Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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824. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the operational requirements for childcare providers under the National Care Scheme in relation to the tracking of funder hours, particularly in cases where a child is occasionally collected earlier than their approved hours; if she will clarify how childcare providers are expected to monitor and record daily attendance in line with NCS funded hours; if allowances or flexibility are provided for parents who collect their children slightly earlier than scheduled on an occasional basis due to changes in work commitments; and if the NCS applies a reasonable margin of discretion before raising concerns or taking action where actual attendance differs slightly from the approved hours. [39315/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Many families avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) as a way to reduce the cost of their early learning and childcare. NCS subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, along with a maximum number of weekly hours that the subsidy will be paid for. It is between the parent and provider to agree on the hours of childcare based on the family's requirements and what sessions the provider can offer.

As a condition of the scheme, providers are required to maintain an attendance record for each child in the service and provide this record for inspection on request. The attendance record must show the time the child entered and left the service. It is important that these records are maintained both to ensure that Exchequer funding is being used for times the child is actually in care, and as a child safeguarding measure.

This said, the rules of the Scheme are designed to be very flexible and an under-attendance report does not mean that action is immediately taken. In fact, parents can under-attend services for a consecutive 12 weeks before action is taken. We recognise that there are many reasons why a child’s attendance may be occasionally less than their agreed hours. For instance, as the question details, a parent may be able to collect their child earlier than usual because of changes in their work pattern. It is only if continual under-attendance is recorded for a consecutive 12 weeks that the award will be revised to reflect the child’s actual hours.

In full detail, if a child attends fewer than their agreed hours for a consecutive 8 week period, the provider must notify the scheme administrator and a warning will issue to the parent alerting them to the situation. At this point, if the child attends their agreed hours for a full week after this warning is issued, then no further action is taken. However, if the under-attendance continues for a further four consecutive weeks, the number of subsidised hours awarded under the Scheme will be revised to reflect the average number of hours that were actually attended by the child over the previous 12-week period.

Please note that the accurate recording of a child’s attendance is a core obligation under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 for early years providers and is one of the conditions set out in the funding agreement. This is to enable the providers monitor and identify persistent underattendance.