Protect Child-Minding Development Worker - Lowry
Deputy Michael Lowry has criticised the decision to cut funding for the Child-minding
Development Worker in North Tipperary and declared the move to be short-sighted
and fundamentally unsound. The Independent T.D. explained that this post is due
to cease at the end of this month, and called on the Minister for Health James Reilly
T.D. to immediately reverse this decision and ring-fence funding to protect this post.
Deputy Lowry stated; “A decision has been made by the HSE to cease funding this programme which will result in the loss of this post, much to the detriment of child-minders, parents and children across the county. At present the Child-minding Development Worker works as part of the North Tipperary County Childcare Committee to provide training,
guidance and assistance to child-minders who care for children in their homes. They
encourage professionalism and quality in home childcare and ensure that insurance,
vetting and all necessary policies are put in place. They provide guidance to the child-
minder and an assurance to parents”
“This decision will adversely impact some 45 child-minders and hundreds of families
across Tipperary. Cutting this funding will mean that all activities and training will
grind to a standstill and the vital infrastructure that has been built up in the field
over the past decade will be lost. Child-minders will be left with no support system,
no training facility to maintain or further their professional skills and no capacity to
network”.
“This decision is ill-advised, illogical and unreasoned and will result in child-minding
slipping back into the informal economy. We all recognise the need for safe,
quality childcare and the guarantee that children are being cared for in a suitable
environment. This move is a backwards step that threatens to erode the vital strides
that have been made in this field over the past number of years. We owe it to
vulnerable children to provide every support to ensure that childcare, across the
board, is monitored and that there is a high degree of quality control.”
“The reality is that a very small number of these Child-minding Development
Workers across the country are supporting a huge number of active child-minding
services. Cutting these posts will yield only a small saving whilst doing untold
damage and negating all the positive strides that have been made in this field over
the past number of years. Professionalism in childcare is the way forward and cutting
the supports that encourage and advance such is a hugely negative step.”
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Wednesday 22 May 2013
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