5.107 Padraig O'sullivan TD to Ask the Minister for Children and Youth

5.107 Padraig O'Sullivan TD

To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs what provisions are being made by her Department to assist in the provision of childcare for frontline workers who are providing essential services to the public and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The Deputy is aware that the Covid-19 Pandemic has created major challenges for Ireland. The sudden closure of centre-based Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services on 12 March 2020 was an unexpected but necessary move to safeguard public health in Ireland.

The Deputy may also be aware that on 7 May, I announced new emergency measures to support essential health workers who are having difficulty meeting their ELC and SAC needs. This forms part of Phase 1 of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. It is scheduled for commencement on 18 May, subject to further NPHET advice and a Government decision later this week on whether restrictions can start to be eased.

The service will be a temporary one and is limited to parents / guardians defined as essential health workers during the Covid-19 emergency.

The delivery of ELC and SAC services to this group follows Government plans to lift restrictions gradually and in line with public health advice and recommendations. The scheme is designed as an outreach model and as such offers the greatest public health protection for children, their families and the ELC and SAC practitioners who will offer this new service.

Existing, registered ELC and SAC services have been asked to consider signing up for the service and opening as an outreach hub. Childcare practitioners have been asked to support essential health workers by offering services in those workers’ homes, whilst remaining under the management and supervision of their employer.

Early this week (week beginning 11 May), eligible health workers will be able to apply, with the assistance of their Human Resource Manager, for the service and to indicate their childcare needs and preferences.

In these difficult and unprecedented times, we are all being asked to play our part and my Department and I are grateful that, with the assistance of the early learning and care school age childcare sector, we have been able to develop this scheme to assist our colleagues in the health sector as they perform their critical work.

5.214 Jim O’Callaghan T.D.

To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs what measures her Department has taken to increase the domestic refuge capacity during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

5.216 Jim O’Callaghan T.D. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs what safety procedures have been put in place to protect staff and victims in communal domestic violence refuges; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The response to Domestic, Sexual Violence and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice and Equality (DJE). Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is providing Tusla with €25.3m this year for almost 60 organisations that deliver services for these victims. This includes funding and coordinated supports for 22 services that provide emergency refuge and non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence.

Tusla has indicated that maintaining essential DSGBV services in accordance with public health advice from the Chief Medical Officer, the National Public Health Emergency Team and the Health Service Executive (HSE) is one of its key priorities. Tusla reports that it has allocated an additional €200,000 to service providers to support continuity of business and essential service provision related to COVID-19 including additional accommodation; staffing capacity and ICT to enable remote working.

Tusla has advised that there is currently reduced capacity within some refuges, due to requirements to enforce social distancing or self-isolation measures where communal facilities may exist. As facilities, accommodation and arrangements are specific to each service, Tusla has been working with individual organisations to address any challenges arising in maintaining essential service provision. To mitigate the impact of social distancing and isolation measures, an additional 46 refuge and non-refuge accommodation units for service users have been secured in the community, through the efforts of local services with support from Tusla. Tusla has advised that a number of services also have access to additional spaces on an ‘as needed’ basis. Discussion is underway with regard to a potential additional 14 accommodation units that could be provided for victims of domestic violence seeking refuge. Tusla continues to explore further options for additional contingency plans with regard to the provision of safe accommodation for victims of domestic violence during the current public health emergency.

Tusla has prioritised emergency refuge accommodation services in its allocation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the supplies currently available to the Agency. A number of services have also introduced Perspex screens to enable the resumption of face to face supports for women in refuges. A direct pathway has been established for the distribution of PPE to refuges, with the issuance of weekly supplies of PPE. There have also been instances of Tusla supporting local services with access to additional PPE where shortfalls have occurred, including engagements with local HSE management to access further supplies. Both the Department and Tusla recognise that due to the considerable national demand for PPE across many sectors, equipment may not always be readily available when necessary. Tusla continues to work with its partners to access sufficient levels of PPE for all services to function as required. 5.250 Anne Rabbitte TD

To ask the Ministers for Children and Youth Affairs to outline the details of employment conditions of early years workers providing early years care and education to the children of frontline staff, who their employer will be, who will cover their insurance under any proposed initiative and what implications have been considered by the government in this regard, and if s/he will make a statement on the matter.

The Deputy is aware that the COVID-19 Pandemic has created major challenges for Ireland. The sudden closure of centre-based Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services on 12 March 2020 was an unexpected but necessary move to safeguard public health in Ireland.

The Deputy will also be aware that on 7 May, I announced new, emergency measures to support essential health workers who are having difficulty meeting their ELC and SAC needs. This forms part of Phase 1 of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.

The service will be limited to parents / guardians defined as essential health workers during the Covid- 19 emergency.

