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Irish Government announces €85m package of childcare measures

Delivering Budget 2016, Ireland’s ministers announced €85m in new childcare funding to improve the country’s provision.

As part of the new package of childcare measures, inspections of childcare settings will be enhanced. This will include expanding the inspection team who will carry out more education-focused inspections at settings taking part in the Government’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme.

The inspectors will also have to comply with new childcare regulations being introduced shortly.

Last October, Ireland’s minister for children and youth affairs James Reilly announced a move from compliance-only inspections carried out by public health nurses together with environmental health officers, to education-focused inspections carried out by qualified and experienced early years professionals.

A pilot of the education-focused inspections is due to begin this autumn.

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