The Government confirmed details of a €1.3-billion cost-of-living package that includes bonus welfare payments, and support for businesses.
Carers, pensioners, lone parents, disabled people and other recipients of weekly welfare payments will get a once-off bonus payment of €200 in April while child benefit will be topped up on a once-off basis of €100 per child in June.
RTE’s Liveline had a segment on creche fees where callers shared their views on the government’s subsidy scheme for childcare and after schools.
Many callers were working parents and discussed the challenges and struggles with the scheme calling out its lack of flexibility.
One caller, Sinead said the cost of living package had nothing for the working parent, Sinead explained that she works 13 hour shifts and keeps her child off the odd day to spend time with her.
She was given a 20 hours subsidy and is being deemed non-compliant because of not sending her child in the odd time.
The less she sends her in the more she pays.
Sinead told Joe Duffy: “It was a nasty surprise, I have a child in afterschool, in January we got the child subsidy”
“13 hour shifts in healthcare, three 13 hours, Thursdays & Fridays”
“If you don’t send your child in for the maximum allocated hours, you’ll be assessed.”
“We will pay our set fees regardless”
“€1.40 will not be taken off my bill at the end of the bill.”
“They are only giving €1.40 for when the child attends.”
“It’s the ideology that the government say we’re helping working parents, but they are not.”
Another caller, Helen, explained that she has raised her children only to export them that they can’t afford to live in Ireland, so move abroad.
“For example, if you’re working as a physiotherapy, in England they a key worker housing scheme, when certain workers go to buy a home, but they get a subsidy, our children in Ireland can’t continue, one of my friends has a child who can’t afford to live near where she works, and travels every day.”
“I think there is a whole generation not being thought of in this country.”
Another parent shared that her child was sick and she would get a letter warning notification from the government that her subsidy would be cut.
“My baby was born 6 months after covid hit, you were sending your child in and told if they had a cough/cold, you were to keep them home.”
“You’d get a letter threatening to cut off your subsidy.”
“It’s very unfair, as a parent trying to pay creche fees in Dublin, it’s a struggle trying to keep everything a float.”
“A child could have chronic problems.”
“I have to not only clock myself in and out of work, but also my child in and out of creche.”
“I concur with all the ladies about the lack of flexibility in the scheme,”
“You are discouraged and penalised, the alternative would be for them to give you the subsidy for the hours you pay for."
“I emailed the national childcare scheme several times, no response, they sent me to the childcare committee in Cork.”, another caller called Jessica said.
It wasn’t just parents commenting on the problematic scheme, but a former creche owner, Mary, from the Midlands noted that she had left the sector due to the stress of the scheme.
Mary told Liveline: “I’m coming from running a creche for 30 years, when the government came in, we were told what to do and we had to do it, if you didn’t charge the way you were told, you were deemed non-compliant.”
“When it comes to our training, a parent can’t be told how long they spend with their child.”
“Johnny didn’t come in for x amount of hours, so then you owe me 10 euro.”
“The stress got so much, I couldn’t cope with the stress of parents.”
“I couldn’t watch the doctor, nurses, or social workers, they were up at 6am in the morning, collecting them last thing in the evening” she said.
Mary explained she sold the creche and described a visit from a Pobal Visit officer.
“I sold it, the stress was unbelievable, I remember a Pobal officer coming to visit me, the first year the free year was out, the child was entitled to stay with me, Mum said to me could you hold on until after the funeral mass.”
“I didn’t charge that mother for that, they Pobal Officer said he stayed for 2 extra hours.”
“No one knows the stress they’re under.”
“I was 30 years on my own, and 5 years working under the government, I couldn’t do it.”
Another caller named Sarah spoke on air about receiving an email from the creche her was enrolled in.
Sarah said he was attending on a part time basis, but the creche had sent the email advising the creche were only allowing full-time enrolments from March.
She told Joe: “My son is going to a creche, and we got an email and they’re cutting down part time hours for everyone, and are only allowing full-time hours, and have until March to decided.”
“He’s in 3 full-days, and gets the 2 ECCE half days, we don’t need 5 full days.”
“There’s one child that’s been in there since he was 3 months old and he’s been there from 9am-1pm.”
“They want her to pay 5 full days or leave.
“It was cold, no empathy, that their costs are too high, and you can like it or lump it.”
“They didn’t really give a reply or a reason.”
“They said they were going down this 5 full day road, but giving us 2 weeks notice to decide, it’s disgraceful.”
READ NEXT:
- Garda hit by bottle in brutal mob attack in Dublin expected to be off work for weeks
- Nicola Bulley: Diving expert 'baffled' over single detail about discovery of body
- Irish Rail confirms when catering trolley will return on Cork to Dublin service
- Ireland weather: High pressure system 'sending Jet Stream North' amid cold snap warning as snow arrives
- Survey shows devastating effects of inflation as children arrive to school hungry every day
