- Childcare Grant for Providers
- Key information for Childcare Providers
- Information for parents who are key essential workers
- Useful links for parents
Childcare Grant for Providers
The Welsh Government have launched the Childcare Provider Grant to help childcare providers with the economic consequences of coronavirus (Covid-19).
The purpose of the grant is to provide financial assistance for CIW-registered childcare businesses which have experienced a reduction in net income as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and have not been able to access grants from other UK or Welsh Government schemes.
The grant compliments other Government support measures (such as the Job Retention Scheme to cover ‘furloughed’ employees) for people and business.
You are not eligible for this grant if you have received, or have been successful in applying for support from:
- The business rate grant from your Local Authority
- Economic resilience fund for SME and microbusinesses
- Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
- Welsh Government Start Up Grant
- Third Sector Resilience Fund
In addition to the schemes above, you will not be eligible if you have received funding under the Mudiad Meithrin grant scheme as this is funded via the Third Sector Resilience Fund.
What will the grant cover?
A grant of up to £5,000 is available to CIW registered childcare businesses that have been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Your net income for April to June 2020 must have reduced compared to April-June 2019 due to COVID-19 and you must not have been able to access the various other grant schemes offered by UK and Welsh Governments. Or, alternatively, if you started trading on or after 2 April 2019, you may be eligible for a grant of up to £2,500 if you suffered a net loss for the period 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020
This grant can only be claimed by businesses that meet the following criteria detailed in the Welsh Government guidance here
How do I apply?
Childcare providers can apply for the grant by using the eligibility checker on the Business Wales website https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/childcare
Scanned documents and photos are acceptable forms of evidence for this purpose.
If you are eligible for the grant please complete the Childcare Provider Grant Application Form and email along with your supporting documents to EarlyYearsABSHub2@torfaen.gov.uk
You must include your supporting evidence with your application. Applications without supporting evidence will not be considered.
Receipt of your application will be acknowledged within 10 working days.
Decisions on applications will be made based on the information provided in the application form, associated evidence and information checks that are conducted from other business data sources. If any data in incomplete or incorrect or the evidence provided is insufficient the application will not be processed and it will be rejected.
The team will aim to process grant applications within 30 days of receipt.
If your application is approved you will receive a grant offer by email notifying you of the award of the grant. Grant offers will be open for 14 days – if not accepted within this period the offer will be withdrawn.
Grants will be paid on the basis that 100% of the grant is paid up front.
Applicants must accept the grant offer by e-mail before payment can be made.
If your application is unsuccessful, you will receive an email outlining the reason[s] for rejection. There is no appeal process.
The Childcare Provider Grant is open to applications from the 24th August 2020 until the fund is fully committed or 31st October 2020, whichever is earlier. Applications will be dealt with on a first come first served basis. This may lead to applications not being appraised after they have been submitted if the fund is fully committed. The Welsh Government has absolute discretion on the duration and terms of the fund.
Public Health Wales information
Letter regarding managment of outbreaks in childcare
Welsh Government
Childcare and play: coronavirus firebreak guidance
COVID-19 workforce risk assessment tool: guidance
Please see below link to Welsh Government, announcing funding for the Childcare Offer for Wales and Flying Start will continue to be paid to local authorities and childcare settings who receive payments for children in their care, even where services are disrupted.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on the national minimum standards for regulated childcare
Please see below a message from Welsh Government which outlines a support package for small businesses worth £200m which will be rolled out immediately to help deal with the impact of coronavirus. The full letter can be viewed here
Further business advice can also be found Guidance from Welsh Government
Welsh Government Statement (22nd March 2020) Five things you need to know before sending your child to school or childcare information can be found here
Welsh Government Statement (26th March 2020) Support for Childcare Providers: Coronavirus
Welsh Government Statement (26th March 2020) Health and well-being for school staff and learners: coronavirus
Welsh Government Statement (26th March 2020) School opening times and services: coronavirus
TCBC
https://torfaenfis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LA-guidance-template-FINAL.docx Childcare / School Bubble information Grants to help with the impact of COVID-19TCBC Statement: Coronavirus Update – Education and Learning (27th March 2020)
CIW
CIW updates
https://careinspectorate.wales/200316-covid-19-pause-routine-inspections-5pm-16-march
CIW updates
CIW Frequently Asked Questions
https://careinspectorate.wales/coronavirus-covid-19-frequently-asked-questions-faqs
CIW News
https://careinspectorate.wales/200325-we-are-no-longer-accepting-information-post
Cwlwm
https://torfaenfis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Cwlwm-Updated-Guidance-Final-30.03.2020.docx
Information for Registered Childcare Settings
If you are registered with CIW you must notify them of any changes or incidents at your service
You should notify CIW of confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 of people using the service, staff and the family of staff. By suspected, we mean people showing symptoms of the virus (new continuous cough and high temperature).
