Minister O’Gorman welcomes Oireachtas passing new right to postpone maternity leave in cases of serious illness

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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.

 

Notes for the editor:

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.

Government’s free pre-school programme ECCE reaches the one million milestone as results of independent review is published

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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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New figures show how the government’s free pre-school programme – the Early Childhood Care and Education or ECCE programme – has transformed early learning experiences and development opportunities for young children in this country, according to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman.

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.”

Notes

Overview of the ECCE Programme

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.

Overview of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)

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:

  • Level 4: Expert educational advice/support from Better Start Early Years Specialists
  • Level 5: Capital grants for specialised equipment, appliances, assistive technology and/or minor alterations for settings to ensure children with a disability can participate in the ECCE programme
  • Level 6: Access to therapeutic services from the HSE where critical to enable a child’s meaningful participation in the ECCE programme
  • Level 7: Additional capitation for providers where needed to either reduce the adult to child ratio in the pre-school room or to pay for additional assistance. Level 7 assistance is a shared resource for the setting

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.

Overview of Equal Start

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:

  • all children, in particular children experiencing disadvantage, have equitable access and participation in ELC and SAC settings
  • all ELC and SAC settings, in particular settings operating in the context of concentrated disadvantage, equitably promote the learning and care of children from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • parents and families, in particular parents and families experiencing disadvantage, are empowered with the knowledge, tools and supports necessary for children to have equitable access and participation in ELC and SAC

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.

An Independent Review of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme in Ireland Executive Summary

 

An Independent Review of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme in Ireland Final Report

Minister Rabbitte announces commencement of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Support Programme under AsIAm

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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.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

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.

 

Minister O’Gorman publishes Guidelines Supporting Inclusion for Autistic Children in Early Learning, School & Childcare Settings

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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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Press Release

Roderic O’ Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, today published Introductory Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care, School-Age Childcare and Childminding Settings.

The Guidelines are for early years educators, school-age childcare practitioners and childminders who are currently working to support the meaningful inclusion of autistic children in early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings.

They form part of a wider suite of universal and targeted supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) which have been designed to ensure children with a disability and additional needs can access and participate in the ECCE programme and early learning and care settings more broadly.

The Guidelines fulfil a commitment in the recently launched National Autism Innovation Strategy, which aims to address the bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.

Each year 2,735 services benefit from AIM supports.

Speaking today about the National Guidelines, Minister O’Gorman said:

“I am delighted to announce the publication of National Guidelines to Support the Inclusion of Autistic Children in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Settings.

“Meaningful inclusion of neurodivergent children and their families in settings starts with the early years educators and school-age practitioners being fully informed of their role in active inclusion.

“These Guidelines form part of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) suite of supports and resources supporting the inclusion of children in the ECCE programme and beyond.

“I hope the Guidelines assist early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners with the important role they play to support the inclusion of all children in their settings.”

Welcoming the publication of these guidelines, Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte added:

“I warmly welcome these National Guidelines for those working with our youngest children. They deliver on an action of our Department’s Autism Innovation Strategy.

“This Strategy will work hard to respond and enhance the lived experience of autistic people, their families and carers, so we can ensure that challenges and barriers currently being faced are being adequately addressed and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system.

“These guidelines for early learning and care, school-age childcare and childminding settings are an example of a clear action that can make a tangible difference to children’s lives.”

ENDS/

Government announces decision to accede to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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An Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, and the Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, have today announced that Government will accede to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Ireland ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 20 March 2018. The Convention aims to make sure that people with disabilities are treated fairly, have the same opportunities as people without disabilities, and are fully included in society.

The Optional Protocol supplements the Convention by establishing additional procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention. The State’s implementation of the UNCRPD is already subject to periodic review by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Accession to the Optional Protocol means that people with disabilities will have their rights better upheld by strengthened accountability measures.

The Optional Protocol establishes the competence of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a body of independent experts, to:

  • receive and examine communications from or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals who claim to be victims of a violation of the rights recognised and protected by the Convention.
  • undertake inquiries in cases where they receive reliable evidence of grave or systemic violations of the Convention.

After examining such a communication, the Committee will issue recommendations to Ireland.

The Committee will only examine a communication if it meets the admissibility criteria set out in the Protocol, and in particular the requirement that a person has exhausted all available domestic remedies. Encouraging states to ensure the proper protection of rights domestically is one of the main advantages of the Optional Protocol.

