Parent Peer Support Fund 2026/2027

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What is the Parent Peer Support Fund?

Parent peer support is when parents support each other by sharing knowledge. This can help to reduce feelings of isolation and provides encouragement to navigate challenges and achieve well-being.

The 2026/2027 Parent Peer Support Fund is now open for applications. Grants of up to €5,000 can be provided to organisations working with parents and/or carers to support them to develop parent peer support initiatives.

This includes peer support for parents who share similar life experiences, such as raising a child with complex needs or a mental health condition.

The closing date for applications is Monday 2 November 2026.

The Fund Guidelines, Terms and Conditions, and application forms can be found below.

Guidelines and Terms & Conditions

Guidelines and Terms & Conditions: Parent Peer Support Fund 2026/2027
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Application Forms

Application Form (€5,000): Parent Peer Support Fund 2026/2027
Download
Application Form (€2,500): Parent Peer Support Fund 2026/2027
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Minister Foley announces proposed locations for seven new State-led early learning and childcare capital projects

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley has today announced the locations of seven proposed new early learning and childcare projects under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme.

Across the seven proposed locations there is potential to provide around 600 places to support the Department of Children, Disability and Equality’s policy of improving access to high-quality, affordable early learning and childcare under the Action Plan for Early Learning.

The proposed projects include an early learning and childcare facility in Shanganagh Castle estate in Dublin in an affordable housing estate which has been developed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown council and the Land Development Agency.

There are also projects being advanced for new state-led places provided in Boyle in Roscommon, Raphoe in Donegal, Killarney in Kerry, the rapidly growing towns of Gorey and Enniscorthy in Wexford, and Tallaght in South Dublin.

Negotiation processes are ongoing in relation to acquisitions of two other sites in Leinster and Munster under the first phase of the state-led initiative. This will bring the total number of locations expected to be announced this year to nine.

Further locations will be selected to provide thousands of places up to 2030 using the €135 million provided in the National Development Plan.

Minister Foley said:

“The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is leading the delivery of new early learning and childcare projects for the first time ever to provide affordable places to families right around the country.

The announcement of these seven locations is a groundbreaking move by Government to support children and families. I welcome the fact that so many people and organisations have proposed projects for inclusion in the state-led programme.

I encourage anyone with a potential project to get in contact with the Department via their local City or County Childcare Committee. This is just the start of the programme and we will ramp up the level of investment over the lifetime of the Government.”

The Department will now proceed to identify high-quality not-for-profit providers to operate the new services in the following locations, in order to develop these projects for final approval:

Boyle in Co. Roscommon

The proposal is to provide new places in a rural area with an identified undersupply for 1 and 2 year old children.

Gorey, Co Wexford

The proposal is to provide a large service quickly in a rapidly growing area which has been identified as having an undersupply of places.

Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

The proposal is to provide a large service quickly in a rapidly growing area which has been identified as having an undersupply of places and a number of families experiencing disadvantage.

Killarney, Co. Kerry

The proposal is to create early learning and childcare places in an area with a very large, identified undersupply.

Three additional proposed projects already have high-quality not for profit operators attached.

Raphoe, Co Donegal

The proposal is to secure land and construct a new building to provide an expanded permanent building for a long standing community operator.

Shanganagh Castle estate, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown

The proposal is to provide new places in an area with low levels of community early learning and childcare, in a new affordable homes development from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and the Land Development Agency. An operator selection process has been conducted and work is now underway to design the fit-out works required for this site.

Airton Road, Tallaght

The proposal is for state investment will help to create new places quickly in an affordable housing development in Airton Road, which is being delivered by the Respond Approved Housing Body.

Detailed developmental work is ongoing on all these projects. This includes independent property valuation, building surveying, conveyancing, procurement, detailed design work for fit out and operator selection. All projects will be underpinned by appropriate legal and contractual arrangements to permanently protect the value of the state’s investment.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Alan Dillon said:

“Increasing access to affordable, high-quality early learning and childcare is a key priority for Government. The announcement of these projects represents a significant step forward in expanding capacity where it is most needed and supporting families across the country.

Through this State-led initiative, we are taking a practical and innovative approach to delivering additional childcare places, while ensuring long-term value for the taxpayer. Together with record investment in the sector and programmes such as Building Blocks, these projects will help create a stronger, more accessible childcare system for children, parents and communities in the years ahead.”

