The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has today published a report, titled The State of the Nation’s Women and Girls. The report collates available data on the lives of women and girls across five key areas: demographics, health, education, employment and, poverty and social vulnerability. The report provides statistical analysis in each area and examines trends over time.
Speaking about this report, Minister O’Gorman said
“I am delighted to see the progress that has been made in the lives of women and girls over the past decade in Ireland and in particular during my time as Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It is encouraging to see positive outcomes in relation to the health, education, employment and poverty levels of women and girls. Female life expectancy has risen and both girls and women are more active. There are more females reaching third level education, more young girls registered for early care and education (ECCE), and less females leaving school early. There are a larger proportion of women in the labour force, female unemployment is drastically down, and there are larger proportions of women in sectors like Construction, Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities and, Information and Communication. The median wage for women has increased and the gender pay gap has reduced. There is greater representation of women in parliament, in government and among senior administrators. There are also less women and girls at risk of poverty and in consistent poverty.
“The National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020: Creating a Better Society for All published by this department has played a key role in progressing the lives of women and girls in many of the areas covered in this report.
“However, there are some areas of the lives of women and girls that require continued efforts from the government and this department. The new strategy for women and girls, currently under development by this department will provide a roadmap towards continued positive change in these areas. “
This report on women and girls is the fifteenth report in a series of Statistical Spotlights. These Spotlight publications are topical in nature and of interest to both specialist and general readers.
Some of the key findings from the report are:
The data in this Spotlight was primarily sourced from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Eurostat, but also from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Pobal, the Department of Education, and from within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) and Ukraine data) and international and national surveys like the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey, the Irish Sports Monitor and the Healthy Ireland Survey.
Please see notice issued from Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth re New Garda Vetting Procedures for ELC and SAC Sector:
We are writing to remind you of important changes to the Garda Vetting procedure for the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) sector.
The new Garda Vetting system has been designed to strengthen and streamline compliance processes to improve efficiencies for everyone. The updates will affect how employers, childminders, and employees apply for or renew their Garda Vetting applications.
Our priority is to safeguard children, keeping them safe in all settings throughout Ireland.
Starting from 1st February 2025, the following changes will take effect:
• Early Childhood Ireland (ECI) will manage Garda Vetting services for all early learning and care, and school-age childcare employees. You do not need to be a member of Early Childhood Ireland to access this free vetting service. You will, however, need to register with Early Childhood Ireland as a Garda Vetting User to access vetting services, this will be available from 1st February 2025.
•Tusla will manage Garda Vetting services for registered providers including childminders as well as Chairpersons of Boards of Management.
•As part of these changes, Barnardos will no longer provide vetting services.
We are committed to supporting you throughout this period of change. It is vital that you remain compliant with vetting requirements at all times.
There is no need to reapply for Garda vetting if your current vetting is still valid (dated within the last three years). The recent changes only affect the process of where you apply for Garda vetting – for employees and for registered providers, or chairpersons of boards of management (if they are the registered provider). If your Garda Vetting is dated within the last three years, it remains valid, unless there has been a change in your employment status.
For vetting of employees:
•If your current provider is Barnardos and you have employees you will be required to apply for a new Garda Vetting Affiliate Number for Early Childhood Ireland. This is a free service. We recommend that you take a proactive approach in transferring to your new provider to be ready for the 1st February 2025 commencement date and in advance of when you might next need Garda vetting services.
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Please contact the Garda National Vetting Bureau (GNBV) at gnvb.registration@garda.ie to progress your Affiliate Number application to ensure you have your new number to process submissions through Early Childhood Ireland.
•Please note that the process of obtaining a new affiliate number can take several weeks and you will have no access to Garda vetting services during this period. It is therefore important that you should only instigate a change in affiliate number when you have no vetting applications in progress and do not anticipate you will need vetting. If a service expects to need vetting between now and 31st January you should wait until after completing your upcoming vetting to proceed with changing affiliate number. It is ok to instigate a change in your affiliate number after 31st January.
