Sir, – I read with some unease the proposal to make registration of childminders compulsory and to bring in detailed standards – not because registration is in itself a bad thing, but because it comes trailing bureaucracy and aspirational documents which may make things difficult for the ordinary childminder in a home. Detailed standards in other care areas have not always enhanced the lived experience of recipients, and training may not bring about miraculous improvements, especially when things like kindness, child-centredness and the primacy of child-carer relationship are not mentioned. In the matter of inspection, Tusla has difficulty dealing with its present remit, so will it be able to inspect what are essentially private homes with the sensitivity required?
Children differ enormously and need differing forms of care. The State should not privilege one form over another, so standards should be such that the average childminder can meet them. Subsidies should be available for creches, childminders, and for the parent who chooses to stay at home with small children. – Yours, etc,
MÁIRÍDE WOODS,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.