Please use CIW Online to notify us and report as you would any infectious disease. If your childcare and play service (including childminders) is now closed please inform us, the relevant notification can be found under "Leadership and Management" on CIW Online.
Information on the support for childcare providers during the coronavirus pandemic from Welsh Government can be found here.
HMRC Covid-19 Update
The government is committed to doing whatever it takes to support businesses and individuals through the Coronavirus pandemic. On 20 March as part of these efforts the Chancellor announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
This funding will be open to all employers with a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February 2020, including charities. Employers can apply for grants of 80% of furloughed employees' (employees on a leave of absence) monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on that wage, provided they keep the worker employed. The scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March 2020, if applicable.
HMRC have been working night and day to develop this scheme, and we can now confirm that we have been able to publish further details of the scheme on GOV.UK. We are aiming to have the scheme up and running by the end of April 2020. More detailed guidance will be published in due course and please be assured we will advise you when the scheme is open.
Guidance for employers is available on GOV.UK. You may also find the guidance for employees helpful.
We recommend you view the guidance which will be updated as the scheme is further developed, and in line with any further government announcements.
Business Wales
Covid-19: Support for Business
Funding News
Support from southwalesbusiness.co.uk
http://www.southwalesbusiness.co.uk/en/Financial-Support/Financial-Support.aspx
TVA
Thomas Boor thomas@tvawales.org.uk can help identify grants on Funding Finder
The latest grants specifically to help third sector can be found here
Latest grants specifically to help mitigate the impact of COVID 19
BBC Children in Need Covid-19 Response Grants (UK) - www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants/apply/main-grants/
In response to the coronavirus, BBC Children in Need are temporarily pausing their current grant programmes to launch two new Covid-19 Response Grants to enable organisations to continue to support disadvantaged children and young people aged 18 years and under. The funding will be open to current grantees and new applicants to help them to respond and adapt to the short, medium and longer-term impact of the coronavirus. The COVID-19 Response Programmes are as follows: • From the 18th May 2020 current BBC Children in Need grant-holders will be able to apply for funding of up to £5,000 over a six-month period through the Covid-19 2020 Booster Grants Programme. • From the 8th June registered not-for-profit organisations will be able to apply to the Covid-19 Large Grants programme for funding of up to £80,000 over an 18-month period. Details on both funds will be made available shortly.John Lewis Partnership Community Support Fund
£1m fund to support local communities, customers and the vulnerable.
Community Foundation Wales is launching the fund with an initial £200,000. Funding for charities, community groups and not for profit organisations working in Wales, who provide activities to vulnerable groups. It will also support organisations who are adapting the way they work to respond to the rapidly changing needs in their communities.
Charities Aid Foundation Launches Coronavirus Emergency Fund (UK)
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a new Coronavirus Emergency Fund. Through this fund smaller charities, not for profit organisations, social enterprises and unregistered community groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help them to continue to deliver much needed support to within their communities. The funding is available to help with core costs, staffing, volunteer costs, supplies and equipment, communications or other critical charitable areas. CAF will aim for grants to be paid to selected organisations within 14 days of application.
Information for parents who are key essential workers
Pre School Childcare during Coronavirus
Childcare for Primary and Secondary School aged children