McCallister concerned over unregistered childminders

He said, "I have been contacted again by an anxious mother who has secured employment, but to her disappointment, has discovered there are no registered childminders available in her locality at present.

"The few locals that are registered are full up and this particular lady will have to rely on family until she can secure something more permanent. However, this story is not unfamiliar as there has been a shortage of registered childminders for a long time."

Mr McCallister raised this issue in September when he wrote to the Chief Social Services Officer.

He highlighted the delays in the processing of applications by women wanting to become childminders.

He continued, "In some cases, some applicants were waiting up to 17 months. It causes me great concern that many applicants felt so disheartened that they decided not to proceed any further."

"In the current economic climate, it is extremely difficult to secure employment. We are encouraging people to get back into the workplace, particularly young mothers. It is simply not good enough when these enthusiastic hard-working parents face barriers such as lack of child-care."

Mr McCallister has vowed to keep the pressure on the relevant authorities, but has urged any childminders in the area who are having difficulties with their registration process to get in touch with his office on 028 437 24400.