For vetting of registered providers including childminders, single-handed operators and Chairpersons of Boards of Management.
•Tusla will manage Garda Vetting services for registered providers including childminders, single-handed operators, and Chairpersons of Boards of Management. An affiliate number will not be required to access vetting through Tusla as they are a Regulatory Body. This vetting service is available to all childminders, including those who are not yet registered.
For further information, please visit the Gov.ie page with information on the new Garda Vetting procedures for the sector here. This page will be updated regularly with any further details or guidance.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your current provider or contact your local City or County Childcare Committee.
Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to implement these new procedures.
The 2025 Registration Renewal Cycle will commence in March 2025. This registration cycle will see the registration renewal of 4,315 Pre-School and School Age Services.
To prepare, please check your service’s registration status and update any required documentation in advance.
You can find your registration date on your current certificate or via the registers:
Required documents:
You will receive a notification two months before your renewal date to upload documents and pay the renewal fee.
More details will follow soon. For additional information, visit this link.
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Minister for Education Norma Foley, and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman have today welcomed the publication of Aistear, the updated curriculum framework for babies, toddlers and young children.
Aistear, the Irish word for journey, was Ireland’s first curriculum framework for early childhood education when it was introduced in 2009. This is the first update since then and it will come into effect in September next year.
The updated Aistear is for all children from birth to six years in all settings other than primary and special schools. It can be used by anyone who supports babies, toddlers and young children’s learning and development such as parents, childminders and early years educators.
One of the key changes in the updated Aistear is that words, phrases and proverbs “as Gaeilge” are embedded throughout to promote their use by educators as they interact with babies, toddlers and young children every day.
Greater emphasis has also been placed on experiences that support children’s creativity and their engagement with the arts, emergent literacy and numeracy, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For example, babies, toddlers and young children will be supported to be creative and take the initiative to explore, respond to and express themselves through art, drama, dance or music.
Minister Foley said:
“Nurturing young children’s interest and love for learning is vitally important for their wellbeing, development and for their lifelong learning experiences.
“Babies, toddlers and young children learn and develop at a pace that exceeds that of any other stage in their lives, so it is very important to update the Aistear curriculum to reflect their changing needs.
“I warmly welcome the emphasis in the updated Aistear on promoting the use of Gaeilge in the everyday language of educators as they interact with babies, toddlers and young children.
“I also welcome the continued recognition of the crucial role of súgradh (play), spraoi (fun), taiscéalaíocht (exploration) and comhrá (conversation) in the updated Aistear, as well as the greater emphasis on childrens’ arts, early-stage literacy and numeracy, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
“An innovative part of the updating process was the consultation carried out by the NCCA with babies, toddlers and young children to give them a voice in the process. We know that around 96 per cent of children experience preschool as part of the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, so this update will have a broad impact.
“I thank the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and his Department for the collaborative engagement with my Department and the NCCA in this important development. I look forward to continued work across both Departments in supporting the early learning and care sector with its ongoing implementation.”
Minister O’Gorman said:
“The timely publication of the updated Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework is an important milestone for the early learning and care sector. The updated Framework reflects the societal and policy changes that have taken place since the publication of the original Framework in 2009. I want to acknowledge the commitment by educators and childminders in implementing Aistear to date; they play a significant role in promoting high quality early learning experiences for young children in different learning environments.
“Mirroring the development of the original framework, a collaborative process has ensured the updated framework is in line with commitments in First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028, and that Aistear will continue to reflect and support the lives of children and their families for many years to come.
“I am also very pleased that the framework strengthens the focus on children’s rights, slow, relational pedagogy, diversity and inclusion, outdoor learning, wellbeing, and sustainability. The inclusion of words, phrases and proverbs as Gaeilge through the framework acknowledges that our language, identity and belonging are closely intertwined.
“Collaboration between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Education will continue over the course of the next year until the commencement of the updated Aistear in September 2025. The focus of the next 12 months will be on dissemination and professional development activities for the sector. The Departments will be working closely with Better Start and the City/County Childcare Committees to ensure early years educators and other stakeholders are ready to implement the new curriculum framework.”
