New rules on childcare will drive out minders
MY two children are minded by a local childminder in her home and have been for many years. She is a wonderful woman who treats them and cares for them like her own in a warm, loving environment and the children are extremely happy.
My husband and I chose this woman to mind our children we did not want them minded in a creche. (Apart from the fact the creche is located six miles from us, we found it to be a clinical, sterile environment. I know this suits some people but not us). We made an informed decision about the care of our children. And now our arrangement is under threat.
Our minder told us that she heard on the radio that inspectors will be inspecting her home in the future and that she would have to undergo a training course to mind our children. (This woman has 20 years’ experience minding children). She said if this was to happen she would just stop minding children as she could be prosecuted if she did not allow inspectors into her home.
As you can appreciate, this is a huge invasion of her privacy and would have a huge impact on her own family and indeed ours. I thought she must be mistaken so I took it upon myself to investigate. Indeed, a range of proposals have been launched by an official working group that will have a serious impact on childminders and parents alike. I have read this working group report and recommendations and I feel these major changes should be brought to the attention of childminders and parents alike. I cannot believe no-one is talking about them and not a word from any politician.
What I am about to write is taken from a report launched by Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone called Pathway To A Quality Support And Assurance System For Childminding.
At present a person can mind no more than three pre-school children of different families in that person’s home and not be subject to the provisions of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.
My understanding is that these regulations were made for creches and such large-scale operations and not childminders. At present, a woman can legally mind up to three children in her own home. The new proposal is to change this to a new definition which states a childminding service means a service offered by a person who single-handedly takes care of children aged 0-15 years old, which may include the person’s own children, in the person’s home for payment for a total of more than two hours per day.
This would mean all childminders would have to register with Tusla and their homes will be inspected by Tusla inspectors.
So what would these regulations further require of childminders? I could not find the answer to this in this report. So I asked a friend of mine who works in a creche what the current regulations meant for creches.
I was absolutely astounded by some of her answers. Apparently they spend all their time filling in forms, even when a child is asleep. She told me that creches are full of excellent minders who spend all their time caught up in red tape and have less and less time to look after the children.
According to her there are too many rules and many of these excellent, minders are leaving childcare meaning that young children have new minders frequently and this is very disturbing for them. She told me that you had to adhere to these requirements or you could be prosecuted. And this is what they are proposing for childminders.
I do not blame my minder for saying she will simply stop minding – all of this to mind two children. I am not against protecting children but this appears to be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It will inevitably drive away dedicated and caring childminders like ours.
Name and address withheld.
Syrian evidence?
THE only thing I observed in the TV coverage of the latest alleged ‘chemical attack’ in Syria was little children being terrified as adults water-hosed them and generally pushed them about.
To my thinking this is what they were most afraid of. There has not been one picture of a deceased adult or child with the conclusive evidence showing they died from what is claimed.
Selective gullibility is what we are expected to swallow.
Even the film of this ‘atrocity’ is identical to another from last year... again an event without any real evidence. ROBERT SULLIVAN,
Bantry, Co. Cork.
Clueless Davis
IT seems Britain’s Brexit minister David Davis needs to go back to school to brush up on his Irish politics – not that they teach much of it in schools in Britain anyway.
His cack-handed assertion that Fine Gael’s policy on Brexit is motivated by keeping Sinn Féin out of government here would be funny if the topic were not so serious.
Brexit will affect the whole island of Ireland, and the Tory government seem blithely unaware of the consequences of a hard border, either through ignorance or design.
Sadly it doesn’t surprise me one bit that such a high-ranking politician has a dim view of the world around him – it’s why we ended up with Brexit in the first place!
CONOR MADDEN, via email.