Education Committee inquiry: Support for childcare and the early years
LITRG responded to the Education Committee’s inquiry into support for childcare and the early years. LITRG’s submission focuses on the interactions between the various childcare schemes and the provision of guidance and information about childcare support.
Finding reliable, affordable childcare is a major concern for working families. The high costs and availability of childcare are two of the biggest challenges that parents face. The high costs of childcare can be prohibitive to parents looking to enter the workplace or increase their hours.
The submission explains how various childcare schemes provided by the Government mean the resulting childcare landscape is incredibly complex which adds difficulty for anyone trying to navigate it and understand what support is available. As people’s circumstances change, there is a need for individuals to re-assess their situation and potentially re-consider the qualifying conditions for each scheme and which is best for them. This can be extremely complicated and moving between schemes can bring other challenges. There is currently no central government support and advice available other than the childcare choices website and there are concerns about the accuracy of the tools available via the Childcare Choices website and on GOV.UK. The Submission urges HMRC to review the guidance, tools and calculator to address these issues as soon as possible.
Please click here to view our full submission.