The new Aistear framework promotes a view of babies, toddlers, and young children as capable and confident learners who thrive in caring and respectful relationships. It provides information for adults to help them to provide enjoyable and challenging learning experiences, so that all children can grow and develop.
The framework celebrates early childhood as a time of enjoying and learning from early experiences, laying important foundations for later learning and for life.
Since Aistear was first published in 2009, much has changed both in the early learning and care sector and in society more broadly. An update of the framework was undertaken by the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to reflect these changes and to ensure that the framework continues to support high quality early learning experiences for children. Mirroring the development of the original framework, the update was done in close collaboration with the early learning and care sector, including educators and organisations supporting their work. It included a review of research and an extensive public consultation in 2022 and 2023.
The updated framework is accompanied by The Guidance for Good Practice. This second document supports educators to understand and engage with the vision, principles and themes in Aistear. Like the 2009 Guidelines for Good Practice, the Guidance describes good practice and expands on important ideas in the curriculum framework.
The framework and related resources can be found here .
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth today welcomes the launch of a toolkit for including children from birth to 5 years in decision-making. The toolkit has been published by Hub na nÓg, the national centre of excellence and coordination in children and young people’s participation in decision making, which is an initiative of the Department of Children Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The toolkit provides guidance on how to listen to babies, toddlers and young children and involve them in decision-making on matters that affect their lives. It contains guidance, advice and examples of good practice on involving children in decision-making for professionals and practitioners who work with babies, toddlers and children under the age of five.
The toolkit is based on the National Framework on the Participation of Children and Young People in Decision-making, which uses the Committee on the Rights of the Child nine principles of quality child participation.
It is informed by examples of the ways that babies, toddlers and young children took part in decision-making, with good practice examples included in the document. These examples are based on interviews with early years educators, professionals and other adults who work with children.
It is also informed by a literature review on methodologies for consulting children from birth to five years that was overseen by an Early Years Working Group, made up of early years educators and specialists.
The toolkit is intended to be a useful resource for all adults who work with and support young children – early years educators, healthcare professionals, Junior Infants teachers, social workers, parents, childminders, organisations that provide sports, dance, gym and other classes to children and in any other place or space where adults work directly with babies, toddlers and young children.
Hub na nÓg will host an eLearning session on the 10th of December which will present a comprehensive review of the Literature and Practice that has informed the development of this toolkit. Registration details are available here.
The toolkit is available to view here.
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Following the commencement of the first phase of the enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot announced on 9 August, Minister O’Gorman, Minister Foley, Minister Rabbitte, Minister Naughton, senior HSE and NCSE officials have today welcomed the further announcement of ten special schools included in the second phase of the pilot.
The focus of the pilot is to provide the effective delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports to children in selected special schools, managed in a coherent and collaborative manner.
Subsequent to detailed deliberations by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Department of Education, the HSE and the NCSE, which looked at a range of criteria including considerations around lessons learned from the rollout of Phase 1, the level of educational need, and existing levels of resources available in the respective Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs), a number of schools were selected as being most suitable for the second phase. This suitability does not diminish the existing needs of other schools, the selection of these schools reflecting a combination of areas of relatively greater need and capacity to deliver on the Pilot objectives.
Eight special schools in the Dublin/Cork area were selected for inclusion in Phase 2 and, in the context of the imperative to ensure deliverability of the previously agreed government commitment to include a further ten schools in the pilot, the selection process was extended to a third location from which the final two schools were selected.
In Dublin, the special schools included in the second phase of the pilot are:
In the Cork area, the special schools included in the second phase of the pilot are:
In Galway, the special schools included in the second phase of the pilot are:
Key stakeholders including the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Department of Education, the Health Service Executive, lead agencies, the National Council for Special Education and special schools will continue to collaborate to ensure the effective delivery of this pilot. The Steering Group overseeing this pilot will continue to meet on a weekly basis to ensure the expansion of the pilot is as efficient as possible and communication between stakeholders is clear and effective. The expansion of this pilot to the additional ten schools is expected to commence, on a phased basis, starting in January 2025, subject to discussions with relevant stakeholders.
