Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

595. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to streamline the national childcare scheme to simplify access for parents with significant variation in their weekly fees and that avail of two separate programmes across 52 weeks of the year; his further plans to introduce a less complex system of fee calculation and reduce the additional administrative burden placed on childcare centres expected to monitor wage variation across the year, keeping a record of registration renewals and birthdays for individual children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25361/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) represents the first ever statutory entitlement to childcare in Ireland, and has streamlined the multiple targeted support schemes previously available.

In replacing the legacy schemes, the Scheme entails a fundamental shift away from subsidies grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements, and towards a comprehensive and progressive system of universal and income-based subsidies. By making this shift and by tangibly reducing the cost of quality childcare for thousands of families across Ireland, the Scheme aims to improve children's outcomes, support lifelong learning, make work pay and reduce child poverty. It is also designed to have a positive impact on gender equality in relation to labour market participation and employment opportunities.

When a subsidy award is generated under the NCS, all elements of the award are visible. It is possible to view each stage that an award will change during the year, whether from a change in the child’s education stage, or if the award will change on the child’s birthday. Childcare services do not have to calculate this throughout the year, as it is made visible at the beginning of the award. Childcare providers are therefore able to plan for the coming year and inform parents of the dates at which their co-payments will change.

The introduction of the NCS removed the administrative burden from childcare providers of applying for childcare supports on a parent’s behalf. Parents now apply to the Scheme directly, and only approach childcare providers once they have completed their application and have a CHICK to register.

I am aware of the challenges faced by providers in changing to a new scheme and a new IT system. Pobal as scheme administrator have provided comprehensive training and information resources and will continue to support providers through this change process.

In addition, my Department has also provided the NCS Transition Support Payment and the NCS Capital Grant. The Transition Support Payment was a modest one-off payment to acknowledge the increased burden which arises from transitioning to a new scheme.. Almost 3,300 providers availed of this support. In addition, the NCS Capital Grant initiative offered a capital grant to participating service providers for the purchase of qualifying ICT hardware and software to support certain administrative requirements associated with the scheme. Nearly 3,100 providers signed up to receive this grant.

My Department with Pobal are also in the process of developing a co-payment tool to assist providers in managing parental copayments. It is anticipated that this tool will be made available in Q.1 2021.

The NCS is constantly monitored for its success in meeting its objectives.

My Department has already met with a number of representative groups to identify where our systems might work better or target where further support may be required.

Pobal will also be looking to engage with users based on their experience to see where further enhancement, training or support may be required.

The scheme will be reviewed after 12 months and closely monitored thereafter to ascertain if it is meeting its stated objectives.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

596. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the significant variation in access to services will be addressed for children who were not enrolled in the national childcare scheme before November 2019 including extra supports for language and social communication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25362/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Childcare Scheme is the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare. It establishes an equitable and progressive system of universal and income-related subsidies for children up to the age of 15. It also provides an innovative and user-friendly online application process to access those subsidies.

Through all of the above, the National Childcare Scheme aims to improve children's outcomes, support lifelong learning, make work pay, reduce child poverty and tangibly reduce the cost of quality childcare for thousands of families across Ireland.

My Department is not aware of any impact from the introduction of the NCS which would affect supports for language and social communication. Such supports are entirely separate to a scheme providing for subsidised childcare. I understand that the Deputy is referring to NCS sponsor arrangements with the HSE

The NCS makes special arrangements for vulnerable children and families, the HSE is a designated statutory body and may make referrals for childcare support under the NCS.

The need for a referral is a determination for the relevant Sponsor Body and one they make based on the particular need of the child in line with their defined criteria.

The HSE under the NCS can sponsor a child

- under the age of 4 and who is not enrolled in a pre-school programme funded by the Minister or the Minister for Education and Skills and who would otherwise not attend a childcare service

- where a Child and Family Health Needs Assessment has been done by a Public Health Nurse and this has deemed the child to be in need of early intervention and require additional supports under child developmental needs, parental capacity and environmental factors, and

- where there is an identified need for childcare as an additional support to the home environment to meet the child developmental needs.

The criteria above were designed to be broad to allow a PHN to put forward vulnerable children in need of additional supports for sponsorship under the NCS. These criteria have been set by the HSE. There is no definition of ‘extreme vulnerability" in the criteria. However a child must be deemed eligible by the Sponsor Body.

I have asked my officials to contact the HSE and raise this issue with them. if you would like to give my Department the specific information on this case, my officials will ask the HSE to follow up with the PHN in question directly.

It is ultimately a matter for the HSE who they sponsor onto the NCS but my Department will follow up with the HSE to ensure they are aware of the case.