Accession to the Optional Protocol demonstrates Ireland’s commitment to the continued realisation of the rights and obligations set out in the Convention. It is an important milestone in Ireland’s journey toward a more inclusive and fair society for everyone, and one in which everyone is valued equally.

Following the government decision, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs will sign an instrument of accession on behalf of the Government, to be deposited with the Secretary-General of the UN. The Protocol will enter into force in Ireland 30 days later.

Speaking about the decision to accede to the Optional Protocol, An Taoiseach Simon Harris said:

“Today is an important day for Ireland and particularly for people with a disability. One of my key priorities as Taoiseach is to make the lives of people with a disability more inclusive, fairer and it is so important that everyone is afforded equal opportunities. Ratification of the Optional Protocol will mean that people with a disability will have their rights more stringently upheld by strengthened accountability measures. I know this is an important day for the thousands of people who have campaigned for this to happen”.

An Tánaiste Micheál Martin said:

“I am delighted that we are now in a position to strengthen Ireland’s commitment to the rights of people with disabilities through this Optional Protocol. This marks an important and necessary step in our commitment to the protection of the rights of those with disabilities, and demonstrates our commitment to progressing towards a more inclusive and fair society”.

Speaking on the matter, Minister O’Gorman said:

“I am delighted that Ireland will be formally acceding to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In April I convened an interdepartmental group to drive progress on this issue and I am delighted to see that work has led to today’s decision. The decision by Government to take this step marks a milestone moment for the State. It emphasises the value that is placed on ensuring that we are accountable in upholding the rights of persons with disabilities”.

The Minister added:

“My Department’s vision is one of a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving Ireland where no one is left behind or faces discrimination. Central to this vision is ensuring that persons with disabilities are supported to live the lives that they want to and are provided equal opportunities to do so. Acceding to the Optional Protocol further supports the realisation of that vision”.

Minister Rabbitte said:

“Accession by Ireland to the Optional Protocol signals Ireland’s ongoing drive to improving the lives of persons with disabilities in this country. Moving Ireland to the point of ratification has been a major focus for me as Minister. Disabled people must be given every opportunity to participate equally and fully in our society, and to have their rights as set out under the Convention respected. The development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was rooted in the need to express human rights in the context of disability rights. Accession to the Optional Protocol demonstrates our intention to keep building on the progress we have made in ensuring that these rights are upheld, and ultimately assists in furthering the State’s progressive implementation of the Convention in an important way”.

The Minister added:

“I also think it’s important to recognise the tireless efforts of advocates, Disabled Person’s Organisations, and individuals who have championed this cause. Their voices have been instrumental in driving this progress, and their contributions will continue to shape our policies and practices”.

Notes for Editors:

Accession to the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a commitment in the Programme for Government. It was originally intended to accede to the Protocol after Ireland’s first Periodic Review by the Committee. However, as that has now been delayed at UN level work to progress earlier accession has been underway across government.

The purpose of the UN Convention is to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

The Optional Protocol supplements the Convention, and establishes additional procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Convention. It establishes the competence of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a body of independent experts, to:

  • receive and examine communications from or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals who claim to be victims of a violation of the rights recognised and protected by the Convention.
  • undertake inquiries in cases where they receive reliable evidence of grave or systemic violations of the Convention.

In April of this year Minister O’Gorman announced the formation of an Interdepartmental Group that was tasked with expediting work to provide a pathway for accession. The work of that Group has recently concluded, and has ensured that a whole-of-Government approach is taken to adhering to the obligations as set out in the Convention and the Optional Protocol.

While the Optional Protocol does not establish any further rights beyond the scope of the original Convention, it does establish a procedure through which persons can submit a communication to the UN Committee regarding any violation of the rights established under the Convention. The Optional Protocol therefore acts as an important mechanism for implementation of the Convention.

Persons with disabilities can make a complaint to the Committee under the communication procedure. The Committee receives communications in the form of written submissions (either online or by post) from or on behalf of individuals and assesses such communications to establish their admissibility and their merits. Should the Committee deem a communication to be admissible it will examine the complaint, and may ultimately make recommendations as to how the State should rectify the issue in question.

In line with the constitutional and legal position on international agreements, these recommendations are domestically non-binding on the state. The Committee typically convenes twice a year in order to examine these communications.

Complainants must exhaust all domestic remedies in order for the Committee to deem a communication admissible, and one of the advantages of accession to the Protocol is in ensuring that appropriate domestic redress exists for breaches of rights. This means that domestic avenues through which a solution may be found such as judicial proceedings, appeals of lower court decisions, judicial reviews and potentially other enforceable administrative remedies, must be exhausted prior to any complaint being made to the Committee. The Committee may decide that the exhaustion of domestic remedies is not necessary in some cases (where the application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged or unlikely to bring effective relief).

