Nanny State’s plan for vetting begs questions

LET’S just take a moment here. The purpose of the new Affordable Childcare Scheme was to make childcare more affordable for parents on low to middle incomes.

It wasn’t about placing an administrative burden on those parents and their casual childminders, such as grandparents, relatives or neighbours.

The new scheme will provide payments of up to €1,000 per year to parents with a combined income of less than €47,501 a year. The subsidies apply only to the care of children who are between the ages of six months and 15 years. The scheme is supposed to be available from this autumn, and will replace existing subsidies, such as the After School Childcare Scheme.

And for the first time so-called casual childminders – such as relatives – will receive the subsidy directly instead of it going to the parents.

But now it has emerged this army of casual childminders faces Garda vetting to qualify for the payment.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will run background checks on any of the 19,000 childminders currently not registered with Tusla, if parents want to use their services while claiming the new subsidy. This would include relatives such as grandparents and in-laws.

The plan begs the question about the use of Garda resources and the necessity of this extent of vetting of trusted family members.

The Nanny State is going to revisit this plan.