Money

Childcare

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Young parents

If you are under 20 with childcare responsibilities, you can get help with your childcare costs through Care to Learn when you return to learning.

As long as you use a registered childcare provider, you could receive up to £160 per child per week (£175 if you live in London) to pay for childcare and travel costs. Care to Learn will pay the money directly to your childcare provider and course provider.

If you know what learning you want to do and have been provisionally accepted by your learning provider, you should complete a Care to Learn application form. You can download these from the website or get them from the learning provider or Go for it centres. You can also get a form in the post by ringing the helpline on 0800 121 8989 or email c2l@liberata.com

DirectGov has information on the financial support available for parents.

If you don't know what learning you want to do, contact your local Go for it centres.

Once you have sent in your full Care to Learn application form, the team should let you know within 5 working days whether your application has been approved. Receiving money from Care to Learn will not affect your benefits or allowances and you do not have to be on benefits in order to apply.

To help find approved, registered childcare in your area, you can contact Childcarelink on 0800 2 346346, or ring the Hampshire Children’s Information Service on 0845 602 1125. They can provide you with lists of childcare providers in your local area. For Portsmouth contact Portsmouth CHAT

If you under 18 and pregnant, or under 18 with a baby

For advice and information on employment related issues - contact Working Families. For publications, download from the National Childbirth Trust.

Healthy Start Vouchers allow for the purchase of milk, fresh fruit and vegetables or infant formula milk from registered shops (most supermarkets have signed up). Registered shops will display a red and green window sticker saying 'Healthy Start Vouchers Welcome Here'. NHS Clinics will not be able to accept them.

You would qualify for Healthy Start if you are pregnant and under 18 years old, you are pregnant and have a child under four years old AND you get Income Support, income based Jobseeker's Allowance or you get Child Tax Credit (not Working Tax Credit).

Healthy Start vouchers are worth £2.80 a week if you are pregnant, £5.60 a week for each baby aged under one and £2.80 for each child aged over one and under four.

All pregnant young women or young mums who are already in receipt of benefits will automatically be transferred over to the scheme. However, all new applicants will need to complete the application form (and professionals need to complete Part B of that form for/with them).

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Page updated: Thursday, November 12, 2009 11:43 AM