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Free childcare for foster carers across the UK

Foster carers across the UK can benefit from up to 30 hours per week of free childcare or early education for the children they are caring for. As childcare is a devolved issue, the exact offer varies depending on where you live.

Find out what’s available where you are. 

Foster carers in Northern Ireland can access 12.5 hours per week (475 hours per year) of funded pre-school education for children in their care, in their immediate pre-school year. These hours are specifically designed to provide all children with quality early education and cannot be used for childcare. 

Some foster carers in Northern Ireland may be able to access the Sure Start programme, which supports children under the age of four living in certain areas of the country.

To apply, foster carers must be:

  • looking after a child who is three or four years old, where access to pre-school education is consistent with the child’s care plan. 

 

How to apply:

  • Foster carers should visit the Education Authority website and follow the application steps.
  • Foster carers who want to access a funded pre-school place should speak to their social worker about applying. Sometimes, a social worker will apply on behalf of the foster carer or support them to apply.
  • The application portal is only open for a few weeks in January, so foster carers should check the key admission dates online.
  • Each pre-school has its own admissions criteria (read more about admissions criteria) so it’s a good idea to check that a child is eligible for a place at each pre-school before applying. 

 

When can pre-school start?

  • Children will start pre-school in the September after the January application deadline. 

 

Where can I find out more? 

Through the Childcare Offer for Wales, foster carers in Wales can access 30 hours per week of free childcare or early education for children in their care.

To apply, foster carers must be:

  • Looking after a child who is three or four years old, where access to childcare is consistent with the child’s care plan.
  • Working in addition to their fostering role, earning less than £100,000 per year and more than, on average, the equivalent of working 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage or Living Wage.
  • Living in Wales.

Foster carers can check if they are eligible on the Welsh Government website.

 

How to apply:

 

When can childcare start?

  • The funding for childcare starts from the term after the child turns three.
  • During term time, the entitlement of 30 free hours per week will include a minimum of 10 hours of early education. The remaining hours will be childcare hours.
  • During the school holidays, when there is no early education, 30 hours of free childcare will be provided, for up to nine weeks of the year. The remaining four weeks will need to be self-funded.

 

Where can I find out more?

Foster carers in Scotland can access around 30 hours per week (during term time) of early learning and childcare for children in their care, funded by Scottish Government. 

To apply, foster carers must be:

  • Looking after a child who is two, three or four years old, where access to childcare is consistent with the child’s care plan.
  • Living in Scotland.

 

How to apply:

 

When can childcare start?

  • The funding will usually end when the child starts school. However, if the child is still four years old when they are due to start primary school, and their entry to school is deferred, you may be able to get an additional year of funded early learning and childcare.

 

Where can I find out more?

Foster carers in England are entitled to up to 30 hours per week of free childcare or early education for children in their care.

To apply, foster carers must be:

  • Looking after a child who is two, three or four years old, where access to childcare is consistent with the child’s care plan.
  • Working in addition to their fostering role, earning less than £100,000 per year and more than, on average, the equivalent of working 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage or Living Wage.  

Foster carers can check if they are eligible on the GOV.UK website.

How to apply:

  • Foster carers can’t apply for free childcare online. Instead, they should speak to their social worker and their local authority, about applying. If you are a foster carer who wants to access this free childcare, we recommend starting these discussions as soon as possible.
  • The local authority will determine whether 30 hours of childcare is appropriate for the child and confirm that the foster carer meets the eligibility criteria.
  • Foster carers will then follow a specific application route, which will involve completing a form That the local authority will also have to sign.

 

When can childcare start? 

  • The funding for childcare starts from the term after the child turns three. Terms start on 1 September, 1 January and 1 April.
  • The funding ends when the child starts school or reaches compulsory school age. 

Changes to funded childcare and early education for working families in England

From September 2024, the funding will be expanded so that working families in England can get up to 15 hours of early education for children between 9 and 23 months.

From September 2025, working families in England will be able to get up to 30 hours for children between 9 months and school age. Read more about these changes on the Childcare Choices website.

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