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You will be entitled to the tax free childcare which will give you 20% off your fees, up to a maximum of £500 per quarter. If your LO is attending full time this won’t be much. I think it’s important to take note that in England 9 month olds with working parents are currently getting 15 hours funded per week in addition to the tax free. From September this year, it’s moving to 30 funded hours but in Scotland we need to wait until our children are 3 for this. This is massive but our government are doing nothing and I don’t even see them talking about plans to do it, despite the funds being added to pay for it via Barnett. I had written to an MSP who then took it to a minister for children a few months ago and I was essentially poo pooed by them with quite a patronising letter I received. I don’t know if there is anything going around to raise attention to this. I know that doesn’t answer your question but I find it quite shocking lol.
@Chelsea the system in England doesn’t work. The “funding” the government gives the nursery’s etc doesn’t cover what they actually cost to run. I have friends/family who work in the sector in England and it is awful. I think Scot Gov 100% needs to do more but it definitely shouldn’t follow the England model.
@Hettie it works just the same way as the 30 funded hours do here for 3 year olds and you pay an additional fee to cover consumables etc. it’s funded hours, not free but regardless parents are better off having them than they are not x
I have many friends living in London, all of which are benefiting from this x
If the childminder isn't registered with the scheme that means I won't be entitled to anything?
@Chelsea Pregnant Then Screwed have a Scotland branch now and they have a campaign for more help with childcare costs
You can get all the official info based on your circumstances here - https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
@Chelsea I’m not disagreeing that people aren’t benefiting from it but I’m saying that it is a flawed system which I hope isn’t repeated up here but that actual childcare reform happens. Nurseries are closing because they can’t make ends meet.
@Hettie I’ve not heard of any nursery having to close as the government changed and reduced the ratio of staff for children age 2+ to reduce some of the overheads for the companies (which Scotland have also done but we don’t get the reduced cost benefit) and they allow nurseries and childminders to add on costs for food etc., to make up the shortfall. But regardless, the reason for failing to roll this out in Scotland is not to do with concerns about how nurseries can afford it; instead it’s a total lack of regard for families who have no option but for both parents to return to work as soon as maternity pay ends. It was the same argument when England started the 30 hours at age 3. Scottish people had to wait years under our current government to follow suit and it was only down to public backlash that they did it. It’s been in place for years and nurseries haven’t closed down x
@Hettie obviously changes now won’t affect my family as we’re now at the point my son is turning 3 & will get his funded hours from September but we have been paying for 52 hours of childcare every week since he turned 9 months old and the disparity between what’s offered here and elsewhere when it comes to support to fund the extortionate fees has led us to lose out on hundreds, if not thousands of pounds since the 15 funded hours was rolled out across the rest of the UK. The cost of full time childcare has been a barrier to us considering a second baby so I completely agree that the Scottish government need to do so much more. Luckily for us, it’s just meant pulling in the purse strings but I know many women who simply can’t afford to return to work because of childcare costs but their household earning “too much” to claim any support which leaves them with no choice but to stay at home - affecting things like career progression, pension, earnings. X
If the childminder is registered with the scheme you should be entitled to tax free childcare - check with your provider if they're registered.