Results 10,261-10,280 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Public health experts have confirmed that Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services may continue to operate during the current Level 5 restrictions. While no environment is without risk in relation to Covid-19, and this has been the case throughout the pandemic, services can significantly reduce their risk level by closely following the expert guidance provided by...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious need for significant improvement in pay and working conditions for practitioners in early learning and care and school-age childcare services. I also accept that the level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society and economy. It also contributes to challenges of recruitment and retention of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The ECCE programme is currently suspended during Covid-19 restrictions up to 5 March, with the timeframe remaining subject to review in the context of the evolving public health circumstances. During this period, early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to the children of essential workers and to vulnerable...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 26 January, Government made the decision to extend the suspension of the ECCE programme and to continue to restrict access to other early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services to the children of essential workers and to vulnerable children. The decision to postpone resumption of the ECCE programme and to restrict access to ELC/SAC services only to children of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Government decided on 6 January that, in order to reduce movement in the population, the ECCE programme would not resume until 1 February. It has now been agreed that the programme will remain suspended during extended restrictions up to 5 March. Other Early Learning and Childcare and School-Age Childcare services (ELC/SAC services) can remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware with the resumption of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is being postponed until 5 March 2021, services that provide the ECCE Programme only are to remain closed during this period. Other types of ELC/SAC services, including services that provide full day care, part-time day care, stand-alone school-age childcare services and childminders...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: National Childcare Scheme (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland. It is based on the principle of progressive universalism and has regard to the best interests of children. The NCS offers a flexible application process, with a variety of assessment options for parents to assess their most recent income circumstances. One of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is committed to clear, concise and timely communications with the early learning and care and school age childcare sector, at all times, but particularly during this pandemic. I acknowledge that a number of recent communications from my Department to childcare providers during current level 5 restrictions have necessitated communications being issued after 5pm. I wish...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: A key policy objective of my Department is to improve affordability, accessibility and quality of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC). A significant increase in investment over the last number of years has led to a doubling in the number of children receiving free or subsidised early learning and care and school-age childcare. It has also supported the sector to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Costs (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The NCS represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland. It is based on the principle of progressive universalism and has regard to the best interests of children. The Scheme aims to improve outcomes for children, reduce poverty, facilitate labour activation, and tangibly reduce the cost of childcare for tens of thousands of families. It...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland. The NCS provides financial support to help parents to meet the cost of childcare. It provides supports to families with children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years who are attending any participating Tusla registered childcare service, including any Tusla...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Programme for Government agreed in June 2020 does commits to a range of measures to improve the affordability and quality of early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC), at service and system levels. These commitments build on the existing State investment in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) universal pre school programme which enables children to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Government decided on 6 January that, in order to reduce movement in the population, the ECCE programme would not resume until 1 February. It has now been agreed that the programme will remain suspended during extended restrictions up to 5 March. Other Early Learning and Childcare and School-Age Childcare services (ELC/SAC services) can remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Officials of my Department are engaging with the Department of Finance on the issue of VAT on expenses such as rent and maintenance fees. I have not yet engage with the Minister of Finance on this issue.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The National Childcare Scheme represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland, establishing a system of universal and income-related subsidies for children up to the age of 15. A 117% increase in investment over the last number of years has led to a doubling in the number of children receiving free or subsidised early learning and care and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very aware that many early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services continue to report difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified staff. The most recent published data indicates that the staff turnover rate in the sector stood at 23% in 2019. This, though it was an improvement on the previous year, is too high, especially given the importance of consistency...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: Supply of, and demand for, early learning and care and school-age childcare places is currently monitored annually through the Early Years Sector Profile report. This survey is conducted by Pobal on behalf of the Department. Data from the 2018/2019 programme year, indicates that existing childcare provision, in general, meets current needs nationwide in terms of capacity whilst...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children First Guidelines (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for reporting and management of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children. The Act operates side-by-side with the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: An independent evaluation of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) commenced in December 2020 and will be undertaken during 2021. The evaluation is being carried out by a consortium led by the University of Derby. The Evaluation will involve a range of methods to gather data. As part of the Evaluation, surveys of both parents and service providers will be undertaken. In addition, both...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (11 Feb 2021)

Roderic O'Gorman: In line with emerging best practice to support the integration and independence of children with a disability, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) does not fund Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). Rather, Level 7 of AIM provides financial support to the pre-school provider, which is used either to reduce the adult-to-child ratio in the pre-school room or to buy in additional assistance to the...