Norma Foley
Kerry · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Therefore, the means by which the motion proposes to address the challenges raised may not specifically align with the approach being taken, but I absolutely accept that the underlying goals are the same and I accept the Deputies' sincerity in seeking to achieve them.”
“I intend to bring forward specific proposals arising from this work towards the end of the year, depending on progress and the outcome of ongoing engagement with stakeholders.”
“Working with that office, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is absolutely committed to seeking to expand and reform specialist disability services in order to maximise individuals’ independence and support them to live lives of their choosing in places of their choosing.”
“A number of new measures are in train to move towards planned provision of residential supports, including the provision of planned residential placements under a new initiative, as outlined in the HSE’s 2026 national service plan.”
“I absolutely accept they are fighting tirelessly to highlight the need for us to ensure their loved ones are cared for and provided with appropriate housing, as and when it is needed. For far too many families, placements are made at the last minute, causing distress to individuals and their families.”
“In line with commitments contained in the programme for Government and the national human rights strategy, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is now developing a new vision and reform strategy for disability services.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,103 lines we hold for Norma Foley, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 23.
“I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that the issue of childminders and registration and the challenges they might face has been consistently raised in this Chamber. I do not wish to be repetitive but I will say again that I absolutely acknowledge that childminders are an incredibly important and valuable resource in the whole sphere of the childcare sector and I want them to continue in the business. I have to ensure they are regulated and, as has been said, I do not think any childminders are opposed to that. However, it is an important element of child safeguarding. There will be a review - I spoke about it earlier - as early as possible in 2026. That will be important for engagement. I have also given a commitment that I will meet Childminding Ireland before that review commences.”
“The Department has committed to a review of the initial implementation of the childminding-specific regulations in phase 2 also. I aim to meet Childminding Ireland on a one-to-one basis before the review of the regulations commences.”
“While the Department has successfully completed phase 1 of the national action plan, considerable work lies ahead during phase 2 in supporting the large number of unregistered childminders to register with Tusla and take part in the national childcare scheme before the end of the transition period, in County Clare and right around the country. I fully understand the sense of uncertainty and anxiety childminders may be experiencing in this period of transition. Communication is essential to overcoming this. A national communications strategy is a key element in phase 2 of the national action plan during the transition period we are now in. Work on this communications strategy has begun with the aim of informing childminders and parents about the changes, the supports available and what to expect.”
“It must be noted that childminding regulations only came into effect in September 2024, with a statutory transition period of three years ending in September 2027. Registration is therefore not mandatory until the end of this transition period. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration. The childminding-specific regulations are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work. The regulations differ substantially from regulations for centre-based childcare.”
“I thank the Deputy. Childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision and they continue to be the option of choice for many families. The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. A singular objective of the national action plan is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides a statutory basis for the national childcare scheme, specifies that only Tusla-registered childminders are eligible to participate in the scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered providers helps to ensure public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision.”
“The information that has been given to me is that all the services the Deputy has outlined, which are really important intervention services, are not being curtailed and that all cases will continue into 2026. It is a very valuable service that is being provided. It is important that whatever supports are required within the family structure for individuals, for young people or for older people are available at a given time, at the right time and in the right place. My information is that nothing is being curtailed and that everything is continuing in terms of services in 2026. If there is something different that the Deputy wants to bring to me, I will be more than happy - sincerely - to engage further with him on the matter. I will happily do that with the Deputy at the beginning of the year if that is what he wishes.”
“The new vision of service, which I think is a good vision of service, means that when a person presents themselves there is a single opportunity for all of the different supports they might need to be made available at that time from the front door teams. The front door teams approach emphasises the notion that there is no wrong door, that there is a single point of access, and that whatever supports the person requires are presented and available to him or her at that given time.”
“I appreciate the Deputy raising this. My information is that the services provided by Liberty Street House are not being curtailed. Indeed, the cases will continue right throughout 2026. The new model of practice is to ensure that all services are available through multidisciplinary teams at the time when they are needed, in the one place at the right time. I am very happy for the Deputy to bring to me any specific information that he might not be in a position to share on the floor of the House. I am very happy to look at that and revert to the Deputy. It is my understanding, as I have said, that the services are not being curtailed.”
“Equally, Liberty Street House staff who have a developed skill set in working with teenagers will continue to utilise these skills in their alignment within the front door teams. Tusla's structural reform will bring opportunities to young people and families that Liberty Street House services work with. It will also deliver an integrative response of early intervention, family support and child welfare. Liberty Street House has responded to these needs in myriad ways since it opened. I appreciate the work done by the team in Liberty Street House on behalf of the State and local government.”
