Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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807. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to reintroduce the grandfather clause scheme as referenced in correspondence from a person (details supplied). [21633/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The minimum qualification requirement to practice in early learning and care services came into effect on 31 December 2016, as stated in the Child Care Act (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016. These regulations stipulate that all staff working directly with children must hold a minimum of a Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The introduction of the minimum Level 5 Major Award requirement had been initially announced in 2013, and my Department provided extensive financial investment to support staff to achieve the relevant qualification in the form of multiple Learner Fund bursary rounds between 2014 and 2016. Great strides were made by the sector and over 96% of staff in 2019 held the necessary qualification. To accommodate staff who were due to retire, the Department made available an option for unqualified staff who were planning to retire over the coming years, to sign a grandfather declaration that enabled them to work without qualification for a 5-year period up to September 2021.

The minimum qualification requirement was introduced to raise the quality of provision for children and improve child outcomes. First 5,the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, recognises that the workforce is at the heart of high-quality early learning and care. The evidence is irrefutable about the importance of the first five years of life for children's learning. Children achieve better outcomes when staff are qualified. This is undisputed internationally. First 5 seeks to continue to build an appropriately skilled and sustainable professional workforce’. In line with First 5, my Department is currently leading on a Workforce Development Plan which will set out actions to support professionalisation of the workforce, including achieving a graduate-led workforce and raising the profile of careers in the sector by 2028 (50% of the workforce will have degrees by 2028).

Any decision to extend the grandfathering arrangement or to lower qualification requirements - even temporarily - would run counter to the direction of Government and international policy in this area and would require a strong evidence base. My Department is continuing to monitor workforce developments in the sector and gather data on recruitment difficulties. New data will be available in the coming weeks as part of the annual Pobal Early Years Sector Profile. It is understood that there is a sufficient supply of qualified workers into the sector, the challenge is that they are not being retained, primarily due to poor working terms and conditions. It is the latter that needs to be addressed, and the Workforce Development Plan and other measures will seek to do this.

Additionally, an Advisory Group on the phased reopening of Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services was established in May 2020 to advise on measures related to COVID. Recruitment and retention of staff is currently being considered by them. The group is chaired by my Department and its membership includes eight representatives of staff and providers. The Advisory Group plans to consider the evidence regarding recruitment difficulties in the coming weeks, and what measures may be appropriate to best serve the needs of children. I will be happy to update Deputies on this when work has progressed.

Finally, my Department is currently consulting with those working in the sector and asking them to share their views on the steps that should be taken in the Workforce Development Plan. The first round of public consultation was due to commence in March 2020 but was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19. An online survey opened in August, and closes on 2 October. It will be complemented by online consultation events in the autumn. Details of the survey can be found at:

- Workforce Development Plan (English):.

- Workforce Development Plan (Irish): .