Can I have some advice on child-care options please

[welshone51]

Hi I am due to start part time work in January. I will be working 17 and a half hours per week, I have just been informed of my hours and they are from half 9 until half 1 Monday to Friday. I must admit to being a litle disappointed regarding these hours as the petrol costs alone will cost a lot and I wont be earning that much.

My fiancee has a really good job and a reasonably high wage but unfortunately we have made some bad choices in the past and have got into alot of debt hence me having to go back to work.
I am just wondering if I am entitled to any help with child care. I know my partner gets tax relief on private childcare but I dont know much else or even where to look for information. My son is 2 and a quarter and my fiancee earns 38,000 before tax although a substantial amount goes onto paying off debt. Do you know of any helpful websites or any help I may be entitled to! Any help is appreciated!

p.s I have some temporary child care sorted in the meantime.

direct.gov.uk has various useful links try there

chuck both your salaries into the enititled to website to see what relief you can get. Probably not much with you dh's salary but you must investigate the childcare voucher scheme with both of your employers.

if you have a childrens centre near you and are from an ethnic minority you may be able to get free playgroup sessions as your dc is the age he is. (Ours offers 3 x 3hr free sesions to ethnic minorities per week, just for filling in a form)

Once your dc hits 3 childcare costs will be alot less, especially if you use a childrens centre to provide care rather than private sector nurseries.

Am intrigued - why do ethnic minorities get free childcare in some places?

Welshone I can only suggest you do your sums really REALLY carefully - DP and I worked it out and initially thought it would be worth me going back to work, but eventually realised that the extra costs (e.g. paying for childcare while we were both commuting - stupidly didn't really factor it in earlier) were going to mean I was earning literally about £50 a month for 3x12 hour days a week. However, also worth thinking about benefits - if the pension is good it might be worth working for free if you're into being organised for the future!

Hopefully - where are those places?

Welshone - you cannot only apply for tax credits, but also use childcare vouchers. This is a salarysacrifice which gives you extra tax savings. Each partner can sacrifice up to 243 quid per month.

Am very intreigued by this free child care for children from ethnic minorities thing - where does that happen? Never heard of it before - link,please?