented?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the national policy framework for children and young people, contains a commitment to publish Ireland's first-ever national early years strategy. The ten-year cross-Government strategy will focus on the period of early childhood from birth to five and cover all aspects of children's lives. Given the importance of the first five years for childhood development and for development over the life course, the strategy is a priority for me. No other strategy offers the same potential to transform the lives of those children and their families. It is, therefore, important that we get it right.

Drafting of the strategy is being advanced by my Department, which is drawing on substantial national and international research evidence and being informed by experts' views, including those of the expert advisory group on the early years strategy, bilateral meetings with other Departments and a range of stakeholder consultations, including one undertaken with children aged three to five. We also held a very valuable open policy debate which brought together over 80 experts from the fields of health, education, early childhood care and education, child protection, housing, community, social protection and social inclusion.

A draft strategy has been prepared and a process of redrafting is about to commence alongside further consultation with Departments and key stakeholders.

Efforts to progress the remaining work and finalise the strategy for publication have recently intensified with the assignment of an additional resource by my Department. When it is published as early as possible in 2018, my Department will outline a plan for implementation that will involve the close monitoring of progress on all actions within the agreed timeframes.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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The national early years strategy presents us with a very important opportunity to identify what is in the best interests of every child from birth to six years of age. It includes a specific focus on early childhood care and education. I acknowledge the work that has been carried out by the Minister such as brainstorming sessions and policy debates with stakeholders to progress the strategy. However, while there have been various schemes and announcements regarding early years services, I fear that, although it is well-meaning, the strategy is disjointed. I would like it to be published as soon as possible. The Minister said that will be done in 2018 but this process has been ongoing for a long period and I hope she will be able to give a date for its publication and implementation.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. The first area she identified relates to whether we are being strategic. We do not yet have a strategy. As regards why it has been delayed, the commitment to publish the strategy coincided with a commitment to totally reform the early childhood care and education sector in Ireland. As the Deputy is aware, my Department has been engaged in many initiatives and a significant reform agenda at the same time as trying to progress the strategy. Examples of its work are the report on the future investment in child care, the early years regulations, the access and inclusion model, the action plan for school age child care, the expansion of the ECCE, early childhood care and education, scheme and more affordable child care measures in 2017. While I acknowledge there has been a delay, it has been contributed to by that significant reform.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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The strategy, when published, needs to include an implementation plan. Over the years, we have all seen various well-meaning schemes whose clear goals have sometimes fallen flat. What plans does the Minister have to fund and prioritise the strategy?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I assure the Deputy that an implementation plan will be part of the strategy. We will draw on the learning we have gained from the experience and cross-Departmental work that has been carried out, in particular in the context of the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures national ten-year strategy whereby high-level officials gather every quarter under my chairmanship and have worked together to understand and ensure that implementation will be focussed upon once the report has been published. That will enable us to have the strategy and also a structure for its implementation. As part of that process there will, in the first instance, be an identification of the aspects of budgets within Departments that are already focused on ensuring that parts of the plan are resourced, as well as working together to be able to identify resource gaps that will have to be filled to ensure the plan is implemented.