Free Funded Childcare

Free Funded Hours – Up to 30 hours childcare for eligible families in England

Significant changes came into play April 2024 for those eligible for free childcare in an early years, approved education settings.  Below is an overview of the advances but please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for further information and an eligibility checker.  You can also sign up for updates on when and how to apply so you don’t miss out!

 

Changes from April 2024

 

Currently available for eligible working families in England with children aged 3-4 years

 

Currently available to ALL FAMILIES in England with children ages 3-4 years

 

Currently available to families in England receiving some additional forms of Government support for children aged 2 years

 

Please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for further details, eligibility calculator and sign up for updates.

 

Free Funded Childcare as a Foster Parent

Children in foster care will be eligible for 30 hours if it is consistent with their care plan and foster parents are in paid work outside their role as a foster parent

You can claim 30 hours from the term after:

It is recommended that you apply in good time, so that you receive your code the term before your child becomes eligible. You can apply up to 16 weeks before your foster child turns three.

For more information see How to apply

Children in foster care who are aged 9 months to 4 years old could also be eligible for the working parent entitlements, provided the foster parent is in paid work outside their fostering role and does not expect their adjusted net income to exceed £100, 000.

There is no minimum income requirement for foster parents, however the local authority responsible for the child must confirm it is satisfied that the foster parent’s p[aid work other than their fostering role is consistent with the child’s care plan.

Foster parents cannot use the online Childcare service application to get free childcare. Speak to your social worker and your local council if you want to apply.

 

Immigration status

To be eligible for funded childcare for working parents, you (and your partner if you have one and if they live with you) must have a National Insurance number.

The person who applies must also have at least one of the following :

To check if you are eligible, you can use the eligibility checker tool from childcare choices here

 

 

 

Disclaimer

Bradford District Care Trust is not responsible for the contents or reliability of the linked websites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. Listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. We can not guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of linked page.