The 30 hour offer 2017 entitles many children to an extra 15 hours of free childcare for eligible 3 and 4 year olds.
For Southampton’s 3 and 4 year olds the 30 hour offer starts on September 1st 2017, and is available from the term after the child's 3rd birthday.
View the 30 Hour Offer Presentation (PDF 112KB) given to Early Years providers in Southampton.
Reconfirming: To keep their 30 hours free childcare place parents need to check their details are up to date every 3 months and confirm this online.
If parents are having issues reconfirming their code the following are possible reasons why a reconfirmation may not appear on ECS:
•Parent had a temporary code which cannot be reconfirmed. They need to provide their permanent code.
•Parent has not submitted an application for reconfirmation
•Parent submitted an application for reconfirmation but it is still being processed by HMRC
•Parent submitted an application for reconfirmation but was found ineligible
•Parent had a technical difficulty with reconfirming
When a parent has reconfirmed successfully they will receive a communication from HMRC in their secure message box confirming this.
If a parent has a technical difficulty with reconfirmation, they should insist that an Incident Referral is raised to look into the reason why the parent cannot reconfirm.
Whether or not the parent reconfirmed on time or late makes no difference to the validity end date following reconfirmation. If the parent has actually successfully reconfirmed – then their validity end date will always update. The important thing is that the date changes. If the validity end date has not changed, then the parent has not successfully reconfirmed.
If the parent has questions about their application or difficulties with applying or reconfirming they must call the HMRC Childcare Service Helpline to request help.
National support and guidance:
- 30 Hours and/or Tax-free Childcare - Information for parents: How parents who have applied for 30 hours already can access their account with the HMRC Childcare Service (PDF 338KB).
- Thirty Hours Offer: The DfE early years entitlements operational guidance
This guide sets out what Local Authorities (LAs) should do to fulfil their statutory responsibilities
What early years settings should do to fulfil their agreement with the LA
How LAs and early years settings can support parents and children - Childcare Works website for information on market research, consulting with parents, planning pattern of sessions/hours (‘Getting ready- 10 steps’)
- Family and Childcare Trust - models of working
- PLA and DfE websites
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NDNA: Department for Education 30 hours funding: Questions and Answers