AQW 3679/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 28/09/2022
Answered On Date: 20/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education what work her Department is undertaking to address staff shortages in the Early Years sector.

Answer:

Issues faced by the early years workforce are being considered as part of the development of an Executive Early Learning and Childcare Strategy. An Independent Review of Childcare Services commissioned by my Department is currently ongoing and will assist in determining the extent of recruitment and retention challenges within the sector and help inform potential actions.

Workforce issues will also be considered by the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Engagement Forum, which I have established to inform the work on the Strategy.

The Department for the Economy (DfE) is the sponsor department for the six Further Education (FE) colleges that deliver a range of relevant subjects including Child Development and Wellbeing. DfE has advised that there is no evidence of a decline in the numbers of students studying these subjects in recent years. However, not all students which complete such courses choose to enter, or remain within the early years workforce. The Review of Childcare Services will explore these issues.

The Department of Health has statutory responsibility for the regulation and inspection of childcare provision and I have asked the Health Minister to consider what can be done to streamline some of the processes around staff recruitment/transfer. In recognition of the staffing challenges facing the childcare sector, a number of easements have already been made to the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care. The Department of Health has also given a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of the current Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care and to review recruitment requirements, with a view to streamlining the process where possible.