Description

Is ‘A Parent’s Guide to Childcare’ for you?

If you are thinking about having your child minded by someone else, this guide can help you every step of the way. The guide commences with some tips for starting your search and is then divided into easy-to-follow sections that deal with four main questions: 

1. Will your child be safe?
2. Will the service support the health, welfare and development of your child?
3. Is the service well managed?
4. Are the premise and facilities structurally sound and fit for purpose?

The guide also provides links to a number of key resources that can help you make the right decision for you and your child.

Information presented in this guide is based on research carried out by the authors over a number of years on behalf of the Tusla, Child and Family Agency, Early Years Inspectorate and many of the insights presented here are based on analyses of early years inspection reports written by the Early Years Inspectors.

About the authors

Dr Sinead Hanafin has been carrying out research for more than 30 years. She has written more than one hundred reports and academic papers, many focused on various aspects of children’s lives and the services they receive. She holds a Diploma in Research (RCSI), M.Sc. (Trinity College Dublin) and Ph.D. (Kings College London) and has previously worked in a number of different jobs including as Head of Research at the Department of Health and Children. She is currently the managing director of Research Matters, a company focused on making research useful for policy-makers.

Peg Hanafin was a successful business women and the co-ordinator of Coláiste Éile, a second-chance education centre based in Thurles, Co Tipperary. She spent her lifetime as an activist and was awarded an honours Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counselling / Psychology from the University of Illinois. Peg wrote six books based on positive psychology in the final six years of her life. She passed away in 2020 having lived every day to its fullest.