Help for Lone Parents FAQs



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Printer Friendly Page Business Community Information History Learning and Skills Leisure Links Living Visiting Croydon Search About the Site			Frequently Asked Questions (Help for lone parents through New Deal for Lone Parents) The list below provides answers to the most common questions of lone parents who want to join New Deal. Who is New Deal for Lone Parents for? What help is available for childcare costs? What kind of childcare can be paid for? How much will I get? How will the money be paid? Finding out more about New Deal for Lone Parents Finding out more about childcare Who is New Deal for Lone Parents for? New Deal for Lone Parents is for any lone parent on income support with a dependent child or children. Lone parents with children of school age are sent letters telling them about the programme and inviting them to meet with a New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser. If your youngest child is under five, you can choose to join the programme. Just contact your Benefits Agency office or Jobcentre and ask to contact your nearest New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser. What help is available for childcare costs? Once you have joined New Deal for Lone Parents you could get help with childcare costs while you attend interviews or appointments with your New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser, undertake approved training, attend job interviews or work trials. To be eligible for the help with childcare costs your training must be: Approved by a New Deal for Lone Parent personal adviser, before you enrol Work-related and increase your chances of finding a job - you need to have a business case accepted by your adviser to show that you really need to undertake training in order to find a job Normally up to NVQ/SVQ level 2 or equivalent, or in certain circumstances up to NVQ/SVQ level 3 No more than one year long What kind of childcare can be paid for? To be eligible, childcare providers taking part in this scheme must be registered or exempt from registration. The following services are eligible: Childminder registered with the local authority Out of school scheme registered with the local authority Playscheme registered with the local authority Nursery registered with the local authority Pre-school or playgroup registered with the local authority If you are not sure if your chosen childcare provider could be eligible, ask your New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser. How much will I get? Whilst training you could get a maximum of £100 per week for one child or £150 per week for two or more children to help you pay for childcare. If your childcare costs more than this you will have to pay the difference. Your adviser will help you find out about childcare while you train or search for a job. If you are training, your adviser will encourage you to find out whether your college could contribute to your childcare costs. How will the money be paid? Your New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser will send a form to your childcare provider explaining that the Employment Service will pay the agreed amount and will request confirmation of the childcare arrangements. Then your childcare provider should send the forms back to your New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser, who will arrange for the money to be paid directly to your childcare provider. Payments are usually monthly. Finding out more about New Deal for Lone Parents There are a number of ways you can find out more about the New Deal for lone parents. Contact your local Jobcentre or Benefits Agency office to find out more about New Deal for Lone Parents. Visit the New Deal for Lone Parents website Call the New Deal for Lone Parents Helpline - 0800 868 868 Ask your New Deal for Lone Parents personal adviser what help you could get to help you pay for childcare while you train or search for work Finding out more about childcare Ask Croydon Children's Information Service (CIS) for more information about choosing childcare that will suit your child. Visit the Government's work-life balance campaign website. Back to Paying for Childcare


			Sunday, 12 October, 2008
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