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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 2h

"I can’t afford to pick my kids up early as my funding will be reduced."

One parent told our team she sits outside her childcare provider because picking her kids up early would see her National Childcare Subsidy cut.

jrnl.ie/6840826

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 6h

Join us on our mission to help hold power to account…

Find out how you can support our work:
www.thejournal.ie/contribute/?...

The Journal invests time, expertise and passion in long-form investigative journalism. Our work has led to changes in legislation and State policy. We’ve sought and received apologies for wrongdoing…

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 6h

Another parent who tried to reduce their hours were told they would have to continue paying for the full day of childcare until another family filled the gap.

They told our team, “We are expected to cough up, no matter what.”

‘We basically pay two mortgages’: Our readers share the impact of soaring childcare costs

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 6h

"We basically pay two mortgages at the moment.”

When one parent enrolled their child in an early intervention ASD class, they looked to cut childcare hours.

But their provider insisted they pay for a full-time spot, despite only needing half the hours.

jrnl.ie/6840826

We asked our readers to share their experience of the cost of childcare. Here’s what we heard back.

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11h

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For the price of a sandwich each week you help us keep questioning, investigating, informing and innovating: www.thejournal.ie/contribute/?...

The Journal invests time, expertise and passion in long-form investigative journalism. Our work has led to changes in legislation and State policy. We’ve sought and received apologies for wrongdoing…

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11h

Parents told our team about their experiences with the cost of childcare.

They spoke of immense financial pressure, sometimes having to ask family for help, and having to take time off work.

jrnl.ie/6840826

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 20h

Our team goes beyond breaking news to explore, expose and explain the inner workings of modern Ireland

This kind of work takes time and it takes resources…

Here’s how you can help: www.thejournal.ie/contribute/?...

The Journal invests time, expertise and passion in long-form investigative journalism. Our work has led to changes in legislation and State policy. We’ve sought and received apologies for wrongdoing…

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 20h

Rising childcare fees has become a hot-button political issue, with many parents struggling to keep up with costs.

Readers contacted us from across the country about their experiences with the cost of childcare.

These are their stories jrnl.ie/6840826

Childcare costs in Ireland are soaring - how does the rest of Europe compare?

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 10d

The amount of income Irish parents must spend on childcare is almost double the OECD average.

So how does the rest of Europe compare?

Our investigation found that childcare costs in other European countries are significantly cheaper.

jrnl.ie/6831936

Our cross-border investigation found that childcare costs in other European countries are significantly cheaper.

Have your childcare fees increased? We want to hear your stories

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

Have your childcare fees increased? We want to hear your stories.

Have your childcare fees increased? Has your provider left Core Funding? Are you able to afford the fee increases? What impact did this have on you and your family?

Tell us your stories:
http://jrnl.ie/6831085

Thousand of parents have been hit with fee increases – has this impacted you?

Parents face huge fee increases as over 50 childcare providers withdraw from government scheme

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

“If I left my business hat on…you’ll do financially far better if you aim for a low standard”.

One provider that left Core Funding told us there aren’t any funding incentives to provide a good service.

They increased fees by €490 a month this year.

http://jrnl.ie/6831058

The scheme aims to increase childcare affordability but some providers who have left are pushing up their prices by over €300 a month.

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

Reporter @conorocarroll.bsky.social explains how childcare providers abandoning the government's Core Funding scheme is leaving families faced with fee increases of €300-400 a month this year.

Read more: http://jrnl.ie/6831058

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

Have your childcare fees increased? We want to hear your stories.

Have your childcare fees increased? Has your provider left Core Funding? Are you able to afford the fee increases? What impact did this have on you and your family?

Tell us your stories:
http://jrnl.ie/6831085

http://jrnl.ie/6831085

Parents face huge fee increases as over 50 childcare providers withdraw from government scheme

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

Over 50 Childcare providers have left the government’s Core Funding scheme in the last few years.

By leaving the scheme, providers are free to increase their fees substantially, with some parents being hit with €300-400 a month increases this year.

http://jrnl.ie/6831058

The scheme aims to increase childcare affordability but some providers who have left are pushing up their prices by over €300 a month.

