Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for what I would call one of the most important debates. Prevention and early intervention for children and education is most important, as is the provision of services in this area. We all know - the Minister better than most, as a former Montessori teacher - about the absorbent mind of the child. Indeed, I was there myself. I used to go around Ireland at one stage inspecting, before inspectors were prominent or even regulated in Montessori schools.

I know practitioners and organisations out there are working and doing their level best to support positive outcomes for children, families and communities through programmes, now that some of them are serviced and provided for through the funding system. Before that, indeed, I want to pay tribute to the many preschool educators and providers that did it before it was even on the agenda of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Health, or anybody else.

The establishment of the Child and Family Agency in January 2014 represents the most comprehensive reform ever on child protection, early intervention and family support services in Ireland, and we cannot speak of one without the other. Family support is most important in providing education from womb to tomb, from birth to age 24 - that is the age covered by the Brighter Futures programme. Brighter Futures recognises that our increasing child and youth population is a significant resource for our country, and further recognises that ensuring the best possible outcomes for this group is therefore an important element, not only for the child and family but for our economic planning as well. I know the Minister recognises that, but not everybody in every Department recognises the importance of investing in early childhood care. The Growing Up in Ireland study conducted by the ESRI and Trinity College for the national framework illustrates that very well. Parents are the primary educators under our Constitution. We know that reports on parenting provide details on what investment has done to support parents and parenting programmes. We have some supported parenting programmes, as the Minister knows, in the family support service and in the Department of Health, but we need an awful lot more targeted and universal parenting programmes to support parents, because family circumstances and family needs are different. Tailored approaches are needed for children of different ages, depending on developmental stages and different types of intelligence, of which there are many, as we know.

We have learned lessons from the past and some very difficult lessons, particularly with regard to preschool. We saw this on the "Prime Time" programmes recently, but the legacy and failings of the past are now promoting a culture of cross-governmental approach to improving outcomes for children. This has been a priority of the Government, and I know the impetus the Minister is putting on this with her training. I welcome her arrival in the Department of Education and Skills. The delivery of support to families is important, and between the Departments of Education and Skills and Health, this issue could fall through the hoops. There are the early start centres, and I know somebody mentioned all the different ones, so I will not go through them. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs administers two support schemes to encourage more vulnerable families to make use of the early childhood care and education programmes and different subvention programmes.

On the issue of continuous professional development, CPD, and training for preschool teachers, I welcome the introduction of a requirement from September 2015 that all those dealing with preschool children must have a qualification of at least FETAC Level 5. That is down to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Is preschool not formal education? There should be continuing training and development in a formal way for preschool staff as well as for teachers. They are all teachers in preschool. The setting is informal but the actual delivery of the outcome is formal and it is recognised with Level 5 training. I ask the Minister for details about CPD in this area. That has to be looked at when preschool is taken into consideration.

I welcome, in the Minister's own Department, the introduction of focused inspections for high-quality education provision in early childhood education settings, particularly for the preschool year. We also have the preschool inspectorate under the Child Care Act 1991 to ensure the safety and welfare of preschool children, so we have - as one of the other Senators said - both types. How many inspectors do we need? We need inspectors for care, education, and the whole lot - we need it all, and it has to be done. A new implementation structure is required - I know there was a group set up in the Department last year and I am waiting for a report on that to bring it all together - with joined-up thinking on care, education and early intervention.

I want to say a word about the availability of resources. I ask the Minister to provide a report on a pay scale for teachers in preschool. We cannot leave it to everybody's imagination to introduce pay scales. We have to pay people if we want good outcomes. If we invest in preschool, we will get a better return than we would on any stock market - that is definite - but we cannot have good child care and early intervention without appropriately qualified and remunerated staff. Somebody else mentioned the percentage of GDP that we are spending on preschool education. The Minister should have a look at it - we are third from the bottom in Europe.

I have not got time to go into the area of special needs, but somebody mentioned it. We must not forget this, as it needs special attention. The after-school programme is also important. I could discuss it for longer, as it is important. The Minister has the right mind.