Jersey upfront childcare payments ‘simplifies the system’

Jersey’s education minister has defended a new scheme that allows parents to claim back childcare costs for toddlers.

From next month any parent regardless of income or working requirements will be able to apply to claim up to £6,270 per school year for two and three-year-olds as part of the Childcare Funding Scheme.

The Jersey Child Care Trust (JCCT) said it was concerned some people would not be able to pay the upfront costs and it was stepping in to help some parents.

Deputy Rob Ward said the benefit of the system was that it was “direct to parents” which gave “flexibility”.

The government currently pays childcare providers directly for up to 30 hours a week for three to four-year-olds.

The Jersey Early Years Association said the government needed to copy this scheme as the new programme was “not viable in its current form”.

Deputy Lucy Stephenson had also raised concerns about the claim back system putting parents in an uncomfortable position.

“That relies on asking for help and that is not always easy,” she told the States Assembly.

“We have seen that time and time again in all sorts of systems – it relies on somebody being willing to ask for help and that is sometimes quite a difficult barrier to get across first.”

Defending the programme, Ward said it could be started faster than other schemes.

“We wanted something in place from January, we went through the full consultation about the rate – unfortunately some nurseries said that wasn’t right for them, so we pay it directly to parents, that simplifies the system,” he said.

“It means that we can start to get that money into the pockets of parents.

“This is the first year of that – we will see how it works, we see how it works into the second year and if we want to make changes, we can.”

Ward said, on top of support from JCCT, parents could be helped by their parishes and other organisations.

He said: “There is a safety net for people there but it also gives us the benefit of being able to identify families and say look, ‘If you need support, come and get it’.

“This is so important for us to support you and, most importantly, your children longer term to get them ready for school and ready for the future.

“We’ve got that money in the government plan, we now need to start spending it in the right areas and that is directly supporting our families and children – that’s the future of our island, so let’s spend that money well.”