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kevin “Boxer” Moran said:

“We know that many families in rural and urban areas need access to high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare. I welcome the progress being made on the state-led initiative to deliver more places for children and families. I will continue to work with Minister Foley to roll out this initiative to more locations around the country.”

Since the launch of the state-led initiative last January, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has been made aware of 99 project proposals which cover most local authority areas. These projects are in very different stages of development. Some projects required the acquisition of land or planning permission. Given the importance of delivery at the early stage of the programme, projects that could proceed rapidly were prioritised.

The proposed projects announced today largely involve the purchasing and fit out of buildings because this will be faster than securing planning permission to construct new buildings on green field sites. The projects are expected to be operational next year, once fit-out works and not-for-profit providers are in place. The Department continues to seek potential projects for consideration.

This state-led initiative will complement the work of existing private and community early learning and childcare providers. There are currently over 4,600 providers in Core Funding, supported by a record €480 million in Core Funding for this current programme year from September 2026 to August 2027. This is a €90 million increase on the previous programme year.

The State-led early learning and childcare capital programme is just one of the actions being taken to increase the supply of early learning and childcare. The record state investment in early learning and childcare, which now amounts to over €1.5 billion per year, is driving the creation of substantial additional numbers of places.

The state’s Building Blocks Extension Scheme is actively underway with 26 projects in contract across the country undertaking extensions to existing premises, constructing new buildings or purchasing new premises, backed by State investment.

Minister Foley said:

“I am delighted to see the progress underway on the Building Blocks scheme to support the delivery of a substantial number of additional places to serve families across Ireland well into the future. I would like to commend the significant ambition of the leadership and staff of the services who have developed and are overseeing the projects and I am very proud that Government is funding these projects.”

Following on from the Building Blocks Extension Scheme that is currently underway, a further Phase 2 of the scheme was launched earlier this year. Over twenty applications were received and are currently being appraised. Announcements of the approved projects will be made in the coming weeks. €10 million is available for Building Blocks in 2027.

Minister Foley announces that the largest ever Parent Peer Support Fund is now open for applications

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The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has today announced that the €177,500 Parent Peer Support Fund is now open for applications. This year’s fund is the largest since its launch in 2022.

Parent peer support is when parents support each other by sharing knowledge, reducing feelings of isolation, and providing encouragement to navigate challenges and achieve well-being.

Grants of up to €5,000 can be provided to organisations working with parents and/or carers to support them to develop parent peer support initiatives. This includes peer support for parents who share similar life experiences, such as raising a child with an illness or a mental health condition.

Speaking today Minister Foley commented:

“I am delighted to launch the 2026/27 Parent Peer Support Fund. This annual funding enables numerous organisations to operate projects which are led by parents, for parents. The Department has increased the overall funding for this year by 13% which will allow greater numbers of parents to benefit from parent peer support initiatives across the country throughout 2027”.

The introduction of the Parent Peer Support Fund builds on commitments set out in Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parent Support Services, through the provision of funding for the enhancement and promotion of supports to assist parents.

Last year, a total of €152,500 was distributed among 49 organisations under the Parent Peer Support fund. The funding was awarded to a variety of parent peer support projects in organisations across Ireland. This included projects with a focus on supporting parents; who have experienced domestic violence, whose children are in hospital, whose children are LGBT, whose children have additional support needs and many other supports.

The Parent Peer Support fund will be made available under two tiers of funding.

· Tier 1 will provide grants of €2,500 to 41 successful applicants who either currently operate or wish to establish a new parent peer support project.

· Tier 2 will provide grants of €5,000 to 15 successful applicants who wish to scale up an existing parent peer support project, which is already having a positive impact on parents.

How to apply

Application forms for the €2,500 and €5,000 funding tiers, along with the funding Guidance and Terms and Conditions can be found below.

Guidelines, Terms and Conditions Parent Peer Support Fund 2026-27
€5,000 Application Form, Parent Peer Support Fund 2026-27
€2,500 Application Form, Parent Peer Support Fund 2026-27

Applications must be submitted by Monday 2 November 2026. Funding will be made available to successful applicants in early 2027.

For enquiries please contact:

peipolicyunit@dcde.gov.ie

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Supporting Parents: A National Model of Parenting Support Services was developed in accordance with a commitment in First 5, A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and Their Families 2019-2028. The model was developed by a collaborative working group led by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), with input from a wide range of stakeholders from across Government Departments, agencies and community and voluntary organisations.

