Help with childcare costs
If you're going back to work and you've got children, you can
get financial and practical help with childcare. From tax
credits to flexible working arrangements, there's lots of support
available to make your life easier. Early learning gives children
the best start in life, through learning and playing with
other children in a safe and structured environment they’ll have a
head start when they begin school.
The parent's guide to money
The Financial Services Authority has published The parent's guide to
money and it will be distributed free throughout England this
summer via midwives. It is a folder for expectant and new parents,
containing information on dealing with the financial impact of a
new baby, such as budgeting, state benefits, cost of children and
childcare, maternity and paternity rights, savings and work.
It also includes a CD-Rom containing a number of easy-to-use
calculators.
Advice on childcare costs
In March 2008 Daycare Trust launched a new website paying for childcare,
which provides a one-stop-shop of information on help with
childcare costs. The site also features a tax credit checker which
allows users to check eligibility for the childcare element of
working tax credit.
Advice from the families information service
The Families Information
Service (FIS) provides free information. They hold
details of all registered early years education and childcare in
the area and other information such as how to pay for
childcare, jobs and training in childcare. The service it
offers is confidential, impartial and free of charge. They aim to
make this information easily accessible and freely available to all
members of the public.