30 hours childcare

That's is completely unfair and disgusting behaviour. I don't know anything about these situations but get yourself a solicitor ASAP and I'm sure it will be reversed if there is no proof.

I'm so sorry OP. Did he get 50/50 or full custody? How did it happen so quickly? Can you get to a solicitor ASAP?

Unless both parents are working or he was the only parent with parental responsibility you are not entitled to 30, just the standard 15. Once your youngest is of that age it is normal to take up the offer of 15 hours.

The 30 hours isn’t really 30 hours a week it’s 1140 a year so really about 22 a week if you use it all year around. Could you use 22 hours a week? A single parents can apply if they are working. So the Dad can apply - assuming he’s working but Mum couldn’t apply if she’s not. But the main thing is still the kids living with the parent who applies so no Dad couldn’t apply

Or here can't add screenshot for some reason

Here is the section of the gov.uk website stating child must live with you.

You cannot apply for 30 hours unless you are both working. So if you are not working your child is not entitled to the 30 hours.

What on Earth makes you think people are being "rude", "getting at" you, or "have issues". Aside from the fact that people are allowed an opinion on a public message board, we’re taking the time to share views in an effort to help.

It’s unfortunate that you choose to take offence and give insult to anyone who appears to disagree with you in the slightest.

You don’t want to hear this, but the fact is Georgie is absolutely right. Your childminder has been messed about, and you need to face up to things in a much more adult manner.

Like many parents in your position, you’re in danger of digging yourself into a hole, and the last thing you need is to be egged on by agreeable sycophants encouraging you to keep on digging.

If got to admit, I don’t particularly get your problem with your child receiving their funding like most children in the country. It’s helping you out, reducing your childcare fees, no?

Thanks for the information.

I’m going to take a logical guess here. In the absence of a formal residency arrangement, it may be difficult to demonstrate precisely what the normal living arrangements are or are not. IIUC, you are keeping the children with you, but you’d ex has not necessarily agreed to this. The application process might not consider that to be a normal or long term position.

Also worth noting that "normally lives with you" is not the same thing as "living with them the majority of the time" as per your original post.

The child has to live with you to claim the hours so he hasn’t claimed correctly.

I appreciate you say you’ve "read this somewhere". Where? It will help enormously if you would point us to the official source.

I have come across this idea before, but never in any official source. It is not mentioned in the key DfE document which lays out funding rules, 'Early Years Entitlement: Operational Guidance, June 2018'. Nor does it feature in the user agreements, provider agreement, claim forms, etc of any of thefour local authorities I’ve dealt with.

I suspect this is one of the many rumours that arose in the information vacuum when the government first touted the 30 hour scheme: they hadn’t the first idea how it would be run or paid for.

I think you’re both being unfair to your childminder, mucking her about like this. Sort yourselves out and grow up.

It would appear you ex has acted entirely within the rules for claiming funded childcare. He has evidently been able to register with the government website and obtain the 30 hours code number.

I’ve seen various local authority claim forms and user agreements: all those I’ve seen require only one parent to provide details and instruct the childcare provider. The general principle is that the funding 'belongs' to the child, and assumes the parents will jointly and severally make responsible decisions on the child’s behalf as to how it is used. The system does not make provision for resolving disputes between parents.

Please remember also, the childminder is providing a childcare/education service, and she is not responsible for resolving your interpersonal conflicts either. Her first duty is towards the child, not to take sides between parents. She is legally required to treat both parents equally and respect their individual rights and interests. This may seem obvious, and I’m not suggesting you’d take advantage. But it is extremely common for warring parents to try to get the childminder on their side; IME this almost always involves the mum's side.

It appears your ex now has a formal arrangement in place with the childminder.

The three of you need to sit down together and make whatever adjustments you can all agree. In a sense, you don’t have to go along with what your ex has arranged. You don’t have to take the child at the arranged times, and you’re within your rights to collect any time.

But this approach is almost certain to have consequences. In my area, a childminder is required to obtain evidence of absences and report poor attendance within afunding arrangement for investigation by the Children’s Social Care Services. The funding department would refuse to pay for the absences, so the childminder is likely to charge them back to you. She has a general responsibility to ensure funded places (which are in short supply) are used properly, so there’s some chance you’d lose the funded place. You can’t rule out losing the childcare place altogether, if the whole thing becomes too disruptive for the childminder and/or other families. Again, parents in conflict are frequently blind to the impact they’re having on people around them, so do have a thought and proceed with caution.