Guidelines for Childcare Providers

We cannot assess a student’s application for childcare funding until we receive this form fully completed, as well as a copy of your childcare contract and/or terms and conditions.

If the student’s application is successful they will be issued with an award notice. This contains their payment schedule, and unique payment reference number. Where possible, we will share this schedule with you. If you wish to see the full award notice, you should request this from the student. There is a sample payment schedule available on the college website for guidance only.

Payments are made directly to the provider bank account, fortnightly in arrears. These payments are financial assistance only, and may not cover the entire fee being charged. Payments are dependent on a student’s satisfactory attendance and progress.

Payment for College holidays will only be considered if these form part of the student’s formal contract with the provider, and the college has received the required terms and conditions/contract.

Some elements of weekly childcare fees cannot be covered – this includes, but is not limited to ‘on call’ fees, and situations where a school-term or longer-term contract is billed over the college weeks only. This means that the student’s weekly award may not match the weekly rate being charged.

The college is not permitted to duplicate funding available from other sources, such as HMRC, Universal Credit, Local Authority Funding, childcare vouchers, etc.

When students sign their declaration on their application, they agree that the College can share basic information about their award, such as the award status, amount, payment schedule, and non-payment due to not meeting the terms and conditions of award. The College cannot however provide any in-depth information, or information about the student’s personal circumstances (this includes information about the award assessment). Where more information is required, you should contact the student directly.

In situations where this form is completed in advance of the course starting, we may contact you during term time to confirm the date the provision started. The College is required to spot check a sample of awards to ensure they continue to be accurate. We will contact you for more information if your student is selected during this process. Failure to return the required information will result in the award being suspended.

The College is not responsible for the full payment of childcare costs incurred by students. The contract is between the student and provider only. Payment of childcare assistance does not constitute a contract with the College, and we cannot mediate any contractual dispute with the student.

Where the student’s award is less than the total childcare fees, it is the student’s responsibility to pay the balance. This includes any balances that arise as a result of a partial award, non-payment due to poor attendance, self-study days and any other non-timetabled provision (this list is not exhaustive).

It is the student’s responsibility to provide you with the required notice of termination in accordance with their contract. The student will be liable for any cost due by not providing the appropriate period of notice.

If the eligible days and times of the childcare provision changes, or the student ceases to use your childcare services and this results in an overpayment of childcare funding, you, the provider, will be required to repay to the College the full amount of funds they were not eligible to receive. We encourage you to notify us of any changes to the childcare provision in order to minimise the risk of overpayment (or underpayment). You can request a Change of Provision form from Student Services, or download one from the College website.

The College is not responsible for any outstanding fees incurred by the student.