Response to previous article: Cynthia Ní Mhurchú’s call on Minister risks delaying essential plan

I am writing in response to the article titled “Ireland South MEP candidate says new regulations risk putting childminders out of business“, published on May 27….

While we have already contacted Member of European Parliament (MEP) candidate Cynthia Ní Mhurchú directly, we feel it is important to share our concerns with your readers as well.

As the leading membership and advocacy organisation in the Early Years and School Age Care sector, Early Childhood Ireland was very surprised to see this commentary, especially as the draft regulations of this essential Early Years and School Age Care service have been worked on, in consultation with childminders, for the last two years.

Childminding plays a significant role in the provision of Early Years and School Age Care. It is often a nurturing environment for children, a home-from-home, where the child is treated as one of the family. Approximately 52,000 children in Ireland are being looked after by an estimated 13,000 childminders. Despite these significant figures, fewer than 1% of childminders are registered with the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. Childminding is almost entirely unregulated in Ireland. This is not good for children, families or childminders.

The introduction of childminding-specific regulations is not new. Regulating childminding is a Government commitment in the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 and it is also in the Government strategy for young children, First 5. The draft regulations are the result of extensive consultation with childminders and were recently put out for a 12-week public consultation.

Regulation is necessary. It is difficult to evaluate the safety and quality of Childminding provision for children when it is a largely unregulated and unregistered service. It is also difficult to develop the quality of Childminding services, including the child safeguarding and pedagogical practice of childminders, and to provide support to children with additional needs in their settings when childminders are unregistered and are unknown to statutory and voluntary organisations.

Bringing childminders within the regulated Early Years and School Age Care sector will ensure better child safeguarding through mandatory Garda vetting; it will introduce adequate standards of safety and numbers of children; and it will provide reassurance to families who use registered childminders. It will also provide a level playing field for all registered childminders and will allow families to avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy towards the cost of their children’s care.

Children have waited long enough for these regulations and MEP Candidate Cynthia Ní Mhurchú’s call on the Minister “to sit down again” with childminders risks delaying the implementation of this essential step in the path to a fit-for-purpose Early Years and School Age system in Ireland.

Early Childhood Ireland welcomes the draft childminding-specific regulations, as noted in our recent submission to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth’s public consultation. We strongly believe that these regulations will benefit children by improving quality and safeguarding measures in childminding settings.

References:
CSO 2022 Census figures

National Action Plan for Childminding – Steering Group – Meeting 10 (Q2 2023) – Minutes

CSO 2022 Census figures

National Action Plan for Childminding – Steering Group – Meeting 10 (Q2 2023) – Minutes