No State indemnity in frontline workers' childcare plan
The Government’s new childcare plan for frontline health workers will not include a State indemnity for childcare providers to cover Covid-19 related claims.
Insurance broker, Arachas, has told childcare providers that if they participate in the childcare scheme Allianz, the largest underwriter in the sector, will apply a Covid-19 exclusion.
However, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, said Allianz’s decision not to provide cover for Covid-19 related claims is a commercial matter for them as an underwriter.
Both Allianz and Arachas believe there is an onus on the State to provide indemnity in respect of exposure to the coronavirus because it is a Government-led initiative in response to a national crisis.
“Unfortunately, we are advised that the Government is not in a position to provide a State indemnity for this,” Arachas said.
It is understood that there have been ongoing discussions on the matter involving Arachas, Allianz and the various representative childcare groups since April.
Labour’s spokesman on justice, children and youth affairs, Sean Sherlock, said urgent action is needed to address the childcare insurance issue: “It has taken several weeks for the Government to produce a desperately needed plan to provide childcare for frontline workers and now it appears to have hit a major obstacle before even getting off the ground."
The Social Democrats spokeswoman on children, Jennifer Whitmore, said the Government must sit down and work the issue through with the insurance industry.
Sinn Fein’s spokesman on finance, Pearse Doherty, said childcare workers would be taking risks by providing childcare to these frontline staff: “Every effort should be made to provide them with the necessary cover for the work they do."
The childcare scheme for essential health workers will include hospital staff such as cleaners, canteen staff and private nursing home staff, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has said.
The Government will make additional funding available to childcare services that reopen to provide childcare for the health workers from Mon, May 18.
The childcare workers will look after the health workers’’ children in their homes at a cost of €90 per family per week.
All services that participate in the initiative will be helped to follow HSE guidance relating to Covid-19; and staff caring for children in family homes will continue to be supported by their employer.
Only Tusla-registered services will be allowed to participate and all staff taking part will be experienced early learning and care or school-age childcare practitioners who have been garda vetted.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, said a number of childcare services have already indicated their willingness to support vital health staff.
Pobal will assist the department with the administration of the new initiative that may focus initially on larger full-day services, but all services are being asked to consider signing up for the scheme.
Early next week, eligible health workers will be advised to contact a Pobal parent support centre to request the service and to indicate their childcare needs and preferences.
Essential staff
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs says it is continuing to work with the Department of Health to finalise who will meet the definition of "essential health worker" in order to qualify for the State’s emergency childcare service.The Garda Vetting Bureau says all childcare staff who volunteer for outreach childcare will need to be revetted, as the vetting they currently hold is location-specific.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will make more information available to parents and guardians wanting to avail of the service over the coming days.
