Parents and guardians asked for views on future of childcare in Northern Ireland

Parents and guardians across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to have their say on the future of childcare.

In May, Education Minister Paul Givan announced a £25 million package of measures to support children, parents and providers with early learning and childcare in 2024/25.

A new Northern Ireland childcare survey has now been launched to give parents and guardians the opportunity to provide feedback about their experience of childcare in the region.

The department has commissioned the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) to carry out the survey, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Mr Givan said: “Almost 20,000 households across Northern Ireland have been invited to take part in this survey.

“This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to tell us directly about their experience of childcare in Northern Ireland.

“We want to hear your views on the cost and quality of childcare as well as whether it has influenced decisions that you have had to make regarding work, education or training.

“I would encourage all those who have been invited to take part, to complete the survey over the coming weeks, as the information provided will help to shape the Executive’s new Early Learning and Childcare Strategy which will be published in 2025.”

The survey opened on November 4 and closes on December 13 and takes around 15 minutes to complete.

Nisra’s chief executive Philip Wales added: “You can play a vital role in helping the Department of Education to understand the issues that parents and guardians face with childcare by completing the survey if you receive an invitation to take part.

“Thousands of people have already replied to tell us about their experiences, but we want to hear from as many respondents as possible to give us a really good understanding of current childcare arrangements in Northern Ireland.”