Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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479. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures that will be put in place for those families who employ in-house childminders in the context of the reduction in the costs of children announced in budget 2023. [48400/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 sets out a plan for extending State support and regulation to childminding on a phased basis over the coming years, with accelerated access to subsidies for childminders through the National Childcare Scheme. The overall objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to improve access to high quality and affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare through childminding.

To do this, the Action Plan sets out an incremental and supportive pathway to regulation. This will enable more childminders to access Government subsidies, making their services more affordable to parents. It will also enable them to access a variety of supports to assist them in meeting regulatory and quality requirements. In achieving this overall objective, the Action Plan will contribute to the aims of supporting parental choice, and increasing access to affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare places. It will help support labour market participation for parents, and offer more flexibility for parents who work irregular hours. It will help improve the quality of provision, supporting child outcomes, and provide greater recognition and support for childminders.

A programme of actions is already under way during Phase 1 of the National Action Plan for Childminding to support childminders to come into the scope of regulation and supports. Actions under way include the development of new, childminder-specific regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home environment in which childminders work, as well as the development of new, bespoke training for childminders.

The National Action Plan for Childminding commits to opening the National Childcare Scheme to childminders at the earliest possible opportunity, though it will be necessary first to develop and introduce childminder-specific regulations, and to give childminders adequate time and support to meet regulatory requirements.

In scope, the Action Plan mainly addresses self-employed childminders who work in their own home. The Action Plan is not primarily concerned with nannies or au pairs, who are employees of a child’s parents / guardians. The Action Plan does, however, include an action to develop information and training resources in relation to the use of nannies and au pairs.