Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I hope the Senator is settling in well in the Seanad. A Commencement matter is a great way to raise issues of local and national importance. The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality would like to thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for offering her the opportunity to respond.

Childminding and childminders constitute a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision and continue to be the option of choice for many families. Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe where childminders are not required to register with the State. The national action plan for childminding 2021 to 2028 sets out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders and provides for a phased approach to regulation, with a preparatory phase followed by an extended transition period to allow childminders lead-in time for any requirements.

The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children.In addition, a key objective of the national action plan for childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the national childcare scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes for Tusla-registered childcare providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision.

The childminding service regulations, which are specific to childminders, also came in on 30 September 2024. The childminding-specific regulations are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family settings in which childminders work. The regulations differ substantially from regulations on centre-based childcare. Childminders were consulted on this and involved in all aspects of the development of the regulations. Both the steering group for the national action plan for childminding and the advisory group on regulations and inspection of childminding included childminders as well as representatives of childminding organisations.

In finalising the new regulations, substantive changes were made in response to feedback received as part of the consultation process. In addition, an independent external review of the draft regulations was carried out by Dr. Bill Maxwell, former CEO of Education Scotland, former chief inspector in both Scotland and Wales and OECD consultant, which confirmed the approach was proportionate for childminding in Ireland.

I am heartened to hear that, in the recent survey carried out by Childminding Ireland, those childminders who have already been through the registration process and are working under new regulations report their experience as positive, with very few giving negative reports. We are now in the three-year transition period, as the Senator said, until September 2027, during which childminders are encouraged and supported to register, but registration is not yet mandatory. The phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance and access to Government subsidies while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.

The Senator mentioned a lot of childminders were confused about the steps. I can totally understand that. These are people who will give all the time in the day like everybody in a lot of industries but when it comes to sit down to do the paperwork and so on, it can be tough and that is a normal thing. More needs to be done and there might be a need for mentors or something that can bring them through that process. I always feel that when they fill out the forms, it is probably more beneficial for themselves, the children and all concerned. A bit more needs to be done and I will bring the Senator's concerns back to the Minister.