I want to work and apply for 30free hours childcare. I'm not eligible because I'm unemployed and get 20 quid a week chikd benefit? :/

[Sophie1029734]

I'm 23 I really want to work
My little girl is about to turn 3 and I just want to start my journey and start earning, my parents the soul provider right now.
I've made the form but it told me I wasn't eligible because I get child benefit which is only 20 a week, and because I'm unemployed. I couldve pressed the expected to work within 31 days but thay wouldve been a lie because I havnt been able to start looking without clarification on the days I can start, the hours, wheather we get the hours.

How does this fair in anyway

You need to be working before you can claim the 30 hours. You don't need to be working 30 hours though, only 16 at minimum wage.

You should be getting the 15 free hours already though?

If your DC is about to be 3, she’ll be eligible for 15 hours free childcare anyway. So register her for that.

Then apply for jobs.

Then when you have a job offer, you can sort out childcare and be eligible for 30 hours free.

But how am I supposed to work if I don't have chikd care and qe can't afford it on 1 income :(

Child benefit doesn’t stop you getting the 30 hours. Not working does though. The 30 hours is for working parents so yes it is fair. If you are unemployed and receiving benefits then your child might be allowed the 2 year old free 15 hours so you should enquire about this. There’s also a childcare element to universal credit that covers 85% of the cost I think.

Sort out nursery/preschool for your free 15 hours - when is DC turning 3? That’s your first thing to do.

Once you know what preschool/nursery hours she has to attend, you can look for a part-time job.

Can you apply for shift work like supermarket jobs of an evening when your parents might watch DC?

She will get 15 hours so look for a very part time job within those hours. Once you are working, she will be able to go in for 30 hours. Then you can look at increasing your hours at work.

Also, are you a lone parent? Sometimes you can get more hours depending on circumstances.

When is her birthday?

15th feb, she turns 3.
I just feel so stuck, 15 hours is not enough child care for me to work. It's already so concentrated, but I can't get the 30 unless I work.

What if my partner who works applies for the hours instead?

As the others said, the 30 hrs is to facilitate work, so fair enough that it isn't available otherwise.

But you are eligible for the 15 hours initially, so as others do, go for the 15 with a nursery, start looking for jobs, when you find on at however many hours then apply for the 30.

No, because you are still available to look after her. Both parents have to be working.

No, because you are still available to look after her. Both parents have to be working.

But I don't want want be available, I want to be working but can't do that without the childcare 😔

Apply for 15, find a job. You may have to pay for a few hours initially depending on your job, but then once you have it apply for the 30.

Thanks I'll try this :)

step 1 - get a place for 15 free hours which you are entitled to anyway. check with that provider whether there is a waiting list to upgrade to 30 hours or whether it can just happen when you become eligible.

step 2 - start job hunting. if there's no problem with immediate upgrade to 30 childcare hours you can job-hunt for jobs that fit within the nursery's 30 hour offering. if the upgrade would take longer you may need to fit within the 15hr offering plus whatever help you might be able to get at weekends and evenings to cover a few more hours.

step3 - once you are working at least 16 hours a week you can apply for the free 30 hours childcare. you can then increase your hours.

15 hours is not enough child care for me to work. It's already so concentrated, but I can't get the 30 unless I work.

You can also work evenings or weekends if someone is around to mind DC. So get a job that works flexible shifts that you can choose and go from there.

You may need to pay for a few hours initially

Its the term after tbey turn 3, so you may not get the hours until after easter hols anyway, nurseries often have waiting lisrs, and not all nurseries offer the 30hrs completely funded, may be certain hours or top up fees to account for

Who told you this?

OK so she'll be eligible after Easter and you'll need to be eligible by 31st March to claim 30 hours after Easter otherwise you'll need to wait until September (but she'll still get the universal 15 hours).

So make it your mission to get a job by 31st March and apply for your code. And you should be applying as a couple anyway, it takes in to account your family situation.

I almost lost a job because I could not find childcare. I only got a place for my child because a nursery I used to work out worked things to do me a favor. Without that I would have lost the job.
There must be women who aren’t able to take up work because of this.
so yes, getting childcare if you can show you are actively seeking work seems a good idea to me. It removes a real barrier to finding and being able to take up work.

it's not unusual for nurseries to do something like 8:45 to 11:45 is free and 12:15 to 15:15 is free but if you want your child to stay for the unfunded gap in between you have to pay £8 per day for it. don't resent it too much if they do this, they only have to because the rates the government gives is way less than what it actually costs. nurseries that are attached to primary schools are slightly less likely to do this but will operare term-time-only, whereas nurseries that operate all year round may have different ways to get a little bit more money from you to help meet running costs, but will usually allow you to spread the term-time-only 30 hours across the whole year so that you can have something like 19 hours a week every week, which you will need for some job opportunities.

it's very tough balancing work and childcare at first and in the first year it feels like you are putting in gargantuan efforts for little reward, but once you have built up some experience and trust and your earning potential grows it becomes much better.

What hours does your partner work? Can't you work around him for a while eg weekends and evenings and the 15 free hours should cover enough for you to get some work.

Maybe it's area specific, but my SIL (lone parent) got 30 hours free from her dd turning 2.