Re-vetting: What is it and why does it matter? In September 2023, Tusla issued a regulatory notice introducing an important requirement for Early Years and School Age Care settings that all staff carrying out relevant work must hold a vetting disclosure dated within the previous three years. This requirement is to support best practice in
Many countries across Europe face similar challenges in their Early Years and School Age Care systems. Affordability and accessibility issues, workforce shortages, low job satisfaction and low pay and conditions characterise systems that all aim to achieve high quality provision for all children. We provide an overview of efforts being taken by different European countries
We have had several engagements with members of the Oireachtas recently. These included a series of one-to-one meetings, a briefing with the Fine Gael Party internal committee on Childcare and those who attended our Barometer 2026 launch in Buswell’s hotel at the end of March. Following its successful launch, all members of the Oireachtas were
Mandatory Garda Vetting Training – Have you completed the training yet? Early Childhood Ireland is reminding all members of the urgent requirement to complete the new mandatory Garda Vetting training. All members have been contacted regarding the requirement for your service to complete the mandatory Garda Vetting training. We sincerely thank all members who have
The Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC) have developed a collaborative research and advocacy programme; Building The Early Education Workforce in England, aimed at improving the pay, conditions and status of people working in Early Years in England. This programme sets out to raise the status of Early Years educators over the next three years
In May 2021, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth published the National Action Plan for Childminding (NAPC). The objective of the Action Plan is “to improve access to high-quality and affordable early learning and school-aged childcare through childminding”. The NAPC is different to the other policy plans which are being led by
First 5 is a whole-of-government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families. It is a ten-year plan to help make sure all children have positive early experiences and get a great start in life. It provides a cross-government approach to support children and their families in the early years of
Garda Vetting Tracking Dashboard Managing Garda Vetting applications is an essential part of maintaining a safe, compliant environment for your settings — but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. To support you, Early Childhood Ireland provides a comprehensive Garda Vetting Tracking Dashboard, giving you instant visibility of every application linked to your service. This dashboard
March was a significant month for Early Childhood Ireland as we launched our revamped 2026 Barometer, combining a national opinion poll with an in-depth policy analysis of government progress on Early Years and School Age Care. Throughout the month, we highlighted key findings from this year’ Barometer in national and regional media outlets. We also
Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028, sets out a series of actions to meet the workforce related targets in First 5. Commitments in Nurturing Skills are organised under five pillars: Establishing a career framework; Raising qualification levels; Developing a national Continuing Professional Development system; Supporting recruitment, retention