Minister O’Gorman commented:
“Today’s announcement is a further positive step towards supporting children with complex needs and their families. It comes following comprehensive engagement between officials in my department and their counterparts in the Department of Education, the HSE and NCSE. I welcome the expansion of in-school therapy supports pilot programme to a further ten schools and look forward to seeing the improved outcomes for these children and their families as part of the overall government effort to improve children’s disability services across the country under the Progressing Disability Services programme. This integrated approach will seek to ensure the educational, health and social needs of children are met with the support of appropriate services.”
Minister Rabbitte stated:
“I am very pleased to see the expansion of the pilot for in-school therapies to a further ten schools across three areas. This pilot, involving all relevant service providers, will seek to enhance supports for the children in the school setting. It is expected that this will provide educational benefit to the children and also enhance school staff capacity and capabilities. I am hopeful that families will also see positive benefits for their children extend into the home environment, with the integrated approach between HSE and NCSE personnel being a key element of service delivery. I am happy to see the continued engagement by the departments, state agencies and lead agencies in progressing this important pilot.”
Minister Foley said:
“As Minister for Education I want every young person to have every available avenue to reach their full potential. I very much welcome that HSE therapists will be allocated to work in ten more special schools as part of this pilot programme.
“This pilot provides an opportunity for the HSE to work with the Department of Education and other key stakeholders to provide wraparound support for children and young people with the greatest level of need in our schools.”
Minister Naughton commented:
“Today’s confirmation that the HSE will provide occupational and speech and language therapists to an additional ten schools as part of this pilot marks a significant step forward in prioritising the needs of children with additional educational needs. Insights gained from the pilot’s first phase have guided the expansion of this initiative to ten more schools in phase two, with continuous engagement to address any outstanding issues. This pilot and the lessons it brings will be essential for shaping a more inclusive approach to education and ensuring that the right supports are in place for each child. Already, we have seen remarkable cooperation across the fields of Health and Education, and I look forward to applying the insights from this project to enhance future support for children with additional needs.”
Press Release
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman has today announced the launch of the €25m Building Blocks Extension Grant scheme for early learning and childcare providers.
The Building Blocks Extension Scheme will deliver additional capacity by supporting existing early learning and childcare Core Funding partner services to extend their premises. It will also allow community services to purchase or construct new premises.
The scheme will have four strands:
All projects will be required to deliver net increases in full-time places for one to three-year-olds. Projects will also be required to incorporate Universal Design.
The Extension Grant scheme follows on from the Building Blocks Expansion Grant scheme which ran earlier this year and the Building Blocks Improvement Grant Scheme which operated last year.
The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is part of the wider Building Blocks Capital Programme for Early Learning and Childcare under the revised National Development Plan 2021-2030 (NDP). Up to €89m million has been allocated between 2023 and 2026.
Making the announcement today, Minister O’Gorman said:
“I am very pleased to formally launch this scheme. It demonstrates further significant commitment to the development of the sector and investment in the expansion of provision. The scheme is great news for children, their parents and providers. It will deliver a welcome increase in places, particularly for young children.
“The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme will result in thousands of additional, affordable early learning and childcare places coming on stream. In particular, it is a huge boost for the community sector, and funding will be prioritised for applications from areas with the greatest supply needs.”
He added:
“This scheme builds on the very significant successes in recent years in expanding the delivery of improved and more affordable early learning and childcare.
“I would like to acknowledge the key role of the Office of Public Works in the design and delivery of this scheme. Their participation will ensure the delivery of high-quality projects.”
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth continues to progress a range of other actions to increase the supply of quality and affordable early learning and childcare including significantly increased investment in the Core Funding scheme and the National Childcare Scheme in 2025 and the introduction of the regulation of childminders since September.
