Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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420. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); the steps he is taking to ensure access to after-school projects for all children in DEIS areas; the way he plans to support after-school projects negatively impacted by changes to the national childcare scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44542/21]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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438. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will respond to the concerns of community childcare services in the Dublin 8 area that the national childcare scheme is putting the education and well-being of nearly 500 vulnerable children in Dublin 8 and in excess of 5,000 vulnerable children across the country at risk on foot of changes to the funding structures for vital community-based after-school services introduced under the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45255/21]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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439. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if an undertaking will be given to restore adequate funding to ensure continuation of after-school services from 1 October 2021; the steps he will take to ensure access to after-school projects for all children in DEIS areas; if he will work with community services to design a sustainable and appropriate model of core after-school funding to ensure equal access to education and opportunities for all children particularly those most at risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45256/21]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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440. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if an undertaking will be given that he will meet representatives of community-based after-school services to discuss their grave concerns for the well-being of children at risk of long-term exclusion and marginalisation on foot of changes to the national childcare scheme funding structures for critically important after-school services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45257/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 438 to 440, inclusive, together.

The National Childcare Scheme provides financial support to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and to support better outcomes for children. The schemes objectives are to promote (i) a reduction in child poverty, (ii) positive child development outcomes, (iii) labour market activation and (iv) improved quality.

The NCS is designed to be highly inclusive and to meet the needs of those families who need it the most. The NCS is based on the principle of progressive universalism and has regard to the best interests of children.

By making this fundamental shift away from the legacy schemes where subsidies are grounded in medical card and social protection entitlements, and by tangibly reducing the cost of quality childcare for thousands of families, the NCS aims to improve children’s outcomes, improve labour market participation and reduce child poverty. It is a central policy component of the NCS to poverty proof and assist people in exiting the poverty trap.

Within this framework, an income-related subsidy is payable for children up to 15 years of age. The subsidy level is determined by the family’s income and the child's age. The number of hours subsidised is determined by the parent's employment or education arrangements.

Underpinned by this approach is strong evidence that shows how growing up in poverty negatively impacts on child outcomes. Taking up work or engaging in training, even a very low number of hours, is key to enabling families to break that cycle and that is what the NCS is designed to support.

The NCS does not provide grants to providers in respect of their general operation. Rather, it subsidises parents in respect of the cost of early learning and childcare, subject to confirmation that these services are being provided and used.

It is understood that some providers may experience a drop in income where a child has a parent at home who is not in work or study, and where in term time, the child will not be eligible for subsidies.

This is because the scheme is also built to ensure that families are supported to access a minimum level of early learning and childcare provision to support positive child outcomes.

Importantly, the evidence also shows that these benefits are, in most cases, realised with part-time participation.

On this basis, 20 hours are available all year round for children who have not started school, and in non-term time for school age children, regardless of whether the parents or guardians are in work or study.

They may also see increases in other areas where the NCS is supporting new families to take up places through subsidies of up to €229.50 per child per week. This should increase demand particularly as we move out of the current Covid-19 emergency measures and childcare usage reverts to a more normal level.

I absolutely understand that there will be children in exceptional circumstances for whom this is not enough.

For these children, families can avail of up to 45 hours free early learning childcare, with no work or study rule through sponsorship arrangements.

Sponsorship referrals can be made by a number of designated bodies. Already over 2,000 children have accessed these supports.

My Department is keenly aware of the importance of maintaining sustainable, progressive services and in this context work is progressing on a new funding model for the early learning and childcare sector.

This work is being led by an Expert Group, due to report later this year, who are tasked with designing mechanisms to deliver additional funding to ensure greater levels of affordability, accessibility, quality and inclusion.

The work to design the new funding model will also include recommendations for the introduction of a model that will provide specific and additional supports to services with high proportions of children who experience disadvantage.

In the interim, my Department has made supports available to services who are experiencing financial difficulty, including those who have had challenges in transitioning to the new scheme.

My Department oversees a Case Management process through City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs). CCCs and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services experiencing difficulties.

Pobal co-ordinate the overall case management process with the CCC administering on-the-ground case management assistance. This can include help with completing and interpreting analysis of staff ratios, fee setting and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.

Financial supports, which may also be accessed through the Case Management process, are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues following a financial assessment by Pobal.

Normally, financial supports are only available for community services. However, there is a COVID-19 Impact Support funding strand available in 2021, which is for both Community and Private services. The funding will be available on a rolling basis throughout 2021 for eligible ELC and SAC services that require further financial assistance in addition to current support measures available and others that may be announced throughout the year.

The CCC should be the first point of contact for any service seeking support; I would therefore urge any SAC or ELC service in difficulty to contact their local CCC as soon as possible if they have not done so already.

The National Childcare Scheme has been in place for almost 22 months, albeit very disrupted months given the Covid-19 crisis.

My Department has engaged an external consultant to review the first year of the scheme including looking at usage by socio-economically disadvantaged families and providers serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities.

This review is almost finalised and I will be considering its recommendations with a view to ensuring it meets its policy objectives and supports those most in need in the best evidence informed manner.

My Department is actively monitoring the issues raised and is committed to ensuring that the scheme functions in the best interests of families and children, that services will be supported in adjusting to this newer more progressive approach to early learning and childcare and that State investment in this sector delivers affordable, accessible, sustainable and high-quality provision.

In considering matters, I have met with a number of bodies to hear their concerns including within the area mentioned by the Deputies, as have my officials. I continue to be available to hear the issues and consider responses informed by the ongoing reviews.

With regard to the issue of afterschool interventions in DEIS areas (differentiating from School Aged Childcare funded through subsidies by my Department), all schools in DEIS receive a DEIS Grant. This year the Department of Education allocated in excess of €16m in DEIS Grant funding to 884 schools in the programme. The DEIS Grant should be utilised to attain the targets set in the school’s DEIS Action Plan across the DEIS themes. In this regard, financial resources should be targeted at the individual pupils who are considered most at risk and at addressing educational disadvantage through a focused response.

Some of the DEIS Grant may be used to meet ancillary costs such as heating, lighting and other miscellaneous charges arising from activities such as homework clubs. These costs should be linked to the DEIS themes., eg, the cost of heating and lighting for breakfast/homework clubs operated in order to promote school attendance. However, when considering expenditure of funds from the DEIS grant, schools should look to other agencies and supports to identify if there are any existing schemes or support programmes available and avoid duplication. For example, can the homework club be delivered/supported by the local School Completion Programme or other local community resources.

The School Completion Programme (SCP) provides programmes and interventions to 689 Primary and post-primary schools, the majority if which are DEIS. SCP projects may provide a range of afterschool supports, which can include homework/afterschool clubs, to children targeted for inclusion in the SCP programme across the 122 SCP projects nationally. The extent of the provision varies across the SCP projects nationally ranging from one to two days per week up to four or five days per week. The provision cannot be considered childcare and in general afterschool activities operate for 1 to 1.5 hours including homework, a snack and some fun activities. In many rural settings due to transport requirements there may be no afterschool provision and activity like this is undertaken at lunchtime. Some SCP projects may target the resource to more individualised afterschool provision.