A communication can be judged inadmissible for a number of reasons such as being anonymous, being examined by another international body at the time of consideration by the Committee, or if the events described in the communication occurred prior to ratification of the Protocol. A communication may also be deemed inadmissible if it is anonymous, or is incompatible with the provisions of the Convention.

For more information on the communication procedure as well as a complaint submission form please visit: https://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/crpd/individual-communications

Next Steps

On foot on this Government decision, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs will sign an instrument of accession on behalf of the Government, to be deposited with the Secretary-General of the UN. The Protocol will enter into force with respect to the State on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit.

Accession to the Protocol forms part of Ireland’s broader approach to compliance with the Convention. In that regard intensive work is ongoing across government to develop Ireland’s next National Disability Strategy, which will form the implementation plan to advance delivery of the rights as set out in the Convention over the coming years.

Press Release

 

Menu Plan for Early Learning and Care Services

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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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The Menu plan for Early Learning and Care Services has been published by the Healthy Eating and Active Living division in the HSE and Safe food. This menu plan aims to provide a practical guide to implementing the ‘Nutrition Standards for Early Learning and Care Services’. This menu plan’s recipes have been designed for use by all regulated early years providers including children’s centres, nurseries and childminders.
Menu Plan for Early Learning and Care Services

Healthy Lunchbox Leaflet for Preschool

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From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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We all want to improve our children’s wellbeing and help them enjoy learning. One of the best ways to do this is through a healthy lunch. Preschools can provide good guidance on preparing lunch for your child.

This leaflet will give parents some ideas for your child’s lunchbox. A balanced lunchbox will help ensure children have the energy they need to learn and play.

Healthy Lunchboxes for pre-schoolers

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/69d86-healthy-lunchbox-leaflet-for-preschool

Minister O’Gorman welcomes record €837m investment from Budget 2025

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Link to Press Release

From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

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• Overall Budget allocation focused on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of €8 billion

• 24% increase (€265.8m) in investment in Early Learning and Childcare to €1.37bn

• Increased funding for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, of almost €145m

• Minister Rabbitte has secured an additional €335.8m for disability services, with budget surpassing €3bn for the first time

• Additional €6.95m (9% increase) secured to support and expand youth services.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, has secured a Budget 2025 package which will deliver on services for children and people in greatest need.

The Minister announced today an overall increase of 11% which is an additional €837m for the Vote group and the highest ever year-on-year increase in funding for the Department. This brings the overall funding allocated to the Department in Budget 2025 to over €8bn.

Minister O’Gorman said:

“The increase in funding reflects the level of demand and funding required to provide assistance to children, young people and some of the most vulnerable people in our country. It is essential in enabling us to advance our vision of a fair, equal, and inclusive society, where rights are respected and where everyone – from childhood onwards – is supported to achieve their potential.”

The funding builds on the substantial investment in 2024 in Early Learning and Childcare, with total funding in 2025 of over €1.37 billion, an increase of 24% or almost €266m. This supports the full year costs of the significant National Childcare Scheme subsidy increases for parents introduced this September 2024.

It also ensures the continued expansion of the numbers of children supported under the National Childcare Scheme, ECCE and AIM. Added to that, it ensures the continued roll-out and expansion of Core Funding and Equal Start, with new funding to support improved pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners. It will also deliver an additional nutrition programme to early learning and childcare settings operating in the context of concentrated disadvantage.

Further funding of €145m or 14% is being put into child welfare and family support services delivered by Tusla. This funding will deliver:

• Further investment and support towards children in foster care, including funding for extra support to foster families during the initial placement of a new foster child, and additional mileage support for foster carers bringing children to appointments.

• Maintain and support Family Support Services and early intervention and preventative programmes across Ireland including an expansion to the network of Family Resource Centres, and

• Increased Special Care and Residential Care provision.

• Increased funding to meet growing numbers of separated children seeking international protection.

Additional funding of almost €336m (a 12% increase over 2024) is being provided to HSE disability services, bringing the overall budget to €3.2bn. This increased funding will deliver:

• In the region of 70 additional residential places, as well as supporting the transition of people from congregated settings and under-65s from nursing homes to more appropriate housing in the community.

• Continued support for respite services, particularly alternative respite such as weekend clubs, equine therapy respite, afterschool clubs and tea-time respite.

