Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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394. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department will be in a position to aid a family resource centre (details supplied) with providing childcare for service users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60335/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Core Funding, which began in September 2022, is the new funding stream worth €259 million in full year costs. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents, and ensure a stable income to providers.

Core Funding is designed to support a range of objectives, including supporting the new minimum rates of pay for workers as determined by the Employment Regulation Orders (EROs), as well as supporting career pathways and graduate employment.

Core Funding enables providers to better attract and retain staff, including degree-qualified staff; establish career structures; and introduce or improve other factors that contribute to high-quality early learning and childcare.

In addition to financial support provided through Core Funding, my Department offers one to one support to services which may have operational difficulties through a Case Management Process. My Department oversees this process, through which local City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to early learning and childcare services experiencing difficulties. CCCs administer on-the-ground case management assistance, coordinated by Pobal. This can include help with completing and interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances. In some instances, financial supports may be appropriate, in tandem with the case management process.

Services that have any questions or that may be experiencing difficulty are encouraged to contact their CCC for support and guidance.