CHILDCARE

An example of the lack of critical success factors can be seen in Table 4.2, where the allocation of funding for childcare is at £55 million per annum. At first glance this can be seen as welcome, it does not present a figure that would substantially assist families in need of childcare support. Analysis of NISRA-CSO demographic data from 2022 shows that the 0 to 4 years old age group comprise 5.9% of the population (i.e., 111,932) and the 5 to 9 years old age group comprise 6.5% of the population (i.e., the total) with the total population of these two groups making up 12.4% (i.e., 237,226).

Without including population growth over the next three years, the allocation of childcare funding works out at approximately £232 per child under the age of 9 years old per annum. This would be the equivalent of just under £20 per child under the age of 9 per month. Or put more bluntly, this would be the equivalent of £5 per child per week. 

According to the NISRA NI Childcare Survey Report 2024 (published in May 2025), the median childcare fee for 1 to 41+ hours per week cost is £225 per month per child aged 0-11. Based on a survey of parents of conducted November- December 2024, the report revealed 44% of children aged 0-11 did not receive any form of childcare provision. Therefore, not only is funding woefully paltry relative to requirement, it cannot be understood, as to what measure of success or failure has been achieved after allocation and implementation