Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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99. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the funding model for the AIM programme is tailored to the educational qualification levels of staff rather than the needs of the child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40717/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. 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:

- Level 1, which aims to embed an inclusive culture in services,includes the national inclusion policy and guidelines for ECCE, the funding of the LINC training programme in Leadership for Inclusion, the establishment of Inclusion Co-Ordinator roles in ECCE settings, and a small increase in capitation for services with qualified Inclusion Coordinators.

- Level 2involves provision of information for parents and providers on AIM, through the AIM.gov.ie website and information provided by County/City Childcare Committees.

- Level 3 recognises the requirement to continue to develop a qualified workforce that can confidently meet the needs of all children wishing to participate in the ECCE Programme. Supports include funding of training courses such as Hanen, Lámh and Sensory Processing E-Learning (SPEL).

- Level 4 addresses the needs of early years practitioners to have timely access to advice and support from experts in early years education (and disability in particular) to assist them meet each child’s needs.

- Level 5 recognises that some children require specialised equipment, appliances, assistive technology and/or that some early years settings may require minor structural alterations to ensure children with a disability can participate in the ECCE Programme. Supports include grants for equipment and some capital building works for a service.

- Level 6 provides access to therapeutic supports where they are critical to enable the child be enrolled, and fully participate, in the ECCE Programme.

- Level 7: Additional Assistance in the Pre-School Room involves additional capitation for service providers where an application process has demonstrated that supports Level 1-6 have not, or will not, by themselves, meet the child’s needs. Funding can be used by the provider to buy in additional support, or reduce the staff / child ratio, supporting the Pre-School Leader to ensure the child’s optimal participation.

The Early Years Services Regulations require that all staff who are employed by an early learning and care provider to work directly with children of pre-school age - including staff funded through AIM Level 7 funding for additional assistance - must hold, at a minimum, a major award at level 5 on the NFQ in Early Childhood Care and Education or a qualification deemed equivalent by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

The December 2016 amendment to the Regulations (S.I. no.632 of 2016) provided for exceptional cases in which an exemption from the Level 5 requirement may be made in the context of AIM. This provision allows, for example, for employment of a nurse to support a child with complex healthcare needs who requires specialised nursing support to attend the pre-school setting. Such an exemption requires specific approval from Pobal, as specified in the Quality and Regulatory Framework published by Tusla, the independent statutory regulator, and in the Funding Agreement for the ECCE pre-school programme.

The above provisions are in place to ensure that the needs of the child are central to the delivery of the supports provided by quality early learning and care services through the Access and Inclusion Model.