Staff shortages and Covid-19 testing delays threaten creches with closure, warns childcare group

The FECP said staff shortages remain a problem for the sector due to self-isolation requirements. File picture. 

Childcare providers in Ireland have warned that the sector is under serious pressure due to staffing shortages and delays in Covid-19 testing. 

The Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP) has claimed GPs are not referring childcare workers for Covid-19 testing unless that staff member is showing three symptoms of the virus. 

Instead, the FECP said staff are advised to self-isolate for 14 days by GPs. According to the Health Service Executive (HSE), the main symptoms for the coronavirus are fever, shortness of breath, a cough (of any kind not just dry), and a loss or change in a person's sense of taste or smell. 

Chairperson of the FECP, Elaine Dunne said this places extreme stress on many creches due to staff shortages leading to closure. She has called on the government to introduce priority testing for childcare workers to remedy this. 

‘’Our sector is at crisis point with this issue and we are calling on the government to urgently introduce prioritised testing for childcare workers to ensure creches can stay open. Many creches have been forced to close when their staff don’t have Covid-19 but can’t get a test because they have two symptoms instead of the three required.

"We have also seen many pods in facilities being closed due to a lack of staff. This isn’t just about childcare providers, its also about keeping our staff, children and parents safe while allowing parents to get back to work," said Ms Dunne. 

Under public health guidelines, children were grouped into "play pods" to facilitate the return of childcare services and contact tracing methods should a Covid-19 outbreak develop in a childcare setting. 

Ms Dunne said the FECP have warned of this issue for some time but that they are not being listened to. The FECP said the key challenge threatening the sector is staffing levels. A failure to solve this could have an "enormous" effect on the economy. 

"Our Federation has been highlighting this issue for months, but the Government has not listened. Despite repeated warnings, no assistance to resolve this is being provided by government. 

"On a daily basis, our 1,600 members are struggling to find replacement staff as gaps appear due to absences. Keeping our creches open is essential to keep our economy going but this is impossible without staff. 

"The knock-on impact of creches closing is enormous, from parents not being able to work to children with additional needs not being given the supports they need," said Ms Dunne.