“Staff will work as part of multidisciplinary teams to ensure a range of professionals with different skill sets in the area of social work and therapeutic services are available to respond to the needs of children, young people and families in the right way at the right time. The preventive aspect of work undertaken in the Liberty Street House services will align with family support and safety and welfare structures. All relevant cases in Liberty Street House services will continue to be worked on with the newly aligned networks in 2026. Liberty Street House services provide a domestic violence and abuse support service. Under the reform programme the focus will move towards the impact of domestic violence, particularly on children, bringing in expertise developed in Liberty Street House to the front door teams across networks.”
“I appreciate the Deputy raising this question. I have been informed, and it is my understanding, that the services managed by Tusla's Liberty Street House are not being curtailed. This is the information that has been given to me. Tusla is undertaking a reform programme that will continue to meet the needs of service users of Liberty Street House. The integration of services will mean that the services provided within Liberty Street House will align under the proposed structures of the front door teams. Front door teams are a feature of the new Tusla referral and service user management process that will ensure each referral is assessed and addressed by the appropriate experts.”
“She has successfully increased the budget for the entirety of mental health services for six years in a row - to over €1.6 billion now - and great credit is due to her for that. There is an opportunity for us to engage further on it.”
“I appreciate the Deputy highlighting it. It is highlighted to me also as I visit the family resource centres. It is a testament to the vision of the family resource centres that they are happy to step in when there is a need within a community. They do it expertly, they do it professionally and they do it without any difficulty really. That is to their credit. They always step up. I have never made any secret of the fact that I am an enormous fan of the family resource centres. The entire budget for Tusla counselling services is over €8.3 million. The additional €1.5 million that has been mainstreamed from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2023 and 2024 has been a great addition to us. Being able to mainstream that is an additional resource. I will continue to consult the Minister of State, Deputy Butler.”
“The total allocation for mental health services for 2026 will be almost €1.6 billion. It is quite a considerable level. It is record funding, in fact. It is an increase in funding for the sixth year in a row. I wish to acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in that regard. There are other avenues to support as well.”
“I wish to conclude on the point about the family resource centres first. The Deputy is correct; we are unanimous about the importance of those family resource centres and the whole myriad of services, including those the Deputy outlined, they provide. The programme has expanded from 121 to 126 members this year. The Deputy will be aware that a further ten centres will be added in 2026. I am pleased that I secured the funding for those additional ten centres in budget 2026. Mental health services are within the gift of another Department. This is just an additional support we are providing through the family resource centres. It is important that we recognise that and there is clarity around that. Mental health services fall within the remit of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler.”
“This funding enables family resource centres and other family support service counselling services to provide counselling and therapeutic services at no cost or low cost for the communities they serve. In 2024, clinical and therapeutic lead posts were established in eight family resource centres around the country to ensure there is a clinical and therapeutic lead in all six Tusla regions. I understand that this initiative is working well. The focus of the role includes providing clinical leadership, ensuring that quality services are developed and adapted to meet emerging and presenting needs in the region, and monitoring clinical practice and governance standards. Funding for the clinical and therapeutic lead posts continued in 2025 and I have also secured funding for 2026.”
“In 2025, €292,500 of this additional €1.5 million funding was allocated to 30 family resource centres to allow them to continue their important work of providing counselling and wider therapeutic services, such as play therapy and creative arts therapy, in the community. The additional funding helps to address unmet need and reduce waiting lists for community-based counselling services. Funding for counselling services reflects the Government’s recognition of the critical work being done every day by local community-based services. I am proud to support their work and delighted that this additional investment of €1.5 million is now part of the mainstream funding provision through Tusla.”
“Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers funding for therapeutic and counselling supports. In 2024, Tusla’s total funding for family support service counselling was €8.375 million. A total of 90 family resource centres received €1.664 million. With regard to additional funding, in 2025 the Department secured the mainstreaming of an additional €1.5 million for counselling, psychotherapy and therapeutic services to children and young people to reduce waiting lists for community-based counselling services. This was previously funded as a pilot under the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2023 and 2024 and it is in addition to the yearly funding for family support services counselling I have already spoken about.”
“Rather, it falls to the Department of housing but I am also engaging in that regard. I am conscious of the issues that are there. We will begin the review as quickly as possible. We have until 2027 for the complete registration.”
