There has been recent discussion around the rules governing attendance, and we are aware that some parents and providers have been concerned that, by children being collected early on occasion or through non-attendance owing to illness, they will lose their subsidy. We want to issue a reminder of the rules of the National Childcare Scheme governing under-attendance and link to where you can get support.
In summary, parents can occasionally pick their children up early without any impact on their subsidy. The same is true for non-attendance owing to illness. It is important that providers are aware of this and have the correct information should they be discussing the matter with parents.
To give further context, when families apply for a CHICK they will be given an award that includes the maximum number of hours (45 or 20) which may be subsidised. At that point, parents and providers work together to agree the hours needed within the maximum NCS hours awarded, based on a combination of what a parent needs and what a provider can reasonably offer, and the hours set up on the system should reflect this. If parents need different hours at different points in the year, for example longer hours during mid-term breaks, then this can be accommodated. The NCS subsidy is then applied to these hours.
The Scheme has been designed with flexibility to reflect the reality of family life:
1. Rounding of hours:
When reporting the weekly hours of attendance on the Hive, providers can round up part hours of daily attendance to the next whole hour. For example, if a child attends 4 hours and 1 minute or more, it is recorded as 5 hours of attendance for that day.
2. 12 week under-attendance window:
In line with Tusla requirements, providers must maintain daily attendance records for each child, but it is not required to log this information on the Hive. As part of their weekly returns on the Hive, providers must report if a child has been attending less than their registered hours for each of the previous eight weeks in a row. At this point, a warning notification will issue to a parent alerting them to the situation. The subsidy is not changed at this stage, and as long as the under-attendance is broken by one full week of attendance of the agreed hours, the subsidy will remain unchanged.
However, if the under-attendance continues for a further consecutive four weeks (e.g.12 consecutive weeks of under-attendance), the number of subsidised hours awarded under the Scheme will be revised to reflect the average number of hours that were actually attended by the child over the previous twelve week period. The subsidy amount will not be effected before this.
It is important to note that neither parent nor provider will be required to refund the subsidy for hours they have not used during this initial 12 week period: however their hours awarded will be reduced to reflect the average hours they do use going forward.
This means if a parent is caught in traffic, a child has an appointment, or a grandparent is available to collect them early, the family will not be penalised. No change to subsidy will incur until the child persistently under attends for the full 12 weeks.
3. Exemptions:
The Scheme also provides for particular exemptions to the attendance rules under certain circumstances to allow for extended absences in exceptional circumstances.
Providers can find detailed guidance on NCS attendance rules and examples of underattendance reporting here.
4. Compliance
It is a requirement that providers report on under-attendance at the eight-week point.
If it is determined that an overpayment of a subsidy has occurred, where underattendance has occurred beyond this 12 week period and not been reported by the provider, then a provider will be found as non-compliant. In this instance, over claims will be recouped from the provider by Pobal.
If you require further clarification on the rules please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC). The quickest way of contacting the EYPC is by submitting a Request on the Early Years Hive. You can also contact the EYPC by calling 01 511 7222 or by email at EYPC@pobal.ie
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