Key elements of the scheme
The scale of funding available for different types of projects is outlined below:
Further details of the scheme are being provided to the sector this week. Application forms and applicant guidelines will be made available to the sector in the coming weeks.
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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• Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024 passed by the Oireachtas.
• Alongside provisions on postponement of maternity leave, legislation also includes maternity leave for members of the Oireachtas and restricts Non-Disclosure Agreements in cases of discrimination and harassment.
Minister Roderic O’Gorman has today (24th October) welcomed the Maternity Protection Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024 passing all Stages in the Oireachtas.
The legislation will allow an employee who receives a diagnosis of a serious illness to postpone maternity leave until treatment is concluded, and follows the ‘Leave Our Leave’ campaign by the Irish Cancer Society.
The maternity leave can be postponed for between 5 and 52 weeks, on certification from their doctor. Postponing maternity leave will not sacrifice other forms of leave, such as unpaid maternity leave and Parents Leave.
Speaking today, Minister O’Gorman said:
“The Bill will allow women who suffer a serious illness during their maternity leave to postpone that leave. This is a small, simple change that will have a big impact for so many women at a very challenging time in their lives.
“I am proud that Ireland will be one of the very few countries around the world to be providing this facility to pause maternity leave, and I want to thank the Irish Cancer Society, and those who have campaigned for this change.”
Welcoming the legislation, Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society said:
“The Irish Cancer Society is delighted our #LeaveourLeave campaign has brought about such a monumental change, not just for cancer patients but for also for other women with serious illnesses.
Being diagnosed with cancer while pregnant or with a newborn baby is devastating and robs women of many of the special moments every new mum looks forward to. Until now, Irish law has also robbed them of their maternity leave. Now, women will be spared that heartbreak. Instead of spending their maternity leave receiving life-saving cancer treatment, they’ll be making precious memories with their babies.
We cannot thank Erica Tierney, Mary Canavan, and Emma McGuinness enough – these three incredible women spearheaded the campaign and have worked tirelessly to highlight the need for change. We are grateful to Minister O’ Gorman for listening to the women affected, engaging with us and acting on our request for legislative change.”
Erica Tierney, a cancer survivor and Leave Our Leave campaigner said:
“It’s almost impossible to articulate the meaning of this change to families going through pregnancy and serious illness at the same time. When I was so sick and juggling chemo with being a new mam, discovering I couldn’t keep my maternity leave for when I felt better literally felt like another huge blow, in a time when what I needed was extra support. I’m beyond ecstatic that this change is now a reality and no one going through cancer and pregnancy will also have to endure the loss of their maternity leave. They can bank on having that time back with their baby when the gruelling treatment is done. I’m proud of the work Mary, Emma and I have done to make this change and extremely thankful to the Irish Cancer Society for their solemn commitment, guidance, and hard work on this important issue. We just made life better for hundreds of families every year.”
The Bill also enshrines in legislation the principle that members of the Houses of the Oireachtas who give birth can take 26 weeks maternity leave, and includes amendments to the Employment Equality Act 1998 to regulate the use of non-disclosure agreements related to discrimination and harassment.
The Bill will now go to the President to be signed into law.
The Maternity Protection Bill, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Bill 2024 includes the following provisions:
A pause in maternity leave for serious illness
The Bill amends the Maternity Protection Act 1994 by the insertion of a new section which creates a new entitlement in the Act for an employee who requires ongoing treatment for a serious health condition, including physical and mental health conditions, to postpone maternity leave for a period of between 5 and 52 weeks.
Maternity leave for members of the Oireachtas
The Bill also provides that an absence by a member of the Houses of the Oireachtas, duly notified, related to the birth of a child, shall be called maternity leave for a member of the Houses of the Oireachtas. This shall be for a period of up to 26 weeks.
Regulation of non-disclosure agreements in cases of discrimination or harassment.
This amendment inserts a new section 14B into the Employment Equality Act 1998 in order to introduce measures to limit the use of NDAs where an employee has alleged discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment or victimisation.
