Galway Childcare Committee 4 th Annual Conference NATIONAL CHILDCARE INVESTMENT PROGRAMME 2006/10 Sylda Langford, Director General Office of the Minister for Children 18 November 2006

OMC and links to agencies OMC CHILD WELFARE AND PROTECTION POLICY UNIT CHILDCARE DIRECTORATE EARLY YEARS EDUCATION POLICY UNIT H.S.E.POBALCCCsNVCOsFÁSVECsCECDE

Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) The emerging need for childcare services was identified as a key policy issue in the late 1990s and was responded to by the introduction in 2000 of the EOCP. The EOCP is an EU/Exchequer co-funded investment programme with a total allocation of €499 million and is part of the NDP As a co-funded "equal opportunities measure for social inclusion" the EOCP: has a strong focus on facilitating parents to participte in employment, training and education; is subject to strict financial controls and audit procedures. In additon to large scale capital grants, current funding is provided under the EOCP for staffing grants and for quality initiatives.

EOCP Large Scale Capital Grants Community/not for profit childcare providers could apply for grant funding for the total cost of a project subject to: a benchmark of €20,000 per childcare place, and a ceiling of €1.4 million per facility. The maximum grant available to private childcare providers was €50,790 per facility/65% total cost and a total ceiling of €100,000.

EOCP Programme Criteria As an EU equal opportunities measure, the EOCP criteria emphasised full day care provision, maximising use of facilities, increasing the number of childcare places and value for money. However, these criteria were applied taking account of a Quality perspective and a number of Quality Initiatives were built into the Programme. They included developing a supporting infrastructure through the CCCs, supporting the NVCOs in developing training and standards and initiatives for Childminders. The additional focus on quality childcare enabled the EOCP to provide funding to support and sustain a significant amount of existing childcare places that did not meet the new requirements introduced under the Child Care Regulations 1996.

Grant Approval Process Under the EOCP, grant applications were received by the Childcare Directorate and referred to Pobal for examination. At regular intervals, the Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) of the Directorate would meet to consider the processed applications. Following meetings of the PAC, recommendations are forwarded to the Secretary General for consideration and approval in principle. In the case of community sector applications, the period between approval in principle and a project coming to contract can be lengthy. As a result, there is a wide disparity between the level of grant approvals and grant drawdowns. As the EOCP nears its end, the management of this issue and the successful drawdown of EU co- funding will be a critical issue for the Directorate.

Spending on Childcare under the EOCP Over €499 million has been allocated to a mixture of private sector based childcare facilities and community based not for profit childcare groups. To end of 2005, the total amount of capital funding allocated was €277million. By end 2005, over 29,000 new childcare places were created (93% of the Programme's target). A further 23,000 existing childcare places were supported by the EOCP. By end of Programme, it is anticipated that 41,000 new childcare places will have been created by the EOCP. To end 2005, €190 million will have been spent on current expenditure,including: Staffing grants to assist community childcare facilities with a focus on disadvantage (over 2,300 childcare staff are receiving support under this scheme) other quality intiatives including Childminders, and core funding for the CCCs and 7 National Voluntary Childcare Organisations (NVCOs)

EOCP in 2006/2007 The EOCP will continue in place until end 2007 for community sector capital and staffing grants. Funding can continue to be allocated until end of 2006 and can be spent up to 31 March 2008.

National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) The NCIP was announced in Budget 2006 as a key element of the new National Childcare Stategy The NCIP is a national, Exchequer funded investment programme of €575 million. It is guided by the following principles: To improve the supply of early childhood care and education services for 3 to 4 year olds. To target the unmet need for school age childcare services. To support families and break the cycle of disadvantage. To further develop the structures for co-ordination between statutory and non-statutory actors in the sector.

NCIP Targets 50,000 additional places Of which: 10,000 places are expected to be for 3 to 4 year olds and should provide an early childhood care and education focus 5,000 places are expected to be for children of school going age Additional training places for childcare personnel is a key element of the Childcare Programme 2006 – 2010 and additional funding is being provided to meet a projected target of 17,000 additional qualified childcare workders by end 2010.

NCIP Criteria LOCATION IN AN AREA OF IDENTIFIED NEED FOR THE TYPE OF SERVICE PROPOSED INCREASED CHILDCARE PLACES OPERATING HOURS / WEEKS IN THE YEAR BABIES, FULL DAY CARE & PART TIME PRE-SCHOOL PLACES AIMED AT YEAR OLDS (TARGET OF 20% OF PLACES IN FACILITIES WITH MORE THAN 20 CHILDREN) SCHOOL AGE CHILDCARE & WRAP AROUND SERVICES, INCLUDING LINKAGES WITH COMPLEMENTARY SERVICES & LOCAL SCHOOLS NEEDS & DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD (STAFF TRAINING, RATIOS, ENVIRONMENT, ETC) AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE TO DISADVANTAGED FAMILIES COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATORY/OTHER LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

