Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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97. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to develop a career path in the childcare sector in view of the staff turnover rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20433/25]

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I ask about the steps being taken to develop a career path in the childcare sector in view of the high staff turnover rate and whether the Minister will make a statement on the matter.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge many early learning and childcare services report recruitment and retention challenges. In general, these challenges are not caused by insufficient supply of qualified staff, but by high levels of turnover. The most recent annual early years sector profile survey shows staff turnover is at 24.5%. It is estimated that one third of staff leaving services are doing so to move to another service. Staff turnover is linked to pay and working conditions. However, the State is not an employer of staff and neither I nor my Department set pay or working conditions.

  The joint labour committee process is the formal mechanism by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates for the sector. Outcomes from the joint labour committee process are supported by Government through core funding, which has seen its allocation increase from €259 million in year 1 to €350 million for the coming programme year 2025-26. An additional €45 million, which I referenced earlier, has been ring-fenced in the coming programme year to support employers to meet the costs of further increases to the minimum rates of pay conditional on updated employment regulation orders.

 Staff in this sector play a key role in supporting children’s development and well-being, working in partnership with families. Recognising their central importance for the quality of provision, my Department continues to deliver on the workforce plan for the sector, Nurturing Skills. Nurturing Skills aims to support the professional development of the workforce and sets out plans to raise the profile of careers in the sector, establish role profiles, career pathways, qualification requirements, along with leadership development opportunities. To support the development of career pathways, the role profiles of educator, lead educator and manager, which were set out in Nurturing Skills, were given legal meaning when used as the basis for the employment regulations orders for the sector. These orders now embed a career structure by setting different rates of pay for the different roles. Further developing career pathways, both Nurturing Skills and Equal Start identify special posts of responsibility and other measures.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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We heard earlier that 30% of childcare managers are struggling to find new staff. Would she consider adding childcare to the critical skills list, which would make it easier for that sector to attract skilled and qualified personnel, especially, of course, from countries outside the European Economic Area such as New Zealand, Brazil and Australia? Skilled people from these countries, obviously with the appropriate qualifications, would then qualify.

The Minister mentioned staff turnover of 24.5% with a third of those going to other jobs within the sector. That means two thirds are going elsewhere. While the Government is not an employer, it is the policymaker in this area. Would we consider a long-term sustainable career path for childcare staff with market-rate pay as a policy, some sort of a pay scale and ongoing training and career development in particular? That is quite important when it comes to retaining these people, especially graduates.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The key issue that has been identified across the sector with retention of staff is the financial rewards they get to do the work they do. These are professionals who deserve to be paid at the rate they should be paid. It is for that reason there is a ring-fenced €45 million being made available. I accept the independence of the joint labour committee but I am saying €45 million is available and I would like to see it being used to the maximum for the workers so they would be suitably paid.