Parents face huge fee increases as over 50 childcare providers withdraw from government scheme

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 11d

Parents face huge fee increases as over 50 childcare providers withdraw from government Core Funding scheme.

The scheme aims to increase childcare affordability but some providers who have left are pushing up their prices by over €300 a month.

http://jrnl.ie/6831058

The scheme aims to increase childcare affordability but some providers who have left are pushing up their prices by over €300 a month.

A year of impactful investigations exposing injustice and driving change

Reposted by The Journal Investigates

Conor O'Carroll @conorocarroll.bsky.social · 11d

Coming just after midnight, a new investigation for @investigates.thejournal.ie looking at soaring childcare fees.

One provider in Dublin increased full-time fees from €190 to €300 a week after leaving the government's Core Funding scheme ahead of the new school year.

Out soon on thejournal.ie

A screenshot of an upcoming story on The Journal. The headline reads 'Parents face huge fee increases as over 50 childcare providers withdraw from government scheme'.

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 16d

It's a year since we launched The Journal Investigates!

We have:
🕵️‍♀️ Produced 28 major investigations
🏛️ Sparked debate 12 times in the Oireachtas
🎙️ Spoken on radio over 125 times

Read just how impactful our work has been, thanks to your ongoing support:
http://jrnl.ie/6808070

The Journal Investigates has sparked national debate and reform, with our findings raised repeatedly in the Dáil and Seanad.

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 16d

Over the past year, our team spent countless hours sifting through thousands of documents, speaking to key sources and gathering information through Freedom of Information (FOI) and press requests.

Please consider helping us continue to uncover stories that really matter to people:

The Journal invests time, expertise and passion in long-form investigative journalism. Our work has led to changes in legislation and State policy. We’ve sought and received apologies for wrongdoing…

New Mental Health Bill ‘not meeting bar’ with safeguarding patients

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 16d

It's a year since we launched The Journal Investigates!

Since last September, our team produced 28 major investigations, consistently exposing injustice and driving change.

Find out more about our work – only made possible thanks to your ongoing support: jrnl.ie/6808070

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 18d

The new Mental Health Bill passed its final stage in the Dáil in July and is before the Seanad this afternoon

But a mental health policy expert has warned it is ‘not meeting bar’ with safeguarding patients
http://jrnl.ie/6823407

The new law is being debated in the Seanad today.

HSE has 'no capacity or funding' to help people quit vaping

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 18d

The number of people looking for help to quit vaping is on the rise.

But the services the HSE funds to help people quit smoking aren't available to them due to funding and capacity issues, something Labour TD Marie Sherlock called "alarming".

http://jrnl.ie/6824282

Labour TD Marie Sherlock called on the Minister for Health to ‘step up’ in advance of a Dáil debate today on young people vaping.

New Mental Health Bill ‘not meeting bar’ with safeguarding patients

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 18d

"This bill has no statutory right to advocacy and no independent complaints mechanism within it"

A mental health policy expert has warned that the long-awaited Mental Health Amendment Bill has moved further away from human rights principles
http://jrnl.ie/6823407

The new law is being debated in the Seanad today.

HSE has 'no capacity or funding' to help people quit vaping

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The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 18d

People looking to quit vaping are being turned away from HSE-funded smoking cessation services due to a lack of capacity and funding for a dedicated vaping service.

At the same time, the number of people looking for support to quit vaping is on the rise.

http://jrnl.ie/6824282

Labour TD Marie Sherlock called on the Minister for Health to ‘step up’ in advance of a Dáil debate today on young people vaping.

Around one in three hate incidents reported to gardaí are racially motivated

The Journal Investigates @investigates.thejournal.ie · 25d

Healthcare workers' experiences of racism show 'the government’s response abuse and attacks is not keeping pace' with the increase in abuse and attacks, trade union leader says.

http://www.thejournal.ie/racist-attacks-ireland-6817334-Sep2025/

Anti-race hate crimes and incidents have risen by almost a quarter in just three years, according to data analysed by The Journal Investigates.