15 free hours (punished for not having a partner?)

[glossypeach]

Title is a bit weird but let me continue. I’m disabled and unable to work at the moment, I’m also a single parent to a three year old. He is eligible for the 15 hours free childcare because I’m currently not working. But if my circumstances changed and I got a partner who worked, I would be eligible for him to have the 30 hours free childcare. But the only thing that would change would be having a partner. I’d still be disabled, id still be unable to work but because I’d have a partner my child would be allowed to have that extra time in nursery. It feels like I’m being punished for choosing to remain single, and a bit discriminating that I’m unable to work at the moment but because I cannot do that, my child is missing out. My child is very active and although I have a good support network to help him get out when my disability disabled me to, he thrives at nursery - so I cannot see how single disabled people don’t get that 30 free hour funding also??

Don't you get 85% childcare paid for as a single person?

There will be people who don't fit into every scenario and people who look at what is available to you and don't think it's fair.

I'm disabled, in receipt of PIP and am entitled to far more than I'm not. It hadn't occurred to me to look at what I'm not entitled to considering all that I am entitled to and say its not fair.

If you're struggling to manage your child and feel the extra hours would help please speak to your health visitor.

There are nursery hours for Mums who need extra support and it sounds like they would be great for you both.

I don't know the answer, but I've just had a look at eligibility for the 30 hours here and it doesn't seem to indicate that you need a partner to get it.

The difference is not that you would have a partner it’s because that partner would be working and the 30 hours is to help people who work, disabled or not.

@BadgerFacedCoo offers good advice there OP

nothi to do with being single it's because you're not working

It's an incentive to get people working. Either both parties have to be working or if one isn't (due to disability) the other does. as PP said speak to your HV and see if there is any other provision available.

I'm not sure that you get 30 hours unless you're both working?

You aren’t punished for not having a partner, you don’t qualify for 30 hours because you don’t work and don’t need it.

You're not working, op. You don't need 30 hours of childcare because you're not working 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's because you are not working, you still wouldn't be entitled to the extra 15hrs if you had a partner working and you were at home.

YABU

I thought that if there was a couple then they both had to be working.

You can usually get 30 hours free childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:

• in work
• on sick leave or annual leave
• on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave

It's a slightly tricky one because of the purposes of the schemes.

30 hours is explicitly for working parents. To allow them to work. That is the reason for the scheme.

You don't work, so thus are not eligible.

Do you have a social worker? There are often discretionary schemes to assist disabled people with care, you could ask if it is possible to access additional support for your child?

OP knows this I think. Her point is that if she had a partner who works she would qualify.

Why do you need more childcare? Free or otherwise

But it's for people who are working, not just those in a couple. You aren't working, so why do you require the 30 hours?

But that's not true, both parents have to be working to get the 30hrs.
If she had a partner who worked and she was still not working she wouldn't be entitled to the extra 15hrs any way, she has not understood the rule.

The only other way I know to get the 30hrs is if you are in receipt of carers allowence for the child in question.

Come to think of it though OP. Even if you had a partner, don’t you both have to be working in order to qualify anyway? Even if you can’t work. Because if you can’t work as a single parent and don’t qualify, then you’d still not be working if you have a partner too. So I don’t see how a partner would change your eligibility if you’d still be at home?

Not judging by the way before anyone starts.

I know I just realised that.

I don’t think that’s right. It’s been a couple of years so I concede that things may have changed but we got 30 hours because I was working enough (part time) hours. Friends who also had a partner and worked part time didn’t work enough hours for the full 30 hours.

You get other disability payments?

Is that not for you to choose how to spend? Use that for extra hours?

Not sure you've read the info correctly.

My understanding is that both parents have to work a minimum of 16 hours a week to gain 30 hours funded childcare, so your relationship status isn't relevant. Lots of people don't qualify, including those who have 1 high earning partner.