AQW 18492/22-27
Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford
Tabled Date: 20/11/2024
Answered On Date: 05/12/2024
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 16672/22-27, whether he will increase the level of funding available to the Fair Play Grant scheme, given that 65 settings out of 189 applicants received no funding to support the children in their care with additional needs.
Answer:
The Department of Health, through the Childcare Partnership, facilitates an annual grant scheme to ensure children with additional needs are included in early years services, known as Fair Play. The funding provides support measures with a focus on the individual needs of children who are accessing quality play and learning experiences in registered community, voluntary and private provision throughout the academic year. These support measures can and do include additional staffing capacity. The Childcare Partnership also provides free training for early years practitioners in a range of subjects to do with additional needs in tandem with this financial support. In the 2024/25 tranche 154 registered early years settings applied. The most recent figures indicate the number of applicant groups that benefitted from an award was 89 which included 343 children in their care. The funding for Fair Play 24/25 was enhanced by a further £250k through the Early Learning and Childcare Strategy bringing the total value of the fund to £675k April 2024-March 2025. I would love to increase funding, but the budget, which you supported, does not allow. The Childcare Partnership encourages engagement with the early years sector to maximise the reach of the fund.
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