UC Flexible Support Fund - Childcare / Maternity Leave

[Justgrabmystuff]

Hello

I’ve had conflicting advice on this so hoping someone can clarify. Can I get help from
the FSF with my first month’s childcare upfront if I’m returning to work after maternity leave? One source has told me that I can at the discretion of my Work Coach, and another has told me this type of support is prohibited because I’ve been on maternity leave. Which is it?

I’ve sent a journal message but still no response two days later and I need to know if I should consider applying for a credit card to cover the amount instead. Sadly, I don’t just have £800 in savings at the moment. I wasn’t anticipating the cost of everything skyrocketing when I budgeted for my mat leave and I’m a lone parent with no other financial support.

Thank you for reading and for any guidance 😊

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0465/Flexible_Support_Fund_v4.0.pdf

It depends on what workgroup you are in.

How have you deduced that from this link? The documents refers to it not being available for people resuming work after maternity leave, but I don’t follow how that has anything to do with my work group?

Thanks for responding btw. I don’t want to appear ungrateful for your contribution, I just don’t follow your logic.

My apologies, I missed that very important line.

@babyroobs do you know? The guidance PP provided is dated 2019. Is this still the case?

I've seen a couple of articles about this by Googling, but I suspect they've used the same document as the source.

People returning from maternity leave are specifically excluded from accessing the FSF for childcare costs. Sorry.

Hi, thanks for your reply. And yes, I found the same. I was just curious if there might’ve been some renewed guidance given the financial climate has changed somewhat since 2019. Or, at least, I was hoping there might be!

The budget had talk of UC paying for the first month of childcare upfront but I don’t know how far along in the process that is.

I don’t know if it will help you but I timed nursery to start in the middle of my UC assessment period so I paid 2 weeks upfront and also used annual leave so I would get full pay. So essentially “started” back at work before I needed the childcare. That way I had a month of wages to be able to pay for childcare

Just wanted to update - I did get the first month’s childcare upfront via the Flexible Support Fund. If you’re in a similar situation to me, please send a message on your Journal and ask for the assistance.

It is worth noting that I did have to follow my message(s) up with a call to UC as you don’t actually have an assigned Work Coach when you’re on maternity leave / your child is under 2, because you’re not expected to be looking for work.

Also, from 28th June, if you are moving into work or upping your hours you can get the FSF for the upfront costs AND put in a claim for 85% back the following month to pay the next month’s fees, and so on.

Hi, I'm in the same situation. I went for a meeting for flexible support and they said I don't qualify, as I already have a job and returning from maternity. I have to find £1200 or quit my job.
Do you have any advice on how you we successful.
Many thanks

Could you not apply for a budgeting advance if you don't qualify for the FSF? @Hayley8710

They won't let me apply for one because of my earnings. I only get the standard smp

Ok, so my WC did acknowledge that I wouldn’t ordinarily be entitled to FSF however she checked with her manager and they agreed it on the basis that I was returning to work full-time, rather than part-time as I had had it agreed by my workplace earlier in the year, because of the COL crisis.

FSF can be granted at the discretion of your WC. If you’re not happy with their decision, I would ask to speak with their HEO / Jobcentre Manager.

I think it’s very much luck of the draw with who your assigned WC is. Some of them are actual human beings that have empathy and common sense, others are almost robotic in their approach and can’t see beyond ‘computer says no’. And I say that as someone who used to be a WC!

PP is also correct though. If you haven’t already used your budgeting advance entitlement, childcare is one of the reasons you can cite for receiving it. Although it wouldn’t cover as much of your £1200 as FSF would, and you do have to pay advances back.

I wish you the very best of luck with this, and with your return to work! ❤️

Thank you for getting back to me. I did ask to speak to the manager while I was there as my WC was rude an just shrugged her shoulders at me. The manager turned me away.
I did ask if I quit my job and came back a week later would they allow me the fund to help pay the fee they said yes. Its bonkers.
I can't see the difference in helping me early as I can claim the months advance fees back. Just struggling to get the money together 1st. Turned down a bank loan and no one has that kinda money to lend me.
If I don't return to work I'm going to struggle to provide for my kids.