Preservation of Private Records
The Bill also includes provisions to preserve privately-held records relating to Ireland’s institutional past. Further information and guidance will be made available upon commencement of these provisions.
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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The pre-school programme provides young children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. When introduced in 2010, children could for one year of free pre-school, which was delivered over 38 weeks of the year in line with the school year – September-June. Since 2018, children can qualify for two years of pre-school, without charge to parents.
With over million children – or a fifth of the population – enrolled in the programme since it was first introduced, uptake rates in excess of 96%, State investment topping €3 billion and barriers faced by children in accessing the programme removed through additional supports provided through the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) and Equal Start, the Minister says the programme has provided important learning and development opportunities to all young children, in particular children with a disability and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The programme has also been behind a dramatic shift in school starting age, with the proportion of four-year-olds in junior infants down to 16% in 2023/24 from 40% in 2009/10 and has been a key impetus for professionalising the sector. Prior to the introduction of the ECCE Programme, there was no minimum qualification for staff working in the sector. Today, the minimum qualification for staff delivering the programme is NFQ Level 5 for Educators and NFQ Level 6 for Lead Educators.
Work now underway to introduce a statutory entitlement to the programme will build on this strong foundation, according to Minister O’Gorman and will be informed by the findings from an Independent Review of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECCE) Programme, conducted by Stranmillis University College, Belfast, which the Minister also published today.
Welcoming these latest figures and the findings from the Review, Minister O’Gorman said:
“These figures I have released today and the findings from the review by Stranmillis University College show the success story the ECCE programme has become.
“With more than 1 million enrolments since the programme was first introduced and uptake rates in excess of 96%, it is clear this programme has been embraced wholeheartedly by children and their families and by wider society.
“Moreover, with 40% of families reporting that they would not have been able to enrol their child in pre-school had it not been for the ECCE programme, it is clear that this programme has altered early learning experiences and development opportunities for all children and children experiencing disadvantage in particular.
“I am grateful to providers and early years educator across the country who are behind these figures and this success, and I wish to acknowledge their crucial role in transforming children’s lives through education and care.
“Work to introduce a statutory entitlement to the ECCE programme is now underway, which will build on this strong foundation. This work will be informed by the findings from the Independent Review of the ECCE programme, which I published today.”
The Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) is a free, universal two-year preschool programme available to all children within the eligible age range funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY). It provides children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school.
The department funds a national network of City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) who provide support and advice to parents/guardians and childcare providers, including support on applying for the various funding schemes administered by the department and assistance for parents/guardians on all aspects of childcare.
Childcare services taking part in the ECCE Programme must provide an appropriate preschool educational programme which adheres to the principles of Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Aistear, the early childhood curriculum framework for children from birth up to the age of six years.
The ECCE programme is provided for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week over 38 weeks per year (or 182 days which can be found on the provider’s ECCE calendar), and the programme year runs from 1 September to 30 June each year.
The programme is free and available to all children who have turned 2 years and 8 months of age by 31 August and must not be older than 5 years and 6 months of age on or before 30th June, of the programme year.
The Access and Inclusion Model, AIM, enables children with a disability to access and participate meaningfully in the State-funded ECCE programme in mainstream settings to the same degree as their peers. AIM is based on need and does not require a formal diagnosis of disability. AIM seeks to create a more inclusive environment in early learning and childcare settings and achieves this by providing universal supports and targeted supports to settings, which focus on the needs of the individual child.
Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive culture in early learning and care settings, through training courses and qualifications for staff. Where universal supports are not enough to meet the needs of an individual child, targeted supports are available. Targeted supports under AIM include:
One of the commitments in First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, was to undertake an evaluation of AIM and, subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, to consider enhancements to, and/or extension of, AIM to, for example, all early learning and care services, all school-age childcare services and to children with additional needs other than a disability.
The AIM evaluation was published in January 2024. The findings have informed this expansion of targeted AIM supports to children beyond time spent in the ECCE programme, in term and out of term from September 2024. The intent of the additional hours funding is to support ECCE-enrolled children with a disability to access early learning and care outside of the ECCE programme if they wish to do so.
