Written answers

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

After-School Support Services

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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551. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in view of the fact that the pilot phase of the subsidised after-school child care scheme is now complete and the scheme commenced national roll-out in September 2013, the uptake there has been on the pilot phase of the scheme in terms of numbers; if she is on target for the allocation of the proposed 6,000 places announced earlier this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40480/13]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As part of Budget 2013 I, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, announced a new After-school Childcare initiative targeted at low-income parents when presented with employment opportunities. The aim of this initiative is to ensure that affordable and quality childcare is available to disadvantaged families when work opportunities are offered.

Eligibility for the new After-school Childcare programme is determined by the Department of Social Protection and the role of my Department is to ensure that quality places are available for those deemed eligible for support. My Department entered into contract with a number of childcare providers who expressed a willingness to make places available for the duration of the pilot programmes. This exercise did inform my Department of the practical issues of having quality childcare services in place prior to the full roll out of the national programme.

In the region of 700 childcare services have now contracted to provide places under the programme in the school year just commenced. It is expected that further childcare services will opt to join the programme throughout the year and I am satisfied that the number is sufficient to meet the demand that was anticipated when the initiative was announced.

The After-school Childcare initiative will require time to become established. One of the target groups for the scheme is former recipients of the One-parent Family (OFP) payment. Separate arrangements were introduced for this group to ease their transition to the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme which have reduced the need for childcare for these customers, thereby impacting on demand for the After-school scheme. Given the low uptake during the first two pilot phases of the initiative, the eligibility criteria are being considered by the Department of Social Protection in the context of the third pilot phase. As a result, it is not possible to determine how many places will be allocated by the end of the year.

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