Written answers

Wednesday, 26 June 2019

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Childcare Services Regulation

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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250. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the action plan on childminding of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27003/19]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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251. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the establishment of the expert group on registration, regulation and inspection recommended in the childminding working group report that will develop minimum regulatory standards for childminding services for children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27004/19]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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252. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the establishment of the expert group on quality standards recommended in the childminding working group report that will mentor and network development to recommend appropriate quality standards for childminding in line with the Síolta framework. [27005/19]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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253. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the establishment of the funding and financial support expert group recommended in the childminding working group report to review the effectiveness and efficiency of the funding and financial supports to childminding services. [27006/19]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 250 to 253, inclusive, together.

Officials in my Department are at the latter stages of development of a Childminding Action Plan, which I intend to publish shortly in draft form with a view to public consultation before the Action Plan is finalised.

The Childminding Action Plan will be an evidence-based plan for moving progressively towards wider regulation and support for childminders over the next ten years, and will include short, medium and longer-term commitments. It will set out a series of actions to bring childminders within the scope of mainstream provision and supports for both early learning and care and school-age childcare over the life-time of First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families.

The Childminding Action Plan will be firmly rooted in the 2018 Working Group report ‘Pathways to a Quality Support and Assurance System for Childminding’. The Action Plan will include actions across the full range of issues on which the Working Group made recommendations, including registration, regulation and inspection; quality standards and supports; and funding and financial supports.

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