Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

422. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will review correspondence in relation to after-school services (details supplied); his plans to protect this vital service in Castleblayney, County Monaghan going forward; if his attention has been drawn to this matter; and the action that is being taken to support this service. [56011/21]

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

My Department provides specialist support for children with additional needs in early learning and care services through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). AIM is a programme of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access and meaningfully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school programme.

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a needs-based model and, as such, does not require a formal diagnosis of disability. It should be noted that a formal diagnosis of disability does not guarantee additional supports under AIM, as it may be found that existing supports are sufficient to ensure a child’s meaningful participation in the ECCE programme. Eligibility for AIM supports depends on the ECCE Programme rules and the AIM Policy Rules 2020/2021. The latter is available at: aim.gov.ie/app/uploads/2021/08/AIM-rules-2021_2022-FINAL-3.pdf

AIM level 7 support provides additional funding to pre-schools who have a child requiring extra support. Providers can use this funding either to reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting. In its current form, the targeted supports within AIM are exclusively tied to the ECCE pre-school programme, and so targeted supports are not available in after-school settings. Some of the universal supports within AIM, however, such as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training, may benefit all children attending services that take part, which include some services that offer both early learning and care and school-age childcare.

First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, commits to consider enhancements to, or extension of AIM, following completion of the evaluation of AIM. Such an extension might involve younger children, longer hours of availability of targeted supports, children with additional needs other than a disability, or children attending school-age childcare services. Any decisions on extension or reform of AIM will be informed by the findings of the end-of-year-three evaluation of AIM, which is currently underway, with the final report due to be published in February 2022.

Budget 2022 has ensured an additional €78 million for early learning and childcare, which will support my Department to introduce a range of new measures in 2022. Among these measures are reforms to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS). Specifically, in 2022, the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from the entitlement to NCS subsidised hours will be discontinued. This will benefit an estimated 5,000 children from low income families. Moreover, the NCS universal subsidy – of up to €1,170 per child per annum – will be extended to all children under 15, benefitting up to 40,000 children. Currently, this universal subsidy is available to children before they start the ECCE programme.

Budget 2022 will also allow my Department to introduce a new core funding stream from September 2022. This core funding stream – which has an estimated cost of €69 million in 2022 and €206.5 million in a full year – will be a payment directly to early learning and care and school-age childcare providers who sign up to participate, enabling services to better attract and retain staff, including degree-qualified staff; establish career structures; and introduce or improve other factors that contribute to high-quality provision, such as non-contact time, planning, training and curriculum implementation. In return for this investment, a commitment will be sought from providers not to increase parents’ fees.

In the course of these Budget negotiations, I also secured the continuation of the exemption to the turnover rule for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) for early learning and childcare employers and this support will remain in place until April 2022.

A one off Transition Fund of up to €37million will be established by my Department to cover the period leading up to the introduction of the new funding stream (i.e. May-August 2022) that will provide the necessary resources to support early learning and care and school-age childcare services to ensure there continues to be no increases in parent’s fees.

In addition to this, the 12 month review of the NCS, which I initiated in accordance with Childcare Support Act 2018, is close to completion and a report of the findings will be published shortly. I have asked my officials to accompany this report with further steps that can be taken to address any issues identified in the course of this Review – some of which are outlined in your correspondence – to ensure the NCS meets its stated policy objectives and functions in the best interests of families and children.