“I absolutely understand the anxiety that is out there. Change is never comfortable and I absolutely accept that. I hear it myself when I engage on the ground. I absolutely accept the Deputy's bona fides in this regard too. She has raised this issue on a number of occasions. I am happy to engage further. I said I would engage prior to the review and I will do that. I will hold the review as close to quarter 1 of 2026 as I can, but I will not give a firm date because things and timeframes can change. It is my intention to do it as early as we possibly can. I want childminders to remain within the system. They are an incredibly valuable resource. Many issues have been raised. For example, the Deputy raised the issue in respect of properties and all of that. I am conscious of that, but it does not fall within my gift.”
“While not comparing like for like, anyone who has a family property and runs a bed and breakfast is subject to inspection in order to be registered with Fáilte Ireland. Childminders will have to be subject to inspections, but I hear what the Deputy is saying when it comes to how that is managed and what form the inspection will take.”
“I wish to be clear: childminders are an incredible resource in the entire system. I know the value of them and they are particularly important in rural areas, like my area. We want childminders to be fully engaged but we also need them to be registered because we need regulation. I think the House is unanimous on that. We are within the three-year timeframe now and I have committed to carrying out a review, which will take place in 2026. It will take place as early as I possibly can and as close to quarter 1 as possible. I know that was in the Deputy’s original question. It will be as close to that as possible. It is to give the maximum benefit to those who have registered and those who will register within that period or timeframe. I hear many of the queries the Deputy has raised. I hear them too. There will be inspections, however.”
“Those childminders who have registered need time to thoroughly test the regulations in practice. The number of childminders who have registered will impact upon the thoroughness of this testing also. We are in a three-year process from the introduction of the regulations to the end of the transition period.”
“The Department has committed to undertake a review of the initial implementation of the childminding-specific regulations during the transition period. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders. It will provide an important opportunity to learn lessons from initial experiences with the regulations. As I have said previously, the review will commence in 2026. The timing of the review is crucial. In addition to hearing from childminders who have not yet registered, it is important that the review adequately captures and benefits from the experiences of those who have registered, been through the registration process and operated within the new regulations. September 2025 marked the end of the first full year since the introduction of the regulations.”
“The route to registration under the new regulations requires childminders to undertake a short pre-registration training course as well as meet certain regulatory requirements, including Garda vetting, proof of insurance, first aid certification and child safeguarding training. We are now in a three-year transition period to September 2027, during which childminders are being encouraged and supported to register but registration is not yet mandatory. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector and sphere of quality assurance and access Government subsidies, while also recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.”
“As the Deputy is aware, the phase 1 report of the early years action plan, Shaping the Future, was published yesterday. It makes clear that childminding remains central to the Government's vision for the future of early learning and care and school-age childcare. The national action plan for childminding 2021-2028 sets out a pathway for the extension of regulation and supports to childminders. Implementation of that plan will continue under Shaping the Future, as I said at yesterday’s launch. The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. I believe we all agree on that. The childminding-specific regulations, which came into effect in September 2024, are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and I are committed to working with our colleagues in government to take all the necessary actions, legislative and non-legislative, to improve the AON process for the people who matter most, the children and their families.”
“There is funding for a further 150 staff for children’s disability network teams in budget 2026 to reduce waiting times further. There are a total of 460 new training places for the health and social care professions coming on stream to increase the pipeline of therapists to support the sustained growth of children’s disability network teams. That includes 310 new training places this year and a further 130 next year. As I have outlined, there are many actions required to reform the AON process. It is not fit for purpose as it stands, and I believe we all agree on that. I have personally described it as a broken system and, again, I believe we agree on that across the House. However, we in government are determined to fix it.”
“This new service will commence in special schools with the intention that, over time, it will expand to schools with special classes and mainstream schools. It will complement existing therapeutic services provided by the HSE. The reform of the assessment of need process will only be effective if waiting lists for children’s services are reduced at the same time. It is no use having children move quickly through the assessment of need process only to join long waiting lists for services and therapeutic supports. An intensive focus by my Department on increasing the staffing of children’s disability network teams has seen a 26% increase in children’s disability network team staffing levels, notwithstanding the issue of vacancies, which I appreciate.”
“This will be rolled out across the country to make it easier for families to be referred to the right service, whether that is a children’s disability network team, primary care or the child and adolescent mental health services. As a result, children will not be put on multiple waiting lists or passed from one service to another. Another important development is the new process on the way in education for admission to special classes and special schools. The Department is working to ensure that an assessment of need will not be required to access special classes or special schools. All of these changes will give families a faster way of getting the services they need for their children, rather than just relying on the AON process. The Department of Education and Youth is putting in place an education therapy service.”
