Regulated childcare services and the care of children for persons providing essential services.

Childcare Services and Childminders are included on the Department of Taoiseach list of essential services that can continue to operate during current Covid – 19 restrictions:

Regulated childcare services and the care of children for persons providing essential services.

This includes all regulated centre based services and regulated childminders. This also includes childminders that are not required to register with Tusla once the care of children is for persons providing essential services.

Please use the following link to access the list of essential retail outlets and the list of essential services that can continue to operate during Covid-19 restrictions: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9158-essential-services/

In relation to the care of children by relatives this is addressed under Essential Purposes for Travel (Permitted outside 5 km limit) – “for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, and in particular for those who live alone but excluding social family visits”

If this position changes the DCEDIY will provide an update.