@Justgrabmystuff wow that's amazing! So i'm going form part-time to full time and nursery fees changing from £600 to £1700 due to 2 kids etc....

so I've just applied for the FSF through my UC journal, and they replied this

Hi Amy,
We cannot pay childcare costs in advance and any changes that may be coming in the future have yet to be implemented.
You may be able to get help with your first payment of childcare costs from the flexible support fund, which is administered by your Job Centre. I will email them and ask them to consider your query and get back to you.
Regards

so do I just wait ? I'm hoping they can pay it, does this mean if they do, I submit a childcare claim in that same month (september) so this arrives in October to pay Octobers bill?

How long did it take you to get it ?

Amy

@Justgrabmystuff Also did they ask for any invoices for the cost for the month for childcare and anything from the job as evidence?

Amy

I just want to jump in and say I had this awful experience with DWP.
They gave us the impression they would fund first month's advance nursery fees up to £50pd or £250pw. We applied and set up nursery, paid the reg fee and signed contracts. They then said no because its not a new job.
If you're returning to work you won't get help.
Once you've paid an invoice, upload it on the childcare part of universal credits to get 85% back up to a certain value on the next pay day for that statement award period. When your child finishes nursery, the uc will pay the last invoice you had as normal but then you won't have a month to pay to nursery so you'll see a bit back then.
It's crap. If you can quit your job and get it back again,, you'd get help.

Hello!

Ok so, firstly, I wouldn’t just wait for them to come back to you as UC are notoriously awful at passing the buck and being generally shit. Send a new message on your journal as ‘message for work coach’ as it’s only a WC that can grant FSF. Are you assigned to a JobCentre already? You might not be depending on your work group (for example, I wasn’t as my child was under 1 and so I was in ‘No Work Related Requirements’). This meant that my initial messages to WC via journal went unnoticed/ unanswered because there was no JobCenter or WC for them to go to. Sorry if that sounds confusing but, if you’re unsure, it might be worthwhile calling UC to find out if you have an assigned JCP / WC or not. If you don’t, they can do something to get this sorted.

I didn’t have to show anything from my employer but they did need the itemised invoice from the nursery. They’ll pay the nursery directly, not you. There is now an option when submitting childcare costs on UC for when FSF has paid your first month for you.

Hope this helps! Best of luck xxx

@Justgrabmystuff okay!

so I currently have a work coach assigned to me as part of a voluntary agreement. So she has kept me assigned.

So when I wrote in the journal 2 days ago, the reply was what was mentioned above.

I sent my WC a message and she replied please see message underneath and if I want a call just let her know.

So the fund would have to pay nursery / after school and my nanny (all of which would be invoiced) Then I’d just pay the 15% and then put a claim for the next month in same month that’s paid? So that I would get that paid in next UC assessment period? So i’d then need another set of invoices in the same month but with dates for the next month? Gosh haha

@Mumofgirls89 did they give you a reason why they didn’t?

@Mumofgirls89 oh because it wasn’t your first job? How long ago was this and was it an increase in hours because guidance for this year says if you increases hours

Yeah so it was because it was a return to work. Ended up my husband returning to work on less hours because we couldn't afford the nursery upfront costs. So effectively universal credit now pay more for our loss of wages.
We ended up complaining about the advice we first received. We wouldn't have taken the childcare at all if we knew we wouldn't get help with upfront costs.

They rejected the complaint because even when you get upfront costs paid by the fsf, you then can't claim those costs on the first uc statement period apparently! So we weren't at a loss of money so to speak... So be aware of that!
Any misinformation, make notes and complain. It's called maladministration.

ah okay understand !

So, above the lady has put that you can then put a claim for that assessment that you get the FSF because then you use that to pay the next one?

I wonder what my outcome will be, I mean if they don't it just means I don't work and I get nearly 2K for not doing so, really up to them LOOOOL

Yeah I got told that's not the case because technically they've paid you for the month you would be requesting reimbursement for.
The issue was going from the reduced rate of parental leave which was 40% and paying over 1k, once you get your first pay from work on 100% again, you should be able to afford more but it's still ridiculous. We used a credit card and are still paying it off.
The option for my husband to quit was very tempting, my husband was the one on leave and the only thing that swayed the decision was the opportunity to get the job again after dd attends school and his wellbeing without work...so we did what we had to do.
I hope something comes through but just be careful of uc, they don't make it easy for workers.