NCIP large scale capital grants CAPITAL GRANTS FOR THE COMMUNITY SECTOR WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM A BENCHMARK OF €20,000 PER CHILDCARE PLACE WILL APPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM GRANT AVAILABLE SET AT €1 MILLION. WHERE A COMMUNITY/NOT FOR PROFIT GROUP HAS A PARTICLULAR FOCUS ON SOCIAL INCLUSION, THE BENCHMARK OF €20,000 PER CHILDCARE PLACE AND THE MAXIMUM GRANT LEVEL OF €1 MILLION MAY BE EXCEEDED, IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. CAPITAL GRANTS FOR PRIVATE PROVIDERS ARE AVAILABLE FROM JANUARY 2006: A MAXIMUM GRANT OF €100,000 PER SERVICE IS AVAILABLE, SUBJECT TO A 25% MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION BY THE PROVIDER A MAXIMUM GRANT OF €500,000 FOR MULTIPLE SERVICES LOCATED IN DIFFERENT CATCHMENT AREAS IS AVAILABLE, SUBJECT TO A 25% MINIMUM CONTRIBUTION BY THE PROVIDER A BENCHMARK OF €15,000 PER CHILDCARE PLACE APPLIES TO APPLICATIONS FROM PRIVATE PROVIDERS

NCIP: Procedures CCC’s EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORMS PROJECT PROPOSAL FORMS DATA INPUT AT BOTH STAGES MAPPING STRATEGY, ADDITIONAL ACTION PLAN AND FUNDING POBAL EXAMINATION OF PROJECT PROPOSAL FORMS SUBMISSION TO THE OMC, PROGRAMME APPRAISAL COMMITTEE (PAC) PAC CONSIDERATION OF FUNDING PROPOSALS RECOMMENDATIONS TO SECRETARY GENERAL SECRETARY GENERAL DECISION ON APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE OF FUNDING APPLICANTS ADVISED OF DECISIONS POBAL PROJECTS BROUGHT TO CONTRACT STAGE AND FUNDING DRAWDOWN

SUPPORTING ELEMENTS TO NCIP THE NATIONAL CHILDCARE STRATEGY ENVISAGES A NUMBER OF STRATEGIC SUPPORTS TO THE NCIP WHICH INCLUDE: DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW CHILDCARE TRAINING STRATEGY TO PROMOTE A MORE UNIFORM APPROACH TO TRAINING AND ITS DELIVERY AND FACILITATE QUALITY CHILDCARE PROVISION GREATER INTEGRATION WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES & CDBs TO FACILITATE THE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT & ASSESSMENT OF CHILDCARE PROJECTS CO-ORDINATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & SCIENCE ON PROGRAMMES AND POLICIES AIMED AT SCHOOL AGE, PRE-SCHOOL AND DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

NCIP Funding to end of August 2006 Almost €13.7 million has been allocated nationally to private providers between January 2006 and mid October 2006.

Funding under the Childcare Programmes in Galway Since January 2006, €859,026 has been allocated to private providers in Co. Galway under the NCIP. To date, €27 million allocated to private providers and community based not for profit groups in Galway in the form of capital grants and staffing supports under the EOCP.

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SUPPLEMENT (ECS): is a new quarterly payment of €250 per child under 6 years, effective from 1 April 2006 and introduced to assist in the costs of eary years childcare (whether childcare services are used or not); has been paid in August and October Will be paid in December 2006 and in April / July / October / December in subsequent years; is expected to cost €265 million in 2006 and over €400 million for the full year in is administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs on behalf of the OMC on an agency basis (statutory provision for the ECS was included in the Social Welfare, Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006); operates on the same basis as Child Benefit i.e. applicants who qualify for and are paid Child Benefit will receive the ECS automatically provided their children are aged under 6 years; will be payable to 130,000 families / 350,000 children; constitutes a Family Benefit under Regulation 1408/71 which can be claimed by EU citizens working in the State regardless of where in the EU/EEA their children reside.

Other Measures introduced under the new National Childcare Strategy Other measures under the Strategy intended to contribute to work/life balance include: Maternity Leave/ Maternity Benefit The increased levels of paid (extra 8 weeks) and unpaid (extra 8 weeks) maternity leave introduced during 2006/2007. The increased entitlements will allow parents to use a combination of maternity and parental leave to care for their children. Childminder Relief Where an individual minds up to three children in the minder’s own home, no tax will be payable on the childminding earnings received, provided the amount is less than €10,000 per annum.

Towards 2016 – Childcare Additional childcare commitments set out in the 10 Year Social Partnership Agreement 2006 – 2015 “Towards 2016” include: Every family should be able to access childcare services which are appropriate to the circumstances and needs of their children; Developing an infrastructure which provides quality affordable childcare and increases the supply of childcare places (of all types) by 100,000 over the 10-year timeframe; Reviewing the NCIP prior to its conclusion in consultation with the social partners, to assess progress made with a view to developing new policy responses and successor programme(s) appropriate to emerging needs in childcare.

ENDS