Early Childhood Care and Education

I want to raise an important issue in Mayo. It pertains to Ros na Réaltóg, which is a wonderful and outstanding service. It is a forest school built around the outdoors, sensory activities and the learning environment. Above all else, it is a school that prioritises and looks after children with additional needs. We need this. It is a valuable service. Its provider, Mrs. Róisín Geddes, is a registered primary school teacher. She has qualifications in psychology and child protection. She has a wonderful track record in supporting children with additional needs. Indeed, it has been reported widely that a former politician from the Minister of State's own party supported this initiative in its infancy. However, this forest school, Ros na Réaltóg, is no longer in operation today. This has caused enormous frustration, hurt and great difficulty to many families, particularly the families of children with additional needs. There is a blockage in what is happening. I am asking the Minister of State responsible to intervene. This service is too important. I have worked diligently and proactively on this. I have contacted Tusla. Tusla has outlined pathways in terms of mediation. I have contacted an independent body, Mayo County Council's childcare committee, which also offered mediation. Unfortunately, that has not happened. I have reviewed documentation, including notes from board of management meetings on this matter. I am not satisfied that all is being done to keep this school in operation. This is a wonderful place where the provider has spent many valuable hours with her and her family building the resources and a forest school in what was basically a field. I have heard the Minister of State and the Government speak about children with disabilities. There is a school here that was in operation. Róisín is a wonderful provider. I am asking the Minister of State to intervene here and engage with the agencies, whether Tusla or any other agency she feels fit, sit down with all parties and find a resolution. This is too important to let go. If a resolution cannot be found within the individual school, I am asking her, and pleading on behalf of all of the families, to sit down with Róisín and the families and identify an alternative location for this school. A total of 43,000 children are on waiting lists for childcare and preschool facilities. Here is a provider who is outstanding and with a wonderful facility. There is a sensory garden and it is a forest school for children with disabilities. It is effectively being allowed to close. I have asked many questions about this and contacted many agencies, but what I am getting back is silence. It is not good enough on behalf of all of the children who have excelled as a result of this experience.

I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has asked me to take the Deputy's Topical Issue on her behalf. She has asked me to thank Deputy Lawless for raising this important issue. It was lovely to hear the Deputy speak of Ros na Réaltóg Forest Preschool and explain exactly what it was about. It sounds like it has a lovely ethos, as well as a fantastic service. As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality does not directly operate or manage early learning and care or childcare services. The Deputy knows from the owner that this service is operated privately. I understand that it is located on school grounds and the issue relates to the provider and that school's board of management. Policy responsibility for the use of school buildings lies with the Department of Education and Youth. In 2024, that Department published procedures on the use of school property and school sports facilities outside of school hours. Notwithstanding the above, Mayo county childcare committee has made contact with the provider - it is good to hear that the Deputy is in contact with Mayo county childcare committee on this as well - and the school board of management. I understand that the committee continues to be available to offer support to both the provider and the board of management. I understand that it has also been engaging with the parents of the children affected by the closure and that many children have been accommodated by other services in the area. This includes children benefiting from the access and inclusion model, AIM, whereby the new service and parents submit an AIM application together if the children have changed service. The Mayo county childcare committee is on hand to assist parents in locating a new service. In these situations, the Better Start team will endeavour to process applications as soon as possible. Better Start is hosted by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. It provides a range of supports for quality and inclusion in early learning and childcare settings. If the service would like to relocate to a new premises, this is where it would have to apply for a change of circumstances with Tusla. The Deputy referred to the Tusla early years inspectorate. It was interesting in the Deputy's contribution, if I picked him up right, that he said Tusla had offered mediation services. I am certainly happy to provide that information to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and ask that it be continued and highlighted. If the service wishes to relocate, the Tusla early years inspectorate will request relevant statutory documentation that evidences the purposed building is safe and secure for children in the new setting. That includes things like a fire safety certificate, building regulations and, of course, the early childhood care and education, ECCE, regulations and any other documentation required under current legislation. A fit-for-purpose inspection is also required once all relevant documents have been received. Timeframes for changing circumstance applications are set out in the early years services Act and in specific regulations around it whereby 60 days advance notice is required where there are changes to a preschool service. That is to allow sufficient time to ensure that all providers meet the relevant statutory requirements to ensure the safety, quality and support of children in their settings. I thank the Deputy for his work on this. It sounds like the Mayo county childcare committee and Tusla have been involved in this situation. I hope that that helps to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion.

I am asking the Minister of State a simple question, if she could put down the script for a moment. With respect, there is no alternative venue on the table tomorrow or next week. That must be said. I am very happy to work with the Minister of State and the provider to try to find another contingency plan but that cannot happen overnight. There are so many children and families struggling today, we need to find a contingency for them. As the Minister of State knows, that cannot be done overnight. I am not asking her to adjudicate on this issue. I am simply asking for her Department to intervene. We have been kicked from pillar to post in terms of different agencies. The Minister of State mentioned the childcare committee, Pobal and Tusla, all of which I have engaged with. I ask that the Department intervene and sit around the table with the provider, Róisín, and the board of management in the school to try to find a suitable solution, whether that be in the school or elsewhere. I do not believe it is good enough that we talk about children with disabilities, all this funding and so on when here we have a provider and a facility that has been built over many years and is effectively being allowed to close overnight without any contingency and every agency is basically shrugging its shoulders. It is not good enough. The Minister of State is responsible, so all I am asking her to do is engage with her departmental officials so that they sit down with me, the provider and the board of management. Let us find a solution together.

I can certainly put down the script that was provided by the Minister, Deputy Foley, but it is important that the Minister's response on this be put on the record of the Dáil and provided to the Deputy. I thought it would be helpful to provide that to him, but it is no problem if he does not want that. Tusla and the childcare committee engaging is where the nub of this is. That needs to continue. The Deputy mentioned that he had secured offers of mediation. My experience is that mediation only works if all parties agree to come to the table. Perhaps the Deputy could outline whether there was agreement on that locally. If there is, then I do not see any issue as to whether mediation should not proceed. If there is not, perhaps the Deputy could give details as to why and then we can figure out if we can support or intervene in a further way. However, Tusla and the Mayo county childcare committee are the bodies that can help. I am really encouraged that they are offering to do that. We need to make sure that we can support them in any way possible to get a resolution.