“This will provide a more consistent and efficient approach to autism assessments and establish a clearer pathway to children and their families on how to access these assessments within the healthcare system. It is important to stress, and has already been pointed out, that children do not require an assessment of need report to access health services. However, I know that many families feel they have no choice other than to rely on the assessment of need. They are faced with long waiting lists for services or cannot access the assessments they want for their children. With this in mind, there will be a new single point of access system from the HSE.”
“The Department will continue to prioritise actions to improve the capacity and effectiveness of the assessment of need system. However, there also needs to be a recognition that assessment of need sits within a wider system that has multiple challenges. Much more is required, beyond even the legislation that the Cabinet approved today. For example, autism was noted as the category of disability in 45% of all completed assessments of need in the first nine months of this year. We know that accessing assessments is a significant concern for parents in order that the services necessary to support their children can be identified as early as possible. There will be a new autism assessment process by the HSE next February, and it will be staffed by psychologists.”
“Since May 2024, we have funded a targeted waiting list initiative where the HSE procures clinical assessments from approved private providers for those families who have been waiting the longest. There have been 6,300 clinical assessments commissioned from private providers for AON since June 2024 and there is €20 million in budget 2026 to pay for 6,000 more. However, we have to reform the system to tackle the root of the problem. If we rely on more and more private reports, it is not fixing the AON system. It is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole in the bottom of it or, as a person said to me earlier, it is like adding another lane to the M50. We cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely. We must ensure that the public system can meet the clearly growing demand.”
“We owe it to the children and families who affected by delays in the assessment of need process to make sure there is a system in place that works. The legislative reform will build on the work undertaken by the Department and the HSE to date in addressing the increasing demand for assessments of need. In 2024, over 4,100 assessments were completed, a welcome increase of 30% over the previous year. Recent HSE data shows that this upward trend is continuing, with over 4,500 assessments completed in the first nine months of this year, a 57% increase compared to the same period last year. This reflects the priority given by the Department and the HSE to address the backlog of applications. It is essential that we maintain this momentum and accelerate it. I know there have been calls to use more private therapists to tackle the AON backlog.”
“We need therapists to be therapists and this reform is designed to achieve that. The targeted legislative reform of the Disability Act aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the assessment of need process so children and families receive their assessment of need reports within the statutory timeframe. I want to be very clear the proposed legislation will not affect individuals’ statutory right to an assessment of need or change the time frames set out in the Act. The general scheme will be submitted to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters for pre-legislative scrutiny as soon as possible and will then progress through the Houses. I have no doubt it will be subject to much debate, which I welcome.”
“I am more than conscious that behind these numbers are children and families facing their own challenges every single day and relying on the State to help and support them. We want the AON process to be faster so therapists are freed up to provide therapy rather than writing endless reports. HSE clinical staff are spending up to one third of their time completing assessments for the AON process. The more time they spend on the completion of clinical assessments under the Act, the less time they have for the therapy interventions children need. It is a vicious circle and one the Government is determined to break. When clinicians were consulted about this by the national clinical programme for people with disabilities, they spoke about their "moral dilemma" in prioritising AON reports over children on CDNT waiting lists.”
“There will be improved training for staff involved in the delivery of assessments of need and ensuring that assessment officers and liaison officers have sufficient administrative supports so they can focus on the production of assessment reports and service statements for children. We are all aware there has been substantial growth in the number of assessment of need applications in recent years. They increased from 2,500 in 2008 when the AON process began to 10,000 last year and over 12,000 applications are anticipated by the end of this year. By the end of September of this year, there were over 18,000 applications overdue for completion nationwide, which is 42% increase on this time last year.”
“I know families have been enduring incredible stress and unacceptable delays in receiving AON reports and some existing AONs are taking up to 30 hours to complete, which is far too long. This is why this morning Cabinet approved the publication of the general scheme of the disability (amendment) Bill 2025 to bring in a faster and more efficient way of carrying out AON reports. In 2026 the HSE will set up and roll out 11 expert teams with four staff on each, including a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and an administrator. This will help to speed up the process because assessment officers will have the expert help they need at an earlier stage.”