The delivery of ELC and SAC services to this group follows Government plans to lift restrictions gradually and in line with public health advice and recommendations. The scheme is designed to protect children, their families and the childcare practitioners who will offer this new service.

Existing, registered ELC and SAC services have been asked to consider signing up for the service and opening as an outreach hub. They have been asked to support essential health workers by offering services in those families’ homes. The registered services will remain as the employer of practitioners who volunteer to participate in this scheme.

The provision of ELC and SAC services under this initiative is planned to be available from 18 May, as part of Phase 1 of the easing of restrictions currently scheduled to begin on that day. This is subject to further NPHET advice and a Government decision on whether to proceed with May 18 easing of restrictions later this week.

All services that participate in this initiative will be supported to follow HSE guidance related to COVID- 19. Information packs containing essential information and supports have been made available to them. Staff will remain under the management and supervision of their original employer.

In relation to insurance cover for childcare providers volunteering to participate in the scheme, the Deputy is aware that childcare providers are private sector operators, 75% of which are private companies or sole traders, with 25% being community based services. My Department funds childcare delivery through these providers, but the providers and their staff are not public sector staff. Insurance for childcare providers is provided by a small number of commercial underwriters and brokers.

Allianz, the largest underwriter in the sector, is supporting the outreach childcare scheme by agreeing to provide insurance policy amendments to its clients, which will enable them and their staff to take part in the outreach scheme. The DCYA welcomes the decision of Allianz to cover this outreach model which limits the risk of cross infection to children, families and workers.

With regard to Allianz’s decision not to provide coverage for Covid-19 related claims, this is a commercial matter for them as an underwriter. I understand that the insurability of Covid-19 related claims is an issue which has been raised in a number of sectors. Childcare providers have been advised to contact their insurance broker if they wish to apply to to deliver outreach childcare under the scheme.

With regard to the terms and conditions of staff, the funding package for this measure enables providers make an average payment of €15 per hour, per childcare staff that participate, for up to 45 hours per week. Given the emergency and temporary nature of the scheme, this is a flat rate and is intended to cover a service over weekend, extended hours etc.. The funding package also includes an overhead for providers to cover employer PRSI and leave requirements, as well as their time in , for example, managing staff and answering parental queries.

In these difficult and unprecedented times, we are all being asked to play our part and my Department and I are grateful, that with the assistance of the early learning and care and school-age childcare sector, we have been able to develop a scheme to help our colleagues in the health sector as they perform their critical work.

5.251 Anne Rabbitte TD

To ask the Ministers for Children and Youth Affairs to provide details of the considerations given to the potential of early years workers and the children in their charge to potentially be exposed to Covid-19 through the provision of care, the steps that will be taken to minimise this risk, and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The service will be a temporary one and is limited to parents / guardians defined as essential health workers during the Covid-19 emergency. The delivery of ELC and SAC services to this group follows Government plans to lift restrictions gradually and in line with public health advice and recommendations. The scheme is designed as an outreach model and as such offers the greatest public health protection for children, their families and the ELC and SAC practitioners who will offer this new service. The outreach model limits the risk of virus transmission between the childcare worker and one family unit only. A centre based model would have many multiples of this.

All services that participate in this initiative will be supported to follow HSE guidance related to Covid- 19. Information packs containing essential information and supports have been made available to them. These will assist childcare practitioners who already have high levels of training and awareness re infection control. In addition, the essential workers they will be working for will be taking very active measures to avoid taking the virus home to their loved ones, and to the childcare practitioner.

DCYA is now planning for further phases of reopening from late June which are centre / crèche based. DCYA will be accessing further public health advice in this regard. It is also establishing a group with the sector to plan how the re-opening can occur in a way that protects children, family and staff, as well as meeting capacity, affordability and sustainability requirements.

5.449 Brendan Smith TD

To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the measures she will implement to ensure an adequate supply of childcare places from September 2020 in view of the concerns she expressed about the loss of such places during this pandemic and if she will make a statement on the matter.

I am acutely aware of the particular impact the pandemic and the emergency measures have had on the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers. I am also very conscious of the importance of the ELC and SAC sector for positive child development and in terms of supporting parents to return to work to boost our economy.

The Deputy will be aware that the Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (TWSCS) was developed to address sustainability issues in the sector. This scheme builds on top of other Government supports available through Revenue, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and elsewhere.

I can confirm that by 5 May 2020, 3,733 providers had signed up to participate in the TWSCS, which is 83% of our providers. The new Government wide package of measures for the sector across my Department, Revenue and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection exceeds the State investment that was previously provided to the sector and compensates for the loss of some of the sector’s parental income. The objective of this volume of investment is to ensure that we retain as much capacity as possible in the sector so that early education and childcare services can resume after COVID-19 and support child development and economic recovery.

