2026-06-23

14. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the review of the childminding regulations will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47407/26]

I also want to raise with the Minister the issue of the childminding regulations. I understand that the review of the regulations is imminent. We need to ensure that we get the regulations right. That is what we all want. It is very much what childminders want. Can the Minister provide further information on when the review will take place?

The Deputy has raised this matter consistently. I am very happy to confirm that the review of the initial implementation of the childminding regulations, which will be managed by an external company, launched on Friday of last week with an open call for submissions. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders and will provide an important opportunity to learn lessons from initial experiences with the regulations. In addition to hearing from childminders who have not yet registered, it is important that the review adequately captures and benefits from the experiences of those who have registered and been through the registration process and who have operated under the new regulations. A consultation survey will follow the call for submissions, in addition to focus groups, stakeholder interviews and case studies. This is the initial step where there is a general call for submissions. When that closes, further work that will involve stakeholder interviews, case studies, focus groups and a survey will be done. The scope of the review is broader than initially outlined in the national action plan for childminding and will now examine the effectiveness of supports made available to assist with the registration of childminders, as well as the barriers to registration and regulatory compliance, including financial and information barriers. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. A key objective of the national action plan is to enable parents who use childminders to also benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the national childcare scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered childminders are eligible to participate in the scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. Childminders acknowledge that too.

I thank the Minister. I cannot believe after all of my questions on this, the review began on Friday and I did not even realise. I thank the Minister for that important information.

No worries.

Obviously, I will follow up on that tomorrow. It is very clear that there is an issue when you look at the number of childminders who have registered with Tusla. It should be of concern to all of us and that is why this review is so important. I do not know if the Minister has up to date figures. The most recent figure was, perhaps, 160. The Minister can correct me if I am wrong. Based on that figure, the review is important but it is really important there is some level of a communication campaign with clear information on exactly what the regulations look like and what they will mean. There is confusion and we need greater clarity, particularly clarity on the inspection. That is really what many, not all, childminders fear. Any of us would be concerned about a stranger coming into our homes. I ask for that to be looked at.

I agree with the Deputy. It is a cause for concern. It is for that reason I wanted to move it to the earliest point possible, accepting the Deputy has articulated that also. We are in a three-year transitioned period up to September 2027. The numbers are low. The exact figure is fewer than 200. The Deputy is right in that there is a body of work to be done. I want this to work for childminders. They are a really important element of service provision, along with all the other elements of service that are out there. We will have a great opportunity to hear from those who have gone through the process, but also from those who have not gone through the process on why they have not and what the issues might be. I am really encouraging them to have their say and to participate in the review, either in the open call initially or through the stakeholder engagement, the case study, the online surveys or whatever the case may be. In the interim, if there are childminders who have specific questions, I ask them to engage with the city and county childcare committees. There is a designated person in each of the city and county childcare committees charged with the responsibility of supporting childminders.

This is certainly an issue on which we are all very much in agreement, not least because we desperately need to retain the childminders we have and we need more of them. We have heard anecdotally, particularly through the media, about childminders who have decided to end providing that much-needed service. The Minister and I know the greater level of flexibility, particularly in rural areas, it provides over an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. formal childcare setting. That is really important, particularly in rural areas where there may not be that level of capacity or formal childcare settings and, therefore, childminders become part of the family and such a significant part of a child's life. That is why it is special and we should seek to retain these childminders in as many numbers as we can. How wide is the open call for submissions going to be? How are we going to ensure that every single childminder in the State knows that it is happening and knows they have a way to have their say?

That call has been open since last Friday and will remain so until 20 July. There will be strong communication through the city and county childcare committees and we will do all that we can. To be clear, we are going to afford a number of different opportunities for engagement. This is the first. There will be focus groups, stakeholder engagement, online surveys and lots of other opportunities. We want the maximum engagement. To reiterate, we are really keen that parents who avail of childminders will ultimately have an opportunity to benefit from the national childcare scheme as well. That would be a huge help to parents. Therefore, we need to have the childminders registered. They have nothing to be afraid of. They are providing an excellent service. They are rooted in the community. They are much loved, as the Deputy outlined, by the children who use the service and by the families. They are a very important additional element to the offering that is out there. I ask people to engage in this process.