Affordable Childcare for Working Parents

The Council requires registered childcare providers in the highest areas of deprivation in the city, defined as SIMD1 and/or 2, to ensure that there is childcare provision available to support low income working families to access subsidised childcare provision in each of the four localities in Edinburgh. The service will deliver early years and school age childcare year-round for children aged 0 - 12 years for Edinburgh families. They will be a partner provider for the Affordable Childcare for Working Parents service. This means working with the Council to offer childcare places to low-income families that are assessed by the Council as being eligible for a subsidised space.

The childcare provider(s) will work with the Council to refer any parents who are/would be struggling financially to pay for childcare to a central Council team who will provide a financial assessment to ensure that these families are accessing all available financial interventions, such as Universal Credit, tax-free childcare and 1140 hours. If the cost of childcare would still leave the family in poverty, they may be eligible for a subsidised place where a vacancy exists. This contract 4.11. It is recognised that this service would incur an additional administrative obligation for the childcare provider and so funding would be provided to support this. The budget allowance is estimated to be up to a maximum of 20000 GBP per annum per sublot for each of the four localities.