How do you get your funding from LA?

[pleasestoprainingplease]

Having been on training last night to look into the new funding portal that's live today. I wondered how other childminders and nurseries get paid from their LA.

I am worried about funding that I'll be doing again from sept with a new child because it's been a couple years and cash flow is worse than ever. Do you get 80% after a month and 20% at a later date too?

I think it's really unfair to expect people to wait so long for payment. So I just wanted to see if I'm being unreasonable wanting paying monthly. I couldn't help but wonder if the people at the council giving us our training on funding got 80% of their pay next month and the rest the following month..

We get 50% a few weeks into the term and then the other 50% just over halfway through the term. I do wish they would pay monthly as it would be so much easier. I lose £2.55 an hour which is atrocious

Actuallydeliver I'm so sorry that yours is bad too. If not worse. I'm just so wound up that we jump through so many hoops to offer it & still don't get paid a fair amount nor In a timely manner. Last night they really believed they were doing us a favour. Just wound me up.

If I could stop offering funding then I would, unfortunately if I do that (especially with the new reform) I wouldn’t have enough business.

we get charged if we make a mistake on the funding forms but the LA doesn’t get charged if they cock things up.

If settings have a qualified teacher they get paid more funding so you’re essentially penalised if you don’t have qualified teacher status. Most childminders do not have this. Many larger settings do but they only need one person to have it to get paid more. I’m sorry but being a qualified teacher does not mean the care and education given to EYFS children is any better, especially when that can be one person in a setting for over 40 children (obviously they have other children too)

Headcount is a few weeks into term, if a child who was with me for those weeks but leaves just before headcount I get nothing. Not even for the hours they’ve done and have to pay back any funding that has already paid to me.

if I share the funding with another setting and that setting claims too many hours (meaning it also looks like I’ve claimed for those hours too) I have to wait till the end of term for the LA to sort out the problem and actually pay me. Our local preschools/nurseries are known for over claiming.

we have audits which are a pain in the backside and have to show we have funding policies, how we charge, how they’re shown in the invoice. They come during the working day which is obviously difficult when you’re also trying to care for the children.

Sorry, should have said (obviously they have other staff too)

My LA has headcount day the first Thursday of the term, the summer term can be a problem depending on when Easter falls. The whole term payment is made at the very end of the first month. I know of some single parent childminders that have had to stop offering funding as the payment for 4 months messes up the UC leaving things a bit dicey for a few weeks.

In Hillingdon....we submit actuals the last two weeks of term for the following term then we are paid monthly based on those actuals. There are adjustment deadlines for new starters or leavers and the amount we are paid is taken off/added to the remaining months that term. So we are paid through the summer too.

Monthly payments are so much easier. I’ve been pushing for them with my LA