• Development of new Autism Innovation Fund for local community groups supporting autistic children and adults.

• Progressive alignment of the PA hourly rate and the Home Support rate in line with Older Persons Services.

Minister Rabbitte said:

“This year’s allocation demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to building capacity in disability services. This funding will provide greater investment in a range of service areas such as residential, respite, children’s services, day services, PA, Home Support and neurological community services.

“I will continue in 2025 to do the very best I can for people with disabilities and their families, to provide intervention and care when it is needed and to progressively deliver tangible improvements to the lives of people with disabilities.”

Minister O’Gorman concluded:

“Across my Department, we are entrusted with responsibility for children and some of the most vulnerable people in our country – children in care, refugees, survivors, people with disabilities, people who may be facing disadvantage and discrimination. This investment will support us to deliver for each of these groups.

We continue to build on previous budgets in driving down costs for all parents, improving quality and expanding access to early learning and childcare for all families. This includes targeted measures for children with disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We continue to increase investment in disability services, child protection and family support services and youth services. All of this is with a view to supporting those in need to feel safe, respected and empowered to reach their full potential”.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Early Learning and Childcare

The 2025 allocation of €1.37bn will allow the Department to consolidate and build on recent progress. This includes continuing the implementation of:

• The National Childcare Scheme (NCS), with more than 216,000 individual children set to benefit from the Scheme in 2025. This is by far the largest number of children ever to benefit from NCS.

• The universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which will benefit over 107,000 children in 2025, and the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) to enable c7,800 children with a disability to access and meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme.

• Continue the implementation of Year 3 of Core Funding, with enhancements in Year 4 of the Scheme. Importantly, these include new ring-fenced funding to support employers in meeting further increases in minimum rates of pay for those working in the sector, arising from future negotiated Employment Regulation Orders by the independent Early Years Services Joint Labour Committee.

• Advance implementation of Year 1 of Equal Start, with enhancements in Year 2. These include a new measure of an Additional Nutrition Programme in Equal Start Priority Settings, as well as supports for the development and rollout of Parent Community Coordinator training, and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion training.

• Deliver new early learning and childcare places for children under 3 under the Building Blocks Extension Scheme.

Child Protection and Wellbeing

• Budget 2024 sees an increase of almost 14% in funding for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

• Budget 2025 also includes an allocation of €0.3m which will be used to provide a bonus payment at the start of each initial placement. This will aim to alleviate the substantial out-of-pocket expenses during the initial placement period, which can deter potential foster carers from coming forward and can strain the resources of those already fostering.

• Tusla are facing an unprecedented increase in demand for services from children, who are separated from their families, who have come to Ireland. This Budget provides significant additional resources to the teams in Tusla who are dedicated to helping these children.

Youth Services

• For youth services, €84.9m is being allocated in Budget 2025 to current expenditure to youth services, an increase across current and capital funding of €7 million, or 9%, on the 2024 budget.

• This additional funding will expand youth work service capacity and enable 10 new targeted youth services to be opened. It will also fund a new pilot initiative to address holiday hunger among young people attending youth work services.

• It will allow for the implementation of a new national strategy for youth work and related services and support the expansion of initiatives to enable children and young people to participate in decision making within the framework of the Participation of Children and Young People in Decision-Making Action Plan 2023-2028.

Disability

• Minister O’Gorman and Minister Rabbitte have secured €3.2 billion of current funding for Specialist Community Based Disability Services next year. This amounts to an 11.6% increase in funding on last year and represents an overall increase of €1.2bn since 2020.

• This significant level of funding recognises the challenges facing the sector including the increased cost of service provision, pay cost pressures and service provider sustainability.

• It will mean that 2025 will see some further expansion, including in relation to Children’s Services, Day Services, Residential Services, and Personal Assistance Hours. This expansion will further assist people to continue living independently in their own homes.

• This allocation will support the continued implementation of the Action Plan for Disability Services and the roll out of the Roadmap for Service Improvement for Disability Services.

• €27m will be invested in a range of infrastructure developments supporting areas such as Respite, Residential, and day services.

Equality

• Increased funding has been secured for equality to drive forward new national strategies – on Travellers and Roma, LGBTI+ inclusion and on women and girls. This funding will strengthen the Government to address key equality issues and to improve opportunities for diverse groups at risk of discrimination.

• A 62% increase in LGBTI funding has been agreed which provides crucial resources towards strengthening the LGBTI+ infrastructure and will enable a much larger number of LGBTI projects to be funded.

