Almost half of school-age childcare settings in Northern Ireland are in danger of closing within the next 12 months, a new report has claimed.
PlayBoard NI, an organisation for the development and promotion of children’s play, has released findings outlining the significant challenges facing school-age childcare providers.
Among the key concerns highlighted are financial vulnerability, a growing demand for after-school places, an increase in children with additional support needs, and workforce shortages that limit provider capacity.
The charity is now calling for urgent action to ensure the sustainability of the school-age childcare sector, which is a critical service for parents, families and children.
The report will be launched at Parliament Buildings today, featuring survey work carried out by PlayBoard with practitioners, parents/carers, as well as children and young people.
PlayBoard NI chief executive Alan Herron said that while there is welcome work on providing improvements to childcare support from Stormont, there remain large sections of society who will continue to afford approved childcare services.
“Whilst we welcome the NI Executive’s focus on childcare and the support offered to parents and providers through the Childcare Subsidy Scheme, deep concerns remain over the inequity of treatment towards school-age childcare providers and the parents of school-age children who have received no support to date,” he said.
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“The findings from our State of the School-Age Childcare Sector Survey highlight that the continued absence of support for the sector is having a significant impact, with 16% of settings at risk of immediate closure and 40% at risk over the next 12 months.
“There are also ongoing cost pressures for parents and carers, with a quarter currently paying over £400 per child per month.
“Play-based school-age childcare providers deliver quality childcare and valuable play opportunities for school-aged children, contributing to improved health and well-being, education, learning, and social development,” he continued.
“Without direct support from the NI Executive, settings have told us they will be unable to sustain services, which will negatively impact the development of our children and young people.”
PlayBoard’s report calls for targeted measures to support sustainability, growth, and development, while addressing the challenges facing school-age childcare providers.
If implemented, these recommendations would support the long-term viability of school-age childcare provision, protecting its critical role in supporting children, families and communities.
The report urged the immediate introduction of a package of funding support dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of vulnerable stand-alone school-age childcare providers, excluded to date from the Executive’s expansion and stabilisation fund.
It also calls for an extension of the Executive’s expansion and stabilisation support package for pre-school and early years childcare providers to encompass school-age childcare providers.
And it concludes by stating the development of a robust regional Workforce Strategy is also required, including targeted action to support school-age childcare providers to better meet the growing number of families whose children have additional support needs.
This includes access to specialist staff training, support equipment and building adaptations to ensure properties are accessible and inclusive.
Last May, Education Minister Paul Givan announced a £25m package of measures to help support children, parents as well as providers with early learning and childcare.
He described the measures as an “ambitious package of measures for early learning and childcare representing the most significant enhancement of early years investment in Northern Ireland in decades”.