Dear Service Provider,
Important updates to Registrations for the 2023/2024 ECCE, CCSP Saver Programme, NCS Programme Call
Please see the following important updates regarding registrations for the 2023/2024 programme call for ECCE, CCSP Saver Programme and NCS in this announcement:
- Updated Applicant Declaration forms.
- New fields on child registration pages for ethnic group/background and Eircode.
- Tusla registration change reminder.
- Training and support information.
Applicant Declaration Form
The Applicant Declaration form replaces the Parental Declaration form. It is printed from either the ECCE or CCSP Saver Programme child registration page after a child’s registration has been submitted for the parent/guardian to sign has been updated. As well as automatically populating the child’s personal information and the service’s calendar information, the form now provides a space for services who are required, under the terms of their funding agreements, to manually enter the fee information for each parent/guardian. Please note where there is more than one child in a family in receipt of funding under the ECCE or CCSP Saver Programmes, an Applicant Declaration is required for each child.
Where there is a change in fees or a change in level of childcare provided to a child, a new Applicant Declaration form must be printed and signed by the parent and kept on file for compliance purposes.
New fields on child registration pages for ethnic group/background and Eircode
There will be two new fields to complete on the child registration page for both the ECCE and CCSP Saver Programmes for the 2023/2024 programme call. The first will ask the parent/guardian to select the ethnic group/background of the child from a dropdown of options. The second will ask the parent/guardian to input the Eircode of the child. The provision of an Eircode is obligatory for an Approved Provider to make a registration. Where an Eircode is unavailable for a property, services should save the registration as a draft and raise a Request quoting its registration identifier code.
This information will help develop an identification model for the Equal Participation Model, a new funding strand as part of Together for Better.
The ethnic group/background field has also been added to the NCS application form, while the Eircode field is a pre-existing question on the NCS application form. This form is submitted by the child’s parent/guardian and there will be no additional requirement for service providers for NCS registrations.
Tusla registration change reminder
As previously communicated via an announcement on 24 May, there has been an important change to Tusla registration number requirements on the Early Years Hive. Service providers are now required to provide their Tusla registration number(s) for each care type offered. i.e., if you offer Early Learning and Care (ELC), you must provide a valid ELC registration number. If you offer School Aged Childcare (SAC), you must provide a valid SAC registration number and if you provide both ELC and SAC, you must provide valid Tusla registration numbers for both of these care types.
When registering a child, there will be an automatic system check to ensure you hold the relevant Tusla certification for the education stage of the child. Otherwise you will be unable to proceed with the registration until the correct Tusla certificate is uploaded.
Training and support
Registration training for ECCE and the CCSP Saver Programme is being held on Tuesday 4 July and Wednesday 5 July. Please see the invite announcement posted on Friday 23 June for more information.
Should you have any queries in relation to registrations, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a Request on the Early Years Hive using the following categories:
- Program
- me: Choose the programme (ECCE, NCS, CCSP)
- Request Type: Registrations
Regards,
The Early Years Team