Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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327. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason children with additional needs are only sponsored with the national childcare scheme until children turn four years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49406/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) includes a sponsorship arrangement which allows specified public bodies to refer children to the Scheme. The need for a sponsored referral is a determination for the relevant Sponsor Body and one that they make based on the particular needs of the child in line with their defined criteria – as set out in the Childcare Support Act 2018.

Given the specified age range, it is taken that the Deputy is referring to Sponsorship available through the Health Service Executive (HSE). To clarify, children eligible for financial support through the HSE Sponsorship referral route include those:

Who are aged under 4 years of age who are not enrolled in a pre-school programme funded by the Minister or the Minister for Education and who would otherwise not attend a childcare service, and;

Who are deemed to be in need of early intervention and require additional supports under the domains of child developmental needs, parental capacity and environmental factors following completion of a Child and Family Health Needs Assessment by a Public Health Nurse, and;

Where there is an identified need for childcare as an additional support to the home environment to meet child developmental needs.

The HSE criteria enable qualifying children to access early learning and care prior to their eligibility for the ECCE Programme, or equivalent.