Creche inspection results to go online

New creche inspection reports will go online next month as it emerged children with special needs cannot access the free pre-school year as special needs assistants are not available.

As the Dáil health committee discussed childcare, Teresa Heaney of Early Childhood Ireland said her members were being forced to reject applications from parents of children with special needs as they do not have sufficient staff.

Ms Heaney told the committee she knew of a set of twins, one of whom could avail of the scheme, while the other was only granted three hours a week as sufficient support was not in place for his needs.

Meanwhile, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald told the committee new inspection reports will be published online from Jul 1, while reports made in the previous 18 months will be published on the HSE website in the coming months.

Announcing a raft of measures to improve quality at Irish childcare centres, Ms Fitzgerald also said creches starting up from September will be required to register with the HSE before they can open their doors to children. Up to now, creche owners only had to notify the HSE of their venture.

Mentoring and new supports are to be put in place for the early years curriculum, Aistear, and the quality framework, Síolta, which were devised up to six years ago but have not been implemented due to a lack of resources in preschools.

Teachers of the free pre-school years will have to have a Fetac level 6 qualification in 2015, while any pre-school opening in 2014 will need all staff educated to this level. Up to now, Fetac level 5 was sufficient for the free pre-school year.

Ms Fitzgerald warned that if the childcare system is to be overhauled, there will “be a great effort required for a significant period”.