Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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152. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when details of the nurturing skills package for the early childhood care and education sector will be released. [25320/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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On 7December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028. Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC).

Early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders play a key role in supporting children’s development and well-being, working in partnership with families. Recognising their central importance for the quality of provision, Nurturing Skills aims to support the professional development of the workforce and raise the profile of careers in the sector.

Nurturing Skills sets out actions to achieve workforce commitments in First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, including:

Achieving a graduate-led workforce in ELC by 2028, with new financial supports to assist Early Years Educators to study while continuing to work in the sector;

Supporting School-Age Childcare Practitioners to meet new qualification requirements that willbe introduced incrementally over the coming years;

Development of a career framework and strengthening career pathways, including new supports for leadership development;

Building a national infrastructure for Continuing Professional Development for the sector; and

Supporting staff recruitment, retention and diversity in the workforce.

A comprehensive implementation plan was developed as part of the drafting of Nurturing Skills which covers the first phase of implementation from 2022-2024. A Monitoring Committee is being established with the task of monitoring the implementation of this plan.

In Budget 2022, I announced a new Core Funding stream which will provide an additional €69m of funding in 2022 and is equivalent to more than €207 million in a full year. Core Funding is expected, among other objectives, to support the delivery of Nurturing Skills through supporting the employment of graduate staff and through supporting an Employment Regulation Order that may arise from the Joint Labour Committee for Early Years Services, improving workforce recruitment and retention through improvement in pay and conditions.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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153. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a new FAQ document on core funding in the early childhood care and education sector will be released. [25321/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Core Funding was first announced in the context of Budget 2022 in October of last year. Initial information about the scheme was made available as part of the Budget FAQ: at www.gov.ie/en/publication/b3e97-budget-2022-overview-and-faqs-for-early-learning-and-care-elc-and-school-age-childcare-sac-providers-and-parents/.

This was followed in December with the publication of the report of an Expert Group, Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare. The report sets out extensive detail for the rationale for the introduction of Core Funding along with specific recommendations for implementation which have been accepted by Government. The report is available here:

Extensive information was communicated to the sector on 7th March, including detail on the way in which Core Funding will be allocated to individual services. A Ready Reckoner was also launched to assist providers in estimating the potential value of Core Funding for their individual service, as well as to test different scenarios. A detailed FAQ was published at this time which is available here: earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/how-to-guides/faqs/faq-rr/DCEDIY-FAQ-for-Ready-Reckoner.pdf.

In response to a number of queries received by my Department, officials have produced public information relating to Core Funding for the whole sector. This information was published on 14th April at www.first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/core-funding/and addresses many of the frequently asked questions around Core Funding and the New Funding Model.

The Core Funding contract will be published in June so applicants can review what they will later be asked to sign in August. The application form will also be available in June along with a new FAQ. Payments to providers will commence at the end of August.

The new funding model being implemented aims to transform the sector to one that is increasingly publicly funded and publicly managed, delivering a service for the public good, through a partnership between the State and providers, to the benefit of children, parents, practitioners, and society overall.

This transformation starts with Core Funding and the new approach will entail a shift in the relationship between the State and providers in relation to delivering ELC and SAC, with new responsibilities on both sides. Core Funding is open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding.

It is my ambition that the maximum number providers choose to participate in this partnership to deliver ELC and SAC for the public good and come into contract for Core Funding. Core Funding however is optional for providers.

I look forward to working together in partnership with providers to deliver ELC and SAC services for the public good.