The Parent Peer Support Fund provided grants of €2,000 to 25 services when it was first launched in 2022, and this funding increased to a total of 37 services in 2023.

In 2024, the fund increased to €100,000 and a second tier of funding was introduced which awarded grants of €5,000 to 5 established services, enabling provision of expanded levels of peer support within these services. The 2025/26 fund further expanded upon these enhanced supports by providing tier 1 payments of €2,500 to 37 services, and tier 2 payments of €5,000 to 12 services.

Total funding of €177,500 will be awarded to 56 services this year.

Tier 1 will provide 41 grants of €2,500 to services who either currently operate, or wish to establish new peer support projects, while Tier 2 will provide 15 grants of €5,000 to services who wish to scale up an existing parent peer support project, which is already having a positive impact on parents.

Queries can be directed to the Parenting Support Policy Unit by email to:

peipolicyunit@dcde.gov.ie

National Conversation on Education

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Children in an image

 

On the 23 September, Minister Norma Foley welcomed stakeholders from across Ireland to the Shaping the Future National Forum on Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare in the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality (DCDE). This event marked the end of the public consultation process on the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare (including childminders) as part of the National Conversation on Education.

Children’s Creative Spaces was a huge success with 80 services submitting artwork across 18 counties. The artwork submitted as part of the consultation brought colour and energy to the Shaping the Future National Forum and was warmly appreciated by attendees.

For those interested in exploring findings from earlier stages, short videos on local consultation findings and Children’s Creative Spaces are available on the national webpage. A full video of all the artwork is also available here:  National Conversation on Education Artwork

 

Minister Foley welcomes stakeholders to national forum on the future of early learning and childcare

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, today welcomed stakeholders from across Ireland to the Shaping the Future National Forum on Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.

The Forum is the final stage of a nationwide consultation process under the National Conversation on Education and will inform Phase 2 of Shaping the Future: The Early Years Action Plan and the successor strategy to First 5.

The consultation has seen significant public engagement to date, including:

  • 11,725 responses to a national online survey.
  • A nationally representative telephone poll of 600 parents with children under 15 years old.
  • 55 local consultation events in every county, plus an Irish-language online session.
  • Children’s Creative Spaces, featuring artwork from 80 services across 18 counties.

Today’s event brings together parents, educators, school-age childcare practitioners, providers, representative organisations, public interest groups, and members of the Minister’s Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum, to discuss the consultation findings and priorities for the future of the sector.

Opening the Forum, Minister Foley said:

“I am delighted by the strong level of engagement in this consultation process. More than 11,000 people have shared their views online, while hundreds took part in the 55 local consultation events, which took place in every county in the country.

It is interesting to note that the preliminary findings from the national survey show that the top three issues identified by parents were access to places, affordability and having a secure and sustainable early learning and childcare workforce.

These challenges closely mirror the key priorities set out in phase one of our Shaping the Future action plan for early years.

Today is an important opportunity to consider how these insights can shape the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare. I am committed to ensuring services are affordable, accessible and of the highest quality, and this work will help guide future policy and investment.”

The Minister also welcomed the children of Bridget’s Montessori from County Meath, who were invited into the Department today in recognition of their contribution to Children’s Creative Spaces. During their visit, they took part in an art workshop led by award winning artist and designer Caoimhe O’Dwyer.

Minister Foley added:

“We must always listen to the children, who are at the heart of all early learning and care and school-age childcare services. I encourage all stakeholders to keep the voice of the child at the centre of our discussions and decision-making on future policy.”

Supporting Parents: Resources for Every Stage of Parenting

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Parenting is very rewarding. No matter your child’s age or how experienced you are, all parents can benefit from learning some new, practical parenting skills.

The Supporting Parents initiative is a national parenting resource, bringing together trusted, high quality information in one place, to help you navigate your journey. Feel free to browse through the resources below.

We will continue to update these pages as new resources become available locally and nationally, with tailored advice for parents and families at every stage.

Parenting Courses, Helplines and Advice
Parenting Courses, Helplines and Advice
Pregnancy Care and Support for New Parents
Pregnancy Care and Support for New Parents
Your Child’s Education & Childcare
Early Childhood Support, Education and Schemes
Assisting Children with Additional Needs
Assisting Children with Additional Needs
Resources and Support for LGBTI+ Children
Resources and Support for LGBTI+ Children
Support Your Child's Mental Safety and Wellbeing
Support For Your Child’s Health, Safety, and Wellbeing

More information

If you didn’t find the resource you were looking for, please contact us at parentingsupport@dcde.gov.ie – we’re here to help.