• As part of the Department’s commitment to enabling Ireland to meet its international human rights monitoring obligations, the budget of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has been increased by €1.021m (a 12% increase).

Ukraine response

• Budget 2025 includes funding which will enable the Department continue to meet Ireland’s responsibilities in relation to the provision of access to, or the means to access, temporary emergency accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) fleeing the war in Ukraine.

• This funding allows for continued support for people currently living in DCEDIY-supported accommodation and pledged accommodation as they continue to make their way towards independent living in 2025.

International Protection

• Additional funding has been secured to work towards meeting Ireland’s legal obligation to receive and accommodate International Protection Applicants and for increased Community Engagement and communications, to assist with engagement with local communities and stakeholders on the opening of new accommodation centres.

• €8.4m has been secured for child supports. This will fund the International Protection Child Payment being rolled out in 2025, benefitting an average of 5,000 eligible children per month. This is a crucial part of improving integration and reducing child poverty.

Mother & Baby Institutions Payment Scheme

• Budget 2025 has ensured funding of almost €125m to continue the Government’s response to the legacy of Mother and Baby Institutions, including implementation of the Payment Scheme, the intervention at Tuam, the Special Advocate for Survivors, and the National Centre for Research and Remembrance.

Minister Rabbitte announces next funding call under the €3.5m Disability and Participation Awareness Fund 2024

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Link to Press Release

From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Published on 

Last updated on 

Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, has launched the next call for applications to the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund.

The primary aim of this Fund is to support the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in their local communities around Ireland. A total of €3.5 million has been allocated to the Fund this year. Applications are being invited under four thematic strands. Applications are particularly encouraged from organisations led by people with disabilities. In addition to cash grants, non-financial support will also be provided, which will be tailored to each project/organisation, and will be aimed at building its capacity and increasing its impact.

Strand 1

Supporting community, sports and physical participation: Funding projects/organisations that improve and encourage the accessibility of, and participation in, community life for disabled persons.

Strand 2

Supporting participation in arts and cultural activities: Funding projects/organisations supporting arts and cultural activities, particularly those that foster awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and that support the participation of people with disabilities in arts and culture.

Strand 3

Supporting employment and apprenticeships: Funding social enterprise initiatives to provide valuable employment experience or apprenticeships to people with disabilities.

Strand 4

Supporting projects/initiatives in the area of neurodiversity: Funding projects/organisations supporting the participation of neurodiverse children and adults in their local communities.

The fund will be operated on behalf of the Department by Rethink Ireland. Organisations can make an application under the different strands through the Rethink Ireland website. Support for organisations to make an application will also be provided to organisations by Rethink Ireland.

Announcing the opening of the fund, Minister Rabbitte said:

“I am delighted to announce the launch of the next round of funding under the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF). This funding has a strong focus on supporting people with disabilities to participate in their communities through arts, culture, sports, employment and apprenticeships.

Since I established the DPAF, I have been consistently impressed by the quality of the projects and initiatives being devised and led at a community level by organisations across Ireland. I am proud that the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund has been able to support so much of this great work over the past number of years. I look forward to seeing the projects which will emerge in this round of funding.

We are working this year again with Rethink Ireland on this important fund, and I encourage all organisations who may wish to apply to contact Rethink Ireland for support in making an application. Initiatives under this Fund make a tremendous impact in local communities, by encouraging and facilitating meaningful participation and inclusion of disabled people.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Disability Participation and Awareness Fund will be operated through Rethink Ireland and is open to non-profit organisations to support the participation and inclusion of disabled people in local communities, across four different strands.

Strand 1

Supporting community, sports and physical participation: Funding projects/organisations that improve and encourage the accessibility of, and participation in, community life for disabled persons.

Strand 2

Supporting participation in arts and cultural activities: Funding projects/organisations supporting arts and cultural activities, particularly those that foster awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and that support the participation of people with disabilities in arts and culture.

Strand 3

Supporting employment and apprenticeships: Funding social enterprise initiatives to provide valuable employment experience or apprenticeships to people with disabilities.

Strand 4

Supporting projects/initiatives in the area of neurodiversity: Funding projects/organisations supporting the participation of neurodiverse children and adults in their local communities.

Further information on the fund can be found on Rethink Ireland’s website.

• Rethink Ireland will undertake a fund outreach to ensure maximum exposure for the fund, including the provision of webinars.

• Funding from €50,000 to €200,000 per project will be made available under each strand.

• This fund is open to organisations that are not-for-profit.