There are also a number of sustainability supports currently available to childcare providers. Expert advice on business and sustainability issues are available from Pobal and City/County Childcare Committees for all services, whether community based or private operators. Financial supports are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues following a financial assessment by Pobal. My Department has begun to consider whether this sustainability funding can be extended to private services during the pandemic.

Every year a number of services close. The average number closing per annum over the last three years was 150, but their childcare places have been replaced and indeed capacity has grown at a steady pace. COVID-19 however has presented us with major challenges and this is why my Department worked hard to develop the TWSCS. We will continue to work with the sector to try to maintain as much capacity as is possible in these very difficult circumstances.

Work has now begun on the phased re-opening of the sector as part of Government’s Roadmap. The sector has identified six representative organisations to participate on a DCYA Advisory Group to analyse how re-opening can best be facilitated and capacity restored whilst ensuring the public health and safety of children, families, childcare providers and their staff. My Department has made considerable investment in the early learning and care sector in recent years. I want to preserve the fruits of this investment for children, families and our valued ELC and SAC workforce and ensure that, when COVID- 19 has passed, we will have retained as many services, staff and places as possible.

5.504 Charlie McConalogue TD

To ask the Minister for Children to outline the supports available concerning childcare support for Healthcare Workers.

The service will be a temporary one and is limited to parents / guardians defined as essential health workers during the Covid-19 emergency.

Early this week (week beginning 11 May), eligible health workers will be able to apply, with the assistance of their Human Resource Manager, and can contact a dedicated Parent Support Centre 01 9068530 to request the service and to indicate their childcare needs and preferences.

5.548 Colette Madden

To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the plans she has in place to provide childcare for the people returning to the workplace in all sectors, private and public, in the early phases 1 and 2 and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business was published on 1 May 2020. The roadmap sets out a range of indicative measures, across a number of phases, providing flexibility to Government as it considers adjustment of social distancing measures. Any decisions by Government on implementing measures will be made in line with public health advice and guidance.

Under Phase 1 of the Roadmap, which is due to commence on 18 May, my Department has been asked to oversee an initiative whereby registered childcare services will provide childcare for essential health workers in the health worker’s home. The service will be limited to parents / guardians defined as essential health workers during the COVID-19 emergency.

The scheme has involved a call to existing, registered childcare services to open their service as an outreach hub. All staff taking part will be experienced early learning and care or school-age childcare practitioners who have been Garda vetted. My Department wrote to all early learning and care and school-age childcare services on 7 May, providing them with detailed information on the scheme and how they can sign up. Information for parents will be available early in the week beginning 11 May, when they will be told how they can ascertain whether they are eligible for this temporary scheme, request the service, and indicate their childcare needs and preferences.

The Government is making additional funding available to services that reopen to provide the service. In addition, there will be a low, flat-rate fee for parents who benefit from the temporary scheme.

The scheme has been designed to protect children, their families and the childcare practitioners who will offer this new service. All services that participate in this initiative will be supported to follow HSE guidance related to COVID-19. Information packs containing essential information and supports will be made available to them. Staff who outreach into family homes will continue to be supported by their employer.

The Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business also contains measures for reopening of centre based childcare services, initially for a wider group of essential workers across the public and private sectors, and, at a later phase, for all other workers. These measures are due to commence under Phase 3 (29 June) and Phase 4 (30 July) respectively. My Department is planning for implementation of those measures as they are approved by Government and an Advisory Group, which includes six representatives of the sector, has been established to assist with this work.

5.647 Matt Carthy TD

To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to detail the provisions that will be made to facilitate childcare services to open for some (children of essential workers) when Covid19 restrictions are eased

The Deputy will be aware that on 7 May 2020 I announced new, emergency measures to support essential health workers who are having difficulty meeting their childcare needs. This forms part of Phase 1 of the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, published on 1 May. The service is scheduled to begin on 18 May, subject to further NPHET advice and Government agreement to lift restrictions at this time.

The 18 May scheme is designed as an outreach model, a model that can best protect children, their families and the childcare practitioners who will offer this new service in the early days of easing of restrictions. Experienced and qualified childcare practitioners will work in the homes of essential workers, remaining under the management and supervision of their employer. The Minister has called upon childcare providers and their staff to volunteer to be part of Ireland’s national call. A funding package has been made available that will also assist the sector with some of its sustainability issues.

The Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business also includes phased re-opening of centre based childcare services, initially for a wider group of essential workers and, at a later phase, for all other workers. These measures are due to commence under Phase 3 (29 June) and Phase 4 (30 July) respectively.

My Department is putting plans in place to prepare for reopening in this phased manner. A sub-group to advise the Department, made up of representatives of the sector, has been formed and will meet on Tuesday 12 May.