Learn more about the National Model for Supporting Parents – the government’s approach to improving parent support services in Ireland.

Parenting Resources: Supporting Parents Initiative | Gov.ie

Ministers Foley and Higgins welcome progress on disability residential services

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins, today welcomed the progress underway to provide residential services to people with disabilities.

Since 2020, additional funding provided to the HSE has supported the creation of over 1,000 additional specialist disability residential places for people with disabilities. These placements largely support people moving from their family home to a residential service and are in addition to transitions from congregated settings.

This has brought the number of residential places for people with disabilities to almost 9,000. The HSE’s National Service Plan 2026 is deploying €65 million of additional funding in Budget 2026 to develop around 152 newly created residential placements. This consists of 72 planned placements and 80 priority one placements to meet urgent need.

Following engagement with Minister for Housing James Browne TD and local authorities, every council in the country will set targets for the first time for delivering social housing for two key groups of disabled people. The housing targets will be contained in the forthcoming Local Authority Housing Delivery Action Plans 2027-2030.

Ministers Foley and Higgins met with HSE CEO Anne O’Connor and members of her senior management team this week as part of their ongoing engagement to discuss a number of issues, including the provision of residential places.

Minister Foley reiterated the Government’s commitment to enhancing services for people with a disability in Ireland to maximise each individual’s independence and support people to live ordinary lives in ordinary places.

Minister Foley said:

“There are currently almost 9,000 residential places for people with disabilities and I welcome the progress that has been made in providing more residential places this year. However, we need to provide more housing for people with disabilities in every corner of Ireland. I know that people with complex disabilities and their parents and families need greater assurances that supports and residential placements will be there when they need them, close to home and close to community. This is a key commitment under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People.

I am working very closely with Minister for Housing James Browne and his Department to provide a pipeline of homes for the people with disabilities who need them most. Councils will supply the homes and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, via the HSE, will supply the funding for the staff and services that people with disabilities need to live in these new homes.”

Minister Higgins said:

“Too many people with disabilities and their families face uncertainty about accessing residential support, and unfortunately families often reach crisis point before residential services are available for them.

Families are rightly frustrated by Government’s lack of planning and I acknowledge that we need to do better at planning ahead, identifying needs earlier and giving families greater certainty about the future. That is something Minister Foley and I are working to achieve.

This year, €2.2 billion is supporting residential services as part of our record €3.9 billion disability services budget. We are working with the HSE and service providers to deliver planned residential places as well as transitional support plans and enhanced care packages for families who need extra help at home.

I will continue to work closely with Minister Foley and Minister for Housing James Browne to deliver more appropriate housing for people with disabilities and strengthen the coordination between housing and disability services. There is a lot of work to do and our focus must be on making sure people can access the right support, in the right place when they need it.”

Funding has also been provided for other residential responses including to enable the uptake of vacant residential places by new individuals and also additional funding to support people already in an existing placement, whose needs have become more complex.

A new procurement framework for for-profit providers in disability residential services is also under development and nearing finalisation.

A particular focus is on strengthening implementation structures established under the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People to enhance coordination between Local Authorities and disability service providers at local, regional and national level.

This will inform the setting of targets in the upcoming local authority Housing Development Action Plans (HDAPs) for two groups of disabled people. The first group is disabled people who are able to live more independently in the community with some supports and the second group is disabled people who need more intensive, specialist supports.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is undertaking research to progress a new policy framework for specialist disability residential services. Engagement and input from stakeholders, particularly those with lived experience, will be an important part of this policy development process.

Ends

Minister Foley welcomes over 90% of early learning and childcare services into Core Funding for fifth year

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley, today announced that over 90% of early learning and childcare services have signed up for the fifth year of Core Funding to date.

Core Funding is provided by the State to support early learning and childcare services and has been increased to a record level of €482 million for this programme year from September 2026 to August 2027.

The fee-freeze and maximum fee-caps which services must comply with under Core Funding have been key to the progress in recent years in improving the affordability of early learning and childcare services.

With uptake rates of Core Funding amongst early learning and childcare services now exceeding 90%, participation rates already remain consistent with previous years of Core Funding. Services can sign up to the fifth year of the scheme at any point over the course of the programme year, which further increases the percentage of services in Core Funding.

