The charity’s new service will see them act as ‘middle men’ for parents in Northern Ireland using the government’s Home Childcarer Approval scheme, which places parents in contact with Approved Home Childcarers to provide care for their children in their own home.
The service was launched this week by Edwin Poots, Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland.
The Home Childcarer Approval Scheme was introduced in 2006 by the Northern Ireland Executive with the aim of improving the quality, accessibility and affordability of home-based childcare, and to help support parents with disabled children and those working outside normal hours.
According to research by Employers For Childcare, uptake of the scheme has so far been low because parents have to become the employers and work out their childcarer’s tax and national insurance contributions.
However the charity’s new service will mean that parents no longer have any financial or administrative burdens as Employers For Childcare act as the employer and interview and match childcarers with parents and handle all payments.
The service, which is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, only charges parents for the hours they use, with no retainers or holiday fees. Parents can also use childcare vouchers or tax credits to further reduce costs.
Employers For Childcare estimate that the service will create more than 100 jobs within the first three years of its launch.
Carers wanting to apply for the scheme must possess a minimum Level 2 in childcare, have a paediatric first aid qualification and have some experience in working with children.
Nora Smith, Employers For Childcare’s director of policy, information and operations, said, ‘The childcare structure in Northern Ireland is extremely weak. This scheme helps parents who don’t have access to childcare because they live in remote areas, those who work evenings and weekends, and families whose children have disabilities or specialist needs.
'The number one problem for parents in Northern Ireland, is the ability to access quality, affordable childcare that is tailored to work around their needs. There are particular problems with accessing childcare services that operate outside of the conventional hours of work, childcare services for families of children with disabilities and/or special needs and rural childcare services. This new service offers a solution to these problems, families now have the choice of a childcare service that is delivered in the security of their own home and is tailored to meet their individual needs’
She added that the service also creates jobs for the early years sector and that there has been a lot of interest from classroom assistants wanting to provide care for children in evenings and weekends on top of the work they do now.
