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Consultation Opens on Key Childcare Issues
The Department of Health has launched a public consultation asking for a wide range of views on two key childcare issues.
These are:
- The requirement for all prospective childcare workers to provide a GP-countersigned health assessment prior to commencing work with children;
and
- The adult:child ratios currently in place for group childcare and childminding settings.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “Childcare is a key priority for the Executive and my Department has a role to play in ensuring that the registration and inspection of childcare provision is proportionate, consistent, and effective.
“My Department developed and published the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care in 2012 to provide families in Northern Ireland with assurance of a level of quality in childcare services and to ensure a regional approach to registration and inspection across HSC Trusts.
“The childcare landscape has changed significantly since 2012, and I am fully aware of the range of challenges currently facing the sector. This consultation exercise marks the start of the process of reviewing the Minimum Standards in their entirety.”
The consultation document sets out a series of options in relation to the requirement for GP countersigned health assessments and adult to child ratios for both group childcare and childminders.
It also details the Department of Health’s preferred options. In the consultation questionnaire, people are being asked whether or not they agree with the Department’s assessment.
The consultation focusses on the two key regulatory issues which have been consistently raised with the Department in recent years.
The Minister added: “I want to encourage as many childcare sector representatives, childminders, day care providers, day care staff, childminding assistants, parents and carers to respond to the consultation as possible, to ensure that my final decisions with regards to potential changes in these areas are informed by a wide range of experiences and views.”
The consultation is open for 12 weeks and closes on 20 June 2025.
The consultation documents and details on how to respond are available on the Department of Health website at Consultation on Proposals to amend the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care for Children Under Age 12 | Department of Health and Citizen Space Consultation on Proposals to amend the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care for Children Under Age 12 - NI Direct - Citizen Space.