Clarification sought on new childcare regulations

There’s been a call for clarification on proposed new regulations for childminders who provide services in the home.

Cllr Paddy McDonald (SF) led the call at this month’s meeting of Cavan County Council when he received unanimous support for the motion.

He told those gathered - the last meeting before the Local Elections on June 7 - that the service childminders provide “is very different from other forms of childcare”.

The Childminding Action Plan addresses self-employed childminders who work in their own homes and who are comparable to centre-based providers in offering a service that may be open to the public. It also includes an action to develop information and training resources regarding the use of nannies and au pairs.

“Home based care offers the same experience and flexibility of family life and allows over 53,000 children to grow and develop in a homely setting,” Cllr McDonald continued.

“There is huge concern and opposition to the new draft regulations among childminders,” he said explaining that childminders believe that the Child Care Act 1991, as it applies to early years’ service, was written for centre-based childcare and is not appropriate for those minded in a home setting.

“Childminders feel that the draft regulations are a copy and paste of existing centre-based regulations and do not reflect or recognise their ‘home from home’ care settings. Childminders believe that the new regulatory structures and the accompanying administrative requirements will drive many childminders out of childminding,” said the Bailieborough representative.

Cllr McDonald went on to say that, if the State continues in this vein, “it will regulate the sector out of existence”.

Cllr Patricia Walsh (FF) said “as someone involved in childcare for the last 25 years, it was the first caring setup outside of the home for a child to experience”.

“Childcare workers don’t get enough acknowledgement for the work they do,” she added.

Cllr John Paul Feeley (FF) suggested the local authority write to the Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, about the matter. There was unanimous agreement to the suggestion.