Minister Foley said:

I am pleased to see such a strong sign up to Core Funding from early learning and childcare services. Core Funding supports parents by maintaining the fee freeze and maximum fee caps, and it also supports Partner Services to keep their doors open, recruit and retain staff, and deliver high-quality care.

“In the previous programme year, we saw over 4,600 services sign up to Core Funding. These were the highest numbers at any point since the scheme was launched in 2022.

Today, we have exceeded 4,600 services signing up to Core Funding for the fifth year and I expect that number to rise over the coming weeks and months.

The €482 million in Core Funding for this programme year is an increase of over €90 million on the previous programme year. It brings the total investment by the state to over €1.7 billion in Core Funding since the scheme was first launched in 2022.

There are strengthened affordability measures for families in this fifth programme year of Core Funding. The maximum fee caps, which were introduced for First-Time Partner Services in 2024 and reduced and extended to all new and existing Partner Services in 2025, have been lowered again this September. This means that approximately 12% of services will be required to reduce at least one fee. The fee freeze will continue to operate in other services, ensuring that all families will continue to benefit from this measure.

Core Funding is also providing increased funding for all Partner Services in recognition of rising cost pressures for the sector. This will balance the need for affordable early learning and childcare with ensuring sustainability for the sector.

Around €45 million of ringfenced funding was made available in the fourth year of the scheme to support providers to meet the cost of increased minimum pay rates. These minimum pay rates arose from the new Employment Regulation Orders (EROs) which commenced in October 2025, following negotiation by the independent Joint Labour Committee (JLC).

The Department has allocated €45 million in ringfenced funding in this current Core Funding programme year to support Partner Services with the cost of increasing pay. That allocation is contingent to new EROs being established, which has been the subject of the recent negotiations at the Joint Labour Committee.

Minister Foley said:

I secured a ringfenced €45 million to support providers meet pay costs that may arise from the Joint Labour Committee process in line with our Programme for Government to continue to implement Employment Regulation Orders to attract and retain early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners.

“I welcome the news of new proposals in minimum rates of pay for Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare Practitioners negotiated by the Joint Labour Committee.

If these proposals are implemented through new Employment Regulation Orders, they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for these dedicated professionals, enhancing the quality of care and education provided to children across Ireland.

I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them.

Alongside the increased Core Funding allocation of €482 million, Partner Services facing sustainability challenges can continue to avail of supports through the Department’s established case management process. This involves local City and County Childcare Committees and Pobal working together to assess and provide support including financial support to services experiencing difficulties.

For more information on Core Funding, including a list of Partner Services and allocations for previous programme years, please visit: Core Funding

Minister Foley welcomes new proposals for over 6% increase in minimum rates of pay for Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare Practitioners

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The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has welcomed the new proposals for, over 6% increases to minimum rates of pay for Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare Practitioners.

The proposals have been put forward by the Joint Labour Committee, which is made up of employer and worker representatives. It has the responsibility for setting minimum rates of pay for over 39,000 staff in the early years and childcare sector.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has allocated €45 million in ringfenced funding in this current Core Funding programme year to support Partner Services with the cost of increasing pay. That allocation is contingent to new EROs being established, which has been the subject of the negotiations at the Joint Labour Committee.

Minister Foley expressed her appreciation for the collaborative efforts of the Joint Labour Committee and acknowledged their independence in the negotiation process:

“The new proposals of on average over 6 per cent increases in minimum pay represent a significant step toward ensuring fair pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector. I am committed to ensuring the successful implementation of these proposals by providing a ring-fenced allocation of €45 million over a full year. This allocation has been specifically earmarked to support services in meeting the cost of the proposed increases in pay and conditions.”

“I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Joint Labour Committee in these negotiations and their vital role in advancing the professionalism and value of those working in the sector.

“If these proposals are implemented through updated Employment Regulation Orders, they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for these dedicated professionals, enhancing the quality of care and education provided to children across Ireland.

“I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them.”

Careers in the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector

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Please see link to Nurturing Skills brochure- A Career in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. :Nurturing Skills Brochure

If you are already working in Early Learning and Care or School-Age Childcare as an early years educator, school-age practitioner or childminder or you are thinking about starting your career, this guide will give you a typical pathway from entry to progression and leadership: Career Path

Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare careers in Ireland: Frequently Asked Questions: Frequently Asked Questions