Childcare provision: NI strategy could cost up to £400m

Up to £400m may be needed to deliver a new early learning and childcare strategy for Northern Ireland, Education Minister Paul Givan has said.

There is no scheme in place for free childcare in Northern Ireland.

Parents say they are being left behind as other parts of the UK benefit from childcare support measures.

Mr Givan said the scale of the budget required would depend on the "scope of the strategy and the level of support agreed by the executive".

The education minister was speaking as assembly members debated a Sinn Féin motion on "unaffordable" childcare costs in Northern Ireland on Monday.

Mr Givan said the development of an early learning and childcare strategy was a "top priority" and that he would be bringing an initial paper on this issue to executive colleagues later this week.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician said it would be the "willingness of the executive to fund it", adding "that will be the real test of commitment".

He said a cross-departmental approach would be important in tackling the issue and he hoped to deliver a "bespoke" scheme for Northern Ireland.

"If real and meaningful change is to happen, executive colleagues must be willing to properly invest in early learning and childcare," he said.

"When fully implemented, the annual and recurring costs could potentially be up to £400m."

Sinn Féin assembly member Nicola Brogan said a Stormont all-party group had examined a scheme in England which aims to provide 30 hours of free childcare per-week.

She said while it sounded good, in practice it was not delivering.

"We need our own model, one that ensures sustainability of the sector by protecting workers' conditions and pay, and one that reduces fees for parents to drive down the costs for families," she said.

Alliance Party assembly member Kate Nicholl said childcare was not just "babysitting".

"It is child development, early education, early intervention. It is a means by which to improve economic activity levels. It is about gender equality in the labour market," she said.

Ulster Unionist Party deputy leader Robbie Butler called on Mr Givan to bring forward a "costed options paper as soon as possible".

Social Democratic and Labour Party assembly member Sinéad McLaughlin called for the executive to be ambitious in its plans.

"We can look at the failure of the free hours model in England, and we can look at the promise of models in countries like Norway and Sweden, that invest from a child's first days to transform outcomes and cap costs," she said.

"Let's stretch our ambition and acknowledge that this is an investment rather than a cost."

In 2023, a major review by the Department of Education found that the majority of parents on low and middle-incomes "consider childcare to be unaffordable".

Similarly, figures from Employers for Childcare found the average cost of full-time childcare in Northern Ireland was more than £10,000 a year for one child.

Parents have previously told BBC News NI that more financial support from the government is needed in order to tackle "extortionate" childcare costs.

George Foster, who employs 26 staff across his two Londonderry nurseries, said he has had to invest tens of thousands of pounds to keep his business afloat.

"It's unaffordable for parents and day care nurseries can't charge the appropriate amount to ensure they are sustainable," he said.

"We need action now and [politicians] really need to get it right."

Becca Harper, co-founder of organisation Melted Parents NI, said childcare costs for parents were "incredibly difficult".

"We love our providers - our providers are extensions of our families. We completely understand the crisis that the whole sector is facing," she said.

"But unfortunately whenever it comes to being a parent in Northern Ireland at the moment, the fees are outstripping salaries. The fees are increasing on a regular basis."

Ms Harper said one parent who contacted the group said their childcare bill was rising from £1,700 to £2,000 with three weeks' notice.

"It's not the providers' fault. We want providers to stay open we need them to stay open," she added.

"But the failing here is on the government - the lack of investment for the last couple of decades, actually, not just the last couple of years."

While there is currently no free childcare scheme available in Northern Ireland, working parents can avail of some supports.

This includes tax credits, universal credit, childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare.

That is different to the likes of England where many working parents of three and four-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare per week during term time.