Debate contribution: Childcare Strategy

Debate contribution by Mrs Michelle Guy on 3 November 2025.

MLA

Mrs Michelle Guy

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

3 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Childcare Strategy

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5213725

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Once again, we are discussing childcare and early learning in the Chamber. It is a reflection of how important the issue is for families. Families and children do not care how many times we talk about something; they care about what actually changes. The Minister has committed to deliver the long-awaited draft strategy to the Executive within weeks and confirmed that it will go out to consultation, which I welcome. Our amendment seeks to widen the scope of the motion and capture a number of key aspects of the strategy, especially the need for cross-departmental commitment to actions. When it comes, the strategy must mark a step change in how the Government act on early learning and childcare. There has been progress, driven by years of advocacy from organisations and the sheer desperation of parents. However, we are still far from where we need to be. There has been some welcome support on affordability through the Northern Ireland childcare subsidy scheme, which provided a fast injection of financial support for some families. As the Minister has acknowledged, however, it does not support those who are on universal credit, who, although they can avail themselves of support, can do so only in arrears. The scheme also does not support those who are studying or who are made redundant. In short, too many people are still being left behind. The Minister has described the upcoming strategy as "ambitious but realistic". I hope that that realism reflects the delicate ecosystem on which the sector depends. Let me be clear about those interdependencies. Subsidising fees helps, but if fees outstrip the subsidy, it does not work. Many families say that that is happening now. A discounted place means nothing to a family who cannot find a provider in their area. Providers cannot expand provision unless they can cover costs and retain qualified staff. A long-awaited business support scheme, which was announced as a scheme:

"to assist those in financial difficulty and in areas where the demand for childcare exceeds supply"

appears from recent Assembly questions for written answer to the Minister for the Economy to have morphed into an advisory service. That will worry providers. Clarity on that is needed in the strategy. We also know that families of children with special educational needs and disabilities face some of the greatest struggles. They find it incredibly difficult to access adequate childcare, and the same barriers follow those children into school. A strategy that is a decade in the making must deal with that complexity, not sidestep it. Let us also remember that publishing a strategy is not the achievement. Rather, delivery is. The real measure will be the difference that it makes to homes and early years settings across Northern Ireland. I will also speak specifically about the early learning aspect of the strategy, which is where joined-up working with the Department of Health needs to improve. Lucy Crehan, who recently undertook a review of the curriculum, heard early learning professionals express serious concerns about early child development. She described the issue as a "ticking time bomb". We know that investing in early years has the biggest return on investment, be it investment in tackling educational underachievement or investment in special educational needs. As Lucy said in her report:

"Giving children the input they need at a young age can transform educational (and life) trajectories. Funding and infrastructure to provide this necessary support in the early years is essential to the successful functioning of Northern Ireland's economy and society."

That investment, which is key to setting up young people for the rest of their lives, starts before the child is born. A significant part of that involves focusing more on what advice and support is available to parents and carers. Parenting is a difficult role that is made more difficult given the financial strains that are caused by the cost of living, including childcare, and the erosion of funding that is available to the community and voluntary sector. We must defend the public and community organisations that support our parents. 'A Fair Start' showed the need to reorient our systems towards early years. Many of its actions, including better data sharing between the Department of Health and the Department of Education, still have not been completed. Those are practical steps that do not necessarily require funding, simply a focus on delivery. A focus on delivery must be at the heart of the strategy. Early learning and childcare have been neglected for far too long. Transforming the system will not only change children's lives but strengthen our education, health and justice systems, boost our economy and build a fairer society. Let us therefore not allow this strategy to become another strategy that is announced, debated and then quietly shelved. Let us get it right for our early educators, for our parents and, most importantly, for our children.

817 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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