A plan to privatise Family Day Care and Respite Care services is to be reversed, keeping the services under the Department for Education’s jurisdiction.
Minister for Education, Blair Boyer said that in 2019, the Government sought to transfer the management of both services to a private provider, sparking serious concerns about the level of care that would be delivered and fears of spiralling costs.
“The Department for Education will remain as the approved provider of these essential services – helping some of our most vulnerable children – across the State,” Mr Boyer said.
“These crucial services are vital for parents and children and we’re pleased they’ll remain affordable to all families,” he said.
The Minister said Family Day Care was a home-based childcare and education service run by qualified private educators, who looked after a small group of children in their own home.
Mr Boyer said Respite Care was a disability care service for children and young people, offering parents and carers a break.
“About 430 educators offer care to around 4000 children in South Australia, with the Department providing ongoing support to ensure high-quality national standards are met,” he said.
“The push to privatise would have hurt parents who rely on this much-need service while risking the high level of care currently provided to children.
“We look forward to continuing to support an industry that plays such a pivotal role in developing the next generation,” Mr Boyer said.
