Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

566. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties that early education and childcare providers are experiencing in recruiting staff to provide the access and inclusion model, AIM, scheme; her plans to address this difficulty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39827/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The AIM, which was introduced in September 2016 and continues to be rolled out, has greatly assisted ECCE services to offer inclusive services and to better meet the needs of children with disabilities. It includes 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted. The degree of support provided depends on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are attending. In addition to the tens of thousands of children who have benefitted from universal supports under AIM, more than 6,000 children with more complex disabilities have so far benefitted from targeted supports.

Of the seven levels of support provided through AIM, Level 7 involves recruitment of additional staff by providers of ECCE services. I am aware of the difficulties reported by some providers in recruiting staff under Level 7 of AIM. I am seeking incrementally additional investment to address this issue and to address the wider issue of attracting and retaining staff across the early years sector. I acknowledge that pay and conditions are major issues that impact on recruitment and retention of staff.

While my Department is not the employer of childcare workers, it does continue to invest significant resources in the early years sector. In the last three budgets (2016, 2017 and 2018) investment in the early years sector has increased by figures approaching 80%, which reflects the emphasis being placed on developing quality services with appropriately supported staff.

From September 2018 capitation rates to childcare providers for the provision of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme increased by 7%, which is intended to support the workforce. The increase in capitation is targeted at increasing the quality of care and education provided through ECCE and, in particular, supporting the recruitment and retention of high quality staff.

Further, my Department and the Department of Education and Skills has committed to delivering a new workforce plan for the early years sector. The workforce plan will examine and address the impact of a rapidly changing policy and practice landscape in the childcare sector in Ireland on future skills requirements so that Government can ensure that a high quality workforce is in place over the next decade.

The ten-year national early years strategy will also be published shortly, and this will outline planned developments for the childcare sector and will set the overall direction to be followed by the workforce plan.