In addition to this, an action plan has been developed to respond to areas for improvement identified through the AIM evaluation, including increasing awareness of AIM, further building the capacity and confidence of educators and providers in supporting children with autism and streamlining the application process for equipment, appliances, and minor alterations.
Equal Start is a funding model and a set of universal and targeted measures to support access and full participation in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) for children and their families who experience disadvantage. In support of this overarching objective, Equal Start consists of a series of actions – 17 in total – to support children and families as well as educators, practitioners and settings. The goals of Equal Start are that:
Equal Start constitutes the fourth strand of Together for Better, the funding model for early learning and care and school-age childcare and complements the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), and Core Funding as well as other key policies that also support disadvantaged children within early learning and care and school-age childcare.
From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Minister for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, joins Adam Harris, AsIAm CEO, and Fiona O’Mahony, AsIAm Senior Speech & Language Therapist & AAC Support Programme Manager, to launch first-of-its kind Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Support Programme
Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, has announced the commencement of the distribution of devices to a pilot group of users as part of the roll-out of the AAC Support Programme, which is being run by AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity.
Earlier this year, Minister Rabbitte announced €1m in support for the programme which will see over 500 autistic children benefit from the programme. This next phase of implementation follows the completion of consultation, procurement and recruitment processes to support the operational phase of delivery.
AAC includes all forms of communication which a person may use other than talking. It may add to someone’s speech or may be an alternative to speaking. The AAC Support Programme will use high-tech solutions including apps for use on tablets and phones which support Autistic people who may not speak to communicate.
The programme, which aligns with Government’s Autism Innovation Strategy, will be open to all children living in Ireland who have been diagnosed as autistic and are non-speaking or use minimal words or phrases, and rely on non-speaking forms of communication as their primary means of communication.
The AAC Support Programme will provide access to high-tech communication devices and support through AsIAm. Recipients will include autistic children and young people who are already receiving support from a Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) as well as autistic people who currently do not have access to speech and language therapy support.
The programme will also allow families to select a device on a “borrow and keep” basis. Both groups will be able to apply for a device as well as access training and guidance for family members and educational professionals supporting the individual.
Minister Rabbitte commented,
“The AAC Support Programme will be transformative for autistic children and their families, breaking down barriers to communication and fostering greater inclusion.
“The programme offers three streams of support, catering to families who are currently working with a Speech & Language Therapist and those who are not. This inclusive approach ensures that all autistic children with communication needs have the opportunity to benefit from AAC.
“AsIAm do superb work supporting autistic people of all ages, and this programme is leading the way in providing comprehensive AAC support. By empowering autistic children with the tools they need to communicate effectively, we are helping them to reach their full potential and participate fully in society.”
Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm, said,
“Everyone deserves the same chance to have their voice heard. We know that too often autistic children and families have faced barriers to accessing this most fundamental of rights. Our AAC Support Programme will reduce these barriers by providing both devices and associated support for children and families who may benefit.”
Enrolment and distribution of pilot recipients for both Stream 1 and Stream 2 of the Programme will commence in October, with broader access anticipated to commence prior to Christmas.
Accessing AAC has numerous benefits from autistic children including increasing receptive and expressive language skills, augmenting spoken words, increasing independence and facilitating inclusion and participation. AsIAm’s programme is designed not only to increase availability and provide access to those who previously could not access the funding or support required, but to increase impact and knowledge by creating a community of support around the child and family.
Families will be able to access devices under 3 streams:
Stream 1: Families who are supported by a Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) who can apply to access a device, with relevant documentation provided by their SLT
Stream 2: Families who are not supported by an SLT who can apply to access a device and be supported by AsIAm through an AAC device trial
Stream 3: Families who are working with an SLT can apply to trial a device and associated software and keep it should it meet their needs
All participants will be able to access a suite of training and support developed by the AsIAm AAC Support Programme Team, led by a Senior SLT.
An expression of interest form is now live on the AsIAm website and can be accessed here.