Who thinks new childcare help will be linked to agencies?

**vikiwizz** · 20-03-2013, 01:37 PM

Was just watching the budget and they are planning on giving each child £1200 help towards childcare as long as parent earns less the 150k a year, which is quite a seizable amount of parents in my eyes?

What's the betting it will be some how linked to this new agency idea because as far as I can see the vouchers via work are being fazed out!

**AliceK** · 20-03-2013, 01:44 PM

Hmmm, you might be right. Won't be good for those of us who wont join an agency if it is though will it

. With regard to the current voucher scheme I understand that parents already using them will be able to carry on but it will be stopped from new parents joining.

xxx

**vikiwizz** · 20-03-2013, 02:09 PM

It's not until 2015 so I'm sure over the next year we will find out

**hectors house** · 20-03-2013, 02:09 PM

Starting to see the whole picture now I think - bit like those games things on tv where they reveal a bit more and a bit more and then you think how could I have been so stupid to have not worked that out quicker!

**vikiwizz** · 20-03-2013, 02:12 PM

Yep I agree, it seems the picture is starting to become clearer

I mean it has to be linked doesn't it? Seems too much for a coinidence?

**vikiwizz** · 20-03-2013, 02:14 PM

This is the Martin Lewis link that breaks down how it will work, regarding payments.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/new...winners-losers

**emma04** · 20-03-2013, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by vikiwizz

This is the Martin Lewis link that breaks down how it will work, regarding payments.

New tax-free childcare scheme – who wins, who loses?

All sounds ok to me in principle. BUT what is really annoying me is members of the government and others referring to childcare as.... 'HIGH COST' do they expect us to do one of the most important jobs in the country, for a quid an hour!!! Would they work for that???

The childcare sector is one of the lowest paid workforces, but without it, the country would grind to a halt and the economy would be in ruins. UK government are getting a bargain, in my opinion!!

NOT very obvious to those officials that distinctly lack 'simple common sense!!' Dimwits!

**jackie 7** · 20-03-2013, 04:22 PM

Child care is expensive compared to other countries bug guess what the goverents therefore. Yes give more subsidises. By the time it comes in we will probably have another party in and yet more changes. They change with thd wind!!

**Heaven Scent** · 20-03-2013, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by vikiwizz

Was just watching the budget and they are planning on giving each child £1200 help towards childcare as long as parent earns less the 150k a year, which is quite a seizable amount of parents in my eyes?

What's the betting it will be some how linked to this new agency idea because as far as I can see the vouchers via work are being fazed out!

These are my fears for what Mrs Truss’s & the Treasury plan is -

What I imagine they will do initially is use the existing Early Years teams to form these first Pilot agancies that they hope to have up and running next Sept then they will ensure that all childminders who draw down FEEE have to be in the agency as they are already in the Network - then they will extend it so that only Agency childminders will be able to accept payment from people benefiting from this new scheme they have announced today then when they have completed their enforced membership they will put these L.A. agencies out to tender for voucher companies to buy them out and hey presto the whole thing will be privatised and very seemless - Every Childminder will have to belong to an agency because all parents will be eligible for some sort of benefit towards their childcare costs as they have raised the threshold - its all very simple but they think we are too thick to work it out - Yes membership of an agency will be optional but no parent will use us as we won't be able to accept their free/tax free entitlement. I reckon the 15 free hours will disappear too because we will be forced to keep our prices low by said agencies.

I reckon they will take control of all placements of families with minders and we won't have a choice over who we take on or we will be seen as being discriminating against people - only the families will have a right to choose who they leave their parents with - it will also leave us even wider open to what happened to you - The agencies will work like aupair and nanny agencies and both the parents and the provider will pay towards the upkeep of the agency - they may even work it like employment agencies parents will pay say £3.80 ph and will give the provider say £2.80 per hour so all that will happen is that the provider will get paid less and the families will pay the same plus their fee for joining the agency.

**singingcactus** · 20-03-2013, 04:54 PM

It is a benefit. It will be dealt with the same way other benefits are dealt with. Parents will provide evidence of childcare cost, and then the benefit will be paid to the claimant. Evidence will most likely be same as now, parents gives a cost and an ey number and occassionaly the system will contact provider for invoices and records etc.
It will make no difference whether you are a nanny, childminder, day nursery, preschool, agency or otherwise. This is a benefit for childcare which can be provided by all the above childcare settings, not just childminders, so agencies are neither here nor there with regard to this.

**The Juggler** · 20-03-2013, 06:09 PM

from what I understand it is only through voucher companies that parents can claim the benefit. The voucher companies will be in control of the benefit. So a parent uses whatever voucher company their employer uses, then the voucher company draws down the funding from the government on behalf of the parent as they are fully aware of what the parent is paying, and they pay the full sum directly to the employer.

I think this will avoid a lot of fraud that is currently going on. The only question unanswered is 'will they then raise the amount parents can claim/pay via childcare vouchers. At present they can only salary sacrifice a max of £240 so the Government would need to remove the cap on this for the system to work - or 20% of that limit won't amount to very much

**Heaven Scent** · 20-03-2013, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by vikiwizz

Was just watching the budget and they are planning on giving each child £1200 help towards childcare as long as parent earns less the 150k a year, which is quite a seizable amount of parents in my eyes?

What's the betting it will be some how linked to this new agency idea because as far as I can see the vouchers via work are being fazed out!

These are my fears for what Mrs Truss’s & the Treasury plan is -

What I imagine they will do initially is use the existing Early Years teams to form these first Pilot agancies that they hope to have up and running next Sept then they will ensure that all childminders who draw down FEEE have to be in the agency as they are already in the Network - then they will extend it so that only Agency childminders will be able to accept payment from people benefiting from this new scheme they have announced today then when they have completed their enforced membership they will put these L.A. agencies out to tender for voucher companies to buy them out and hey presto the whole thing will be privatised and very seemless - Every Childminder will have to belong to an agency because all parents will be eligible for some sort of benefit towards their childcare costs as they have raised the threshold - its all very simple but they think we are too thick to work it out - Yes membership of an agency will be optional but no parent will use us as we won't be able to accept their free/tax free entitlement. I reckon the 15 free hours will disappear too because we will be forced to keep our prices low by said agencies.

I reckon they will take control of all placements of families with minders and we won't have a choice over who we take on or we will be seen as being discriminating against people - only the families will have a right to choose who they leave their parents with - it will also leave us even wider open to what happened to you - The agencies will work like aupair and nanny agencies and both the parents and the provider will pay towards the upkeep of the agency - they may even work it like employment agencies parents will pay say £3.80 ph and will give the provider say £2.80 per hour so all that will happen is that the provider will get paid less and the families will pay the same plus their fee for joining the agency.