“I ask the House to note I am not opposing the motion and I welcome the opportunity to debate this important issue. The Opposition put forward a similar motion in May of this year which we, as a Government, did not oppose either. This Government has continued to progress key measures to access assessments of need as well as therapies since that motion went unopposed and I welcome this opportunity for further debate. I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and passion of Cara Darmody, who is accompanied by her father, Mark. I have met Cara on a number of occasions and I absolutely accept she is so passionate in her advocacy. I take the opportunity to reassure Cara, and all families waiting for an assessment of need, that the Government recognises and shares the concerns expressed through this motion.”
“As I made reference to earlier, there are really three aspects to this. There is the delivery of places, ensuring we have staff in place to man those places, and core funding for the providers. In terms of the delivery of places, €36 million has been made available under the capital plan this year. This will support the development of a State-led model and other models such as the Building Blocks schemes. In terms of supporting workers, €45 million was ring-fenced last year to ensure an increase in salary under the employment regulation order, ERO. Some 67% of workers benefited from that increase because of that €45 million being ring-fenced. A similar ERO will be in place for 2026. With regard to supporting providers, there is a significant increase in core funding, which will reach more than €437 million in 2026.”
“I hear the case the Deputy makes but I am obliged to point out the improvements that have been made, which the Deputy has already articulated. Not everybody is in that space but I have to point out the increases to parent's leave and parent's benefit and all of that, although I absolutely acknowledge that does not meet the needs of every single individual. We are very conscious of the need to ensure that there is appropriate provision to meet the needs in different places across the country. Those needs are different and there are greater challenges in some areas and for some ages. In some instances, there may be issues with after-school care and, in others, it might be an issue with the very young cohort the Deputy mentions. Government is prepared to step in to support that equality of opportunity.”
“This constitutes significant progress towards achieving the First 5 ambition of enabling children to be cared for at home during their first year, which is supported by substantial research and evidence and reduces the demand for early learning and childcare for very young children, particularly those under the age of one.”
“Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year for a further expansion in supply of 4.2% from September 2026. The total allocation for core funding in the 2026-2027 programme year will increase to €437 million, an additional €44 million on the current full year allocation. Separately, since August 2024, parent’s leave and benefit have been increased to nine weeks per parent per child, bringing Ireland in line with the EU work-life balance directive. The combined durations of maternity, paternity and parent’s leave and benefit now equate to 46 weeks paid leave for a two-parent family, supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per parent.”
“This will include acquisitions of new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, continued investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the building blocks scheme and a number of quality initiatives, including supports to childminders. The building blocks extension grant scheme earlier this year approved 50 projects to progress to the next stage of the grant process. The scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full day places for children aged between one and three years old. The Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of core funding, which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025.”
“I thank the Deputy very much. Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority for Government. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile shows the estimated number of enrolments has increased by approximately 19% between 2022 and 2024. However, it appears demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children. As announced in the context of budget 2026, €36 million will be available in 2026 for early learning and childcare capital programmes.”
“A link to a list of current services in contract for core funding can be found online, which is helpful to parents as well.”
“I acknowledge that the Deputy has pursued this. It is important that parents have the maximum information available to them. It is also important that the system is seen to be transparent and that is the purpose of the information being made available. I can confirm that it went live on 30 October, just a short while ago. If parents need any additional information or assistance, I suggest that they contact the city and county childcare committees, which are available to assist them with fees data or indeed with any query, question or complexity they might face. If they feel there is a case of potential breach of core funding fee rules by a partner service, they may need to have this examined and a conclusion reached through the core funding fee review process.”
“The network of 30 childcare committees across the country supports parents and guardians to understand their early learning and childcare options and keep an updated directory of early learning and childcare services in their local areas. They can also provide information and support in relation to fees. The contact details for all 30 childcare committees are available at gov.ie .”
“A key element of the core funding scheme is to improve affordability for parents by ensuring that services have not increased the fees charged to parents above what was charged in September 2021, unless approved by the Department through the fee increase assessment process. While work was ongoing to upload these historic fees lists to the portal, Department officials also delivered a solution to provide access to historic fees list data from 2021-22 to the present through the network of city and county childcare committees. This allowed any individual with fee-related queries to engage with their local city and county childcare committee for additional information and support in understanding fees charged to them.”
“Therefore, this welcome development ensures improved transparency in relation to early learning and childcare fees across the country. I would also like to highlight that in addition to service fees lists, historical and current, the following information is also readily available on the portal: contact details for early learning and childcare services, whether these services are private, community or childminding services; the services calendar, which provides details of services' operating hours per week and operating weeks per year and whether the service offers the ECCE programme; and details with regard to the national childcare scheme, including if it is taking part in the core funding scheme.”