Cllr Scott calls for govt action on accessible childcare

Green Party Spokesperson on Children and Equality, Councillor Lourda Scott, attended the National Women’s Council protest outside the Dáil on Wednesday calling on Government to urgently address the gap between paid family leave and access to childcare.

The event, taking place ahead of International Women’s Day, highlighted the challenges many families face as the search for affordable childcare begins.

Cllr Scott said:

“Most babies are around six months old when paid family leave ends. While additional unpaid leave is available, many families simply cannot afford to take it. In Wicklow, I regularly speak to parents who put their child’s name down for a crèche place before the baby is even born. Even then, there is no guarantee of securing a place. For some, there is a gap of weeks or even months with no income or no childcare. That is not sustainable.”

Cllr Scott noted that Wicklow is a commuter county with high housing costs and many dual income households.

“For many people here when paid family leave ends, there is no flexibility. If childcare is not available locally, parents have to figure out some sort of arrangement or reduce their working hours. In most cases, it is women who step back from employment.”

Cllr Scott is supporting the call for urgent Government action to introduce income linked family leave and to accelerate the development of a public childcare system that works for Wicklow families.

“At the moment, family leave is not paid at a level that replaces income, and it does not even cover the first year of a child’s life. This call for reform is about choice. Many women do not have a genuine choice about how long to stay at home with their baby. Financial pressure makes that decision for them. Ireland is an outlier in the European Union in not linking family leave payments to income. It is time for us to catch up. Making this change would allow women and families to make decisions based on what is right for them, not simply what they can afford.”

Cllr Scott continued:

“This isnt a new issue. The gap between paid leave and childcare has been going on for years. The system has relied on women stepping in to fill that gap through unpaid care. Because families have managed somehow, the urgency to reform the system has simply not been there. The Government must stop building public policy on the assumption that women will absorb the shortfall through unpaid labour. This cycle must end.

As part of this, we must see decisive action to move towards a publicly planned childcare model. We have heard repeated commitments from Government, particularly before the election, but very little progress on the ground.”

Cllr Scott said she will continue to raise the issue at both local and national level