From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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On 19 August 2020 Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration, Roderic O'Gorman TD, announced a new programme of consultation on the future early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce and a future funding model for the sector.
In line with commitments in the First 5 strategy and commitments set out in the Programme for Government, the process to develop a Workforce Development Plan and to develop a new Funding Model commenced in 2019. Both reform initiatives will be informed by this inclusive consultation and engagement process.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, original consultation plans, which included large county level or regional gatherings of providers, practitioners and parents were cancelled. However both the Funding Model Expert Group, and the Workforce Development Plan Steering Group and Stakeholder Group, remain committed to ensuring that their work is informed by the views of parents, providers, staff and other stakeholders within the sector. To this end, a new programme of consultation has been scheduled for the coming months.
Separate calls for submissions on the Workforce Development Plan and the new Funding Model are now open. All interested parties are invited to submit to each call using the links provided below. The closing date for submissions is 2 October 2020.
Workforce Development Plan (English): Submit Here
Workforce Development Plan (Irish): Submit Here
Funding Model (English): Submit Here
Funding Model (Irish): Submit Here
A national survey of households with children under 15 also gets underway the week beginning 17 August 2020. The survey, which is being undertaken by Ipsos MRBI, seeks to identify, from the point of view of parents/guardians, the key issues to be addressed in the development of the new funding model.
A series of thematic online consultation events with providers, practitioners, parents and other key stakeholders will take place over September and October. Further information on how to register for and participate in these events will be released in the coming weeks.