Featured News

Budget 2019
Minister Zappone announces a €127m package

€89m increase for childcare ….
• Introduction of new Affordable Childcare Scheme
• Maximum Net Income Threshold increased by 26% from €47,500 to €60,000 per annum
• Changes will benefit thousands of families; will bring an additional 7,500 children into the scheme, with improved subsidies for over 40,000 others
€33m increase in Tusla funding
• Implementation of HIQA recommendations
• Extra funding for Family Resource Centres and Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Services
• Financial base secured with 4% increase over 2018

Wednesday 10th October 2018

Katherine Zappone TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has announced extra funding of €127m for child care and youth services, bringing the total investment by her Department to €1.5 billion for 2019. The Minister said:

"I am very pleased that we have again delivered as promised on the commitment to continue investing in our children and young people. Today’s €127m package represents another significant step in ensuring access to high quality, affordable childcare and ensuring that Tusla is in a position to continue on its programme of service reform and targeted development of key services.

Budget 2019 represents another significant step in ensuring access to high quality, affordable childcare and education with annual investment now rising to €574m.

The additional €89m in 2019 will allow for thousands of families to benefit due to increased income thresholds under the Affordable Childcare Scheme. The significant increase in the maximum net income threshold from €47,000 to €60,000 per annum means that an estimated 7,500 more children will benefit from the scheme relative to the original proposals. Over 40,000 other children, already eligible, will see increases to their subsidies. The new measures ensure that families with, in some cases, a gross income of up to €100,000 will benefit from the scheme."

To read the press release in full please click HERE

Children of Primary School age are invited to participate in Offaly Libraries LEGO building competition.

Entrants are asked to use their imagination and build a piece based on this year's theme "Offaly"

Entry forms are available in all Libraries from the 8th October, Closing date is 16th November 

CCS/P Registrations & ECCE Eligibility

Following discussions with the DCYA, it has been agreed that Pobal will review registrations for Services with a Higher Capitation approval for 2018-2019 and/or an AIM Level 1 (LINC) approval for 2018-2019 with children registered for CCS/P who are within the eligible age range for the 2018-2019 ECCE Programme.

This may result in a top up payment to those Services, based on the current capitation rates below:
- Higher Capitation = €11.25 per eligible registration (1 FTE)
- AIM Level 1 LINC = €2.00 per eligible registration (1 FTE)

Pobal will complete a calculation of any payments due for Higher Capitation and/or AIM Level 1 (LINC) for eligible CCS/P children and will process that payment as a special budget in June 2019.

The payment will take into account the following:
a. Attendance(FTE)/Leavers/Change in level of service
b. The Higher Capitation CAP in relation to numbers of eligible FTEs
c. The Service Calendar for the facility

As with the previous programme call, this review will be completed in June 2019 to ensure accuracy of calculations across the programme year and to reduce any overpayments.

Dublin City Childcare Committee’s new publication: A Parents Guide to the National Childcare Funding Programmes 2018/2019 is now available. 

The Guide is a great resource for parents, guardians and all of those working in the early childhood sector.

It provides parents with the information needed to understand the National Childcare Funding Programmes.

The guide provides an overview of each of the national funding programmes. This helps parents to understand which funding programmes they may be eligible for, the amount of subsidy they could receive and also how to apply for each of the programmes.

Many thanks to Dublin City Childcare Committee for developing and sharing this great resource.

A Parents Guide to the National Funding Programmes 2018/2019

Children and Young People Services Committees (CYPSC) Conference
“ CYPSC: Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being”
(Joint Press Release – DCYA & Tusla)

Thursday 4th October, 2018

Today, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Dr. Katherine Zappone T.D. opened the Children and Young people Services Committees (CYPSC) Conference “CYPSC: Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being“ at the City West Hotel, Saggart, Co. Dublin.

The Conference is being co hosted with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and demonstrates how CYPSC are successfully responding to the needs of children and young people in relation to their Health and Well Being.

This event also aims to demonstrate how engagement with CYPSC can enhance service delivery across the broad spectrum of services: community, health, education, justice, etc and facilitates knowledge exchange and learning across all CYPSC.

The Conference is promoting multi-sectoral, collaborative working across services for children and young people, and is helping to communicate the strengths of the CYPSC initiative. The Conference also serves to highlight the benefits of engagement between CYPSC, service providers and policy makers alike.

Minister Zappone added:  “I am delighted that this Conference on “Enhancing Child and Youth Well Being” is taking place today.  Children and Young People’ Services Committees (CYPSC) bring together a diverse group of agencies in their local areas to engage in joint planning of services for children and young people. I see them as a key inter agency vehicle for the roll out Child and Well Being initiatives in collaboration with other partners.

Today I met with the CYPSC local Co Ordinators and was struck by the collaborative and really positive initiatives being undertaken in their local areas. These efforts are ensuring that our services and supports are planned and coordinated in a way that is responsive and relevant to the need of our children and young people.  I am confident that both now and in years to come, the impact of these initiatives will be significant, as it will support children and young people, their families, their communities and vulnerable groups who are experiencing difficulties in their lives”.

Pat Smyth, Interim Chief Executive of Tusla-Child and Family Agency joins Minister Zappone in acknowledging CYPSC work stating:  “Organisations and agencies from across Ireland are gathering today under the umbrella of Children and Young People’s Services Committees to share their learning about what is working in response to the needs of Ireland’s children and young people.

Tusla is proud to be a leading organisation for this national event and for what it represents in terms of good inter-agency working. Tusla provides the backbone support team that assists in the realisation of the innovative, specialised and targeted work of every CYPSC in the country.  We are committed to strategic partnership working at local level through CYPSC and nationally with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the National CYPSC Steering Group, other Government Departments and national agencies.”