Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1169. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the access-and-inclusion model payments will be reviewed for September 2022 in line with the employment regulation order given that currently there is a shortfall in funding per-AIM support worker that is subsidised by the provider; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29143/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high quality early learning and care.

Where AIM Level 7 support is granted, additional capitation is provided to the pre-school service to either reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the pre-school room from approximately 1:11 to 1:8 or to buy in additional assistance. Level 7 is not a 1:1 support (nor is it an SNA support) but it is a shared resource with other children to facilitate optimal participation for the child who has additional needs.

When AIM was introduced in 2016, the maximum weekly AIM Level 7 capitation rate was €195 (equivalent to approximately 3 ECCE places at the standard ECCE capitation rate at the time). The maximum weekly AIM Level 7 capitation rate was increased to €240 in 2021 to align with an increase in the ECCE capitation rate in 2018.

From September 2022, Core Funding will be rolled out. Core Funding will, among other objectives, support providers to meet the requirements of any Employment Regulation Orders that result from the work of the Joint Labour Commission (JLC). It is understood that the JLC is continuing to meet, with a view to agreeing proposals.

Core Funding will provide additional funding to the overwhelming majority of providers delivering the ECCE programme, as well as providers more broadly. My Department is currently reviewing the AIM Level 7 capitation rate in light of this, with a view to maintaining the level of funding that is sufficient to achieve its policy objectives.