Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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750. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason a fully qualified special needs assistant (level 7) must gain a qualification (details supplied); if there could be any flexibility given the recruitment and retention crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25257/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, all staff working directly with children in a pre-school service must hold at least a Level 5 major award in early childhood care and education on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification that has been deemed to be equivalent.

This regulation ensures that all staff have a solid foundation in child development, early childhood education, child health and welfare, and practical experience through supervised practicum placements which, in turn, helps to create a consistent and high-quality early learning environment for children in services nationally.

My Department has published a list of qualifications that meet the regulatory requirements for working in Early Learning Care in Ireland which are automatically approved for their respective recognised qualification level.

There are currently no SNA specific qualification or award standards for the SNA curriculum and therefore, SNA qualifications cannot be automatically assumed to cover the appropriate subject matter required to meet the qualification requirements for early learning and care.

However non-early learning and care specific qualifications may be recognised as meeting the minimum qualification requirements, through the Department's qualification recognition process.

If a potential staff member has a qualification that they believe contains the subject areas mentioned above but cannot find their qualification on the Departments list of automatically approved qualifications, the individual can submit their qualification for assessment to the Department. Applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the holder of the qualification has completed studies which include the following three core areas, as part of their childcare qualification:

• Child Development 0-6 years.
• Early Childhood Education - Theory and Practice.
• Child Health and Welfare 0-6 years.