Childcare scheme to health workers to include cleaners, Zappone says

A childcare scheme for health workers will include hospital staff such as cleaners, canteen staff and private nursing home staff, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone has said.

Under the proposals, childcare workers would look after the children of health care workers in their own homes at a cost of €90 per family per week.

Anyone who wants to take part of the scheme, which will be introduced on May 18th, should contact their human resources manager, said Ms Zappone, who added that a full list of staff covered under the scheme will be finalised on Thursday.

Ms Zappone has said that childcare workers volunteering for the scheme would be paid, on average € 15-per-hour.

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She said new service would cost about € 4.7 million per week and could cover 5,000 families. Most of the cost would be borne by the State, she said.

The provision of childcare for essential health workers has been a major issue for staff and trade unions over recent weeks since the closure of schools and crèches. A HSE survey last month indicated that up to 8,000 staff either had or forecast they would soon have childcare difficulties.

The delay in introducing the scheme was because the government had been awaiting the advice from Dr Tony Holohan on the public health risk of allowing child care workers into the homes of health care workers.

Full details of the scheme are available on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and letters will be going out to human resource managers to appraise them of the details, Ms Zappone told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland.

Other frontline workers, such as gardaí, will be included in Phase 2 when the scheme is broadened. Ms Zappone said that the scheme will commence on May 18th for four weeks, with a review after two weeks.

“It is a temporary measure, something like this has never been done before. It will be a logistical challenge, but the scheme is there to support health care workers.”

Ms Zappone also called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to maintain the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

She said if the Department were dissolved it would “dilute the focus on the rights of children”.

When asked about suggestions that the department will be dissolved, Ms Zappone said she had read the reports, but hoped that was not the case. Asked if she had mentioned that to the Taoiseach, Ms Zappone said she had and she hoped he was listening to the interview.

“It is the sixth largest spending department. A lot goes on there. It would dilute focus on the rights of children if it were dissolved.”