There was a time when the biggest problem with childcare in Ireland was inertia - government after government busily doing nothing to sort out problems of standards, qualifications and co-ordination. Now it seems every other day there's a new working group, report, course option and set of regulations to be complied with.
Childcare is becoming an increasingly complicated business. Inspections of premises are starting to take place - and while this should lead to a rise in standards, it will also mean many facilities which have met the needs of communities for decades will face huge financial difficulties. If standards go up, so do overall costs; and if the parents can't pay, childcare facilities will have to close. The recent report by the expert working group on childcare recommends a number of financial initiatives which would facilitate childcare providers who have to spend quite a lot of money updating premises to comply with the new regulations. But the Government has decided to delay the implementation of the recommendations for another six months. Closures seem imminent at a time when there is already a critical shortage of childcare places.
Some of the long-established community "partnership areas" are attempting to overcome difficulties caused by poor information and support for childcare providers by setting up their own support structures, usually as part of the responsibility of a partnership education co-ordinator. Finglas Childcare Services in north Dublin went a step further recently and appointed a co-ordinator who is specifically concerned with childcare services in the area. Under the EU Urban Initiative, Ciaran Chaney is developing a network of contacts between local childcare providers; a website; and a library resource. He is also running seminars on issue ranging from behaviour management to employment law.
"There are about 25 services in the Finglas area, and that doesn't include childminders and private nurseries," he says. "There are several community playgroups, five Early Start pre-schools, a daycare centre at the Fingal Centre for the Unemployed and a number of other daycare centres, some of which are funded by the Eastern Health Board. "Since I was appointed last May I've been putting together a list of services in the area, and now I'm hoping to do a survey looking at what the various services offer, where they get their funding, the cost to parents and all the key information. "When that's finished I'd hope to send the list out to all the childcare providers, so everyone can have a clearer picture of what's going on out there.
"Basically I am here to set up a networking facility, so that people involved in childcare in Finglas have some sort of support."
Since he started making contact with the various service providers, Chaney has found the biggest perceived problem is the inspections due to take place under the Child Care Act. "There is an awful lot of apprehension surrounding inspection of premises among people involved in childcare, largely because they just don't know what it is going to entail," he says. "So one of the first things I did was set up informal meetings between inspectors and local providers. "The inspectors were very helpful: they explained how the regulations worked and gave us a lot of useful advice. It's a simple thing, but it makes a quite a difference to know how a system which is going to have such a big effect on you works."
The dearth of information on how changes are going to affect people working in childcare is a growing cause for concern. "It would be a lot easier if there were childcare co-ordinators all over the place. Every partnership area should have someone there working full-time providing this kind of support," Chaney says. "I work at a national level as well as locally, reflecting back to the community what's going on all around the country. "It is important to keep the information flowing back and forth, so at every level people in childcare can stay I touch with developments."
At the moment, Chaney is putting the finishing touches to a website he has been designing. "The site will have a resource page with information on what's going on locally and links into useful sites such as the Barnardo's site and the Eastern Health Board site. I'm also in the process of setting up a local library resource which will have key reading texts on childcare and childcare issues as well as relevant legislation and reports. "I also print out articles I find myself on the Internet which I think people might find interesting."
According to Chaney, there is a need for more childcare services in the Finglas area. "If someone is thinking of setting up a playgroup, for instance, they can come to me and I can give them information on how to go about it, what the regulations are, and what sorts of issues to bear in mind," he says. "Essentially I'm here to offer support, disseminate information and, by setting up a network among the various providers, help them have an input into developments in childcare in the Finglas area."
