Pavee Part of alliance that calls for a public childcare model

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre is part of a network of 32 national community and voluntary organisations – The Community Platform – that launched ‘Principles for Delivering a Public Childcare Model’ this week and called for the delivery of a public childcare model in Ireland.

The Six Principles for a Public Childcare Model are:

• Child centred
• State responsibility
• Investment
• Quality, inclusion and accessibility
• Equality
• Decent Working Conditions

The document was launched at an online event involving speakers representing parents, community providers, childcare professionals and workers, women and a range of political parties, who will have a chance to engage with a wide audience on the development and delivery of a public childcare model.

Paul Ginnell from the European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland, a member of the Platform stated that ‘The current model of childcare in Ireland, which depends very heavily on the private market, fails many people across society, particularly children and parents from low-income families and workers.’

Catherine Lane from the National Women’s Council, also a member of the Platform highlighted that “The Community Platform believes that the progressive delivery of a high quality, inclusive and accessible public childcare model is urgently needed and that a properly designed and delivered public childcare model can play an important role in addressing poverty and disadvantage and the wide-ranging structural inequalities that women experience.”

Rachel Doyle from Community Work Ireland also a Platform member continued “Lessons from the past, which have been reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic, show the important role of the state in providing key public services and in ensuring universal access. This is essential in creating a more equal and inclusive society and childcare is one of these critical public services.”

Mary Roche from Treoir concluded “The delivery of a fit for purpose public childcare model needs to be adequately funded and we are calling for Government to invest 1% of our national income over the next decade, in line with UNICEF recommendations.”

Following the launch the Community Platform will engage widely with all political parties and the different stakeholders to promote the progressive delivery of a public childcare model.