Children in foster care who have attained the relevant age are eligible for the working parent entitlements, provided the foster parent/family meet the below criteria:
- Agreement from the responsible local authority that the foster parent engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent is consistent with the child’s care plan.
- That, in single parent foster family, the foster carer engages in paid work outside their role as a foster carer, or in 2 parent foster families, both partners engage in paid work outside their role as a foster carer.
- The foster carer does not expect their adjusted net income to exceed £100,000. The foster parent does not have to meet the minimum income requirement.
- If one partner is not a foster parent then they must be in qualifying paid work and earn a minimum of the equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum /national living wage and income does not exceed £100,000.
Please note: if you are a foster carer who is an EEA or Swiss national you will only be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if you have EU Settled Status (EUSS) or are in the process of applying for or appealing EUSS and you meet the other eligibility criteria. You will need to provide evidence that you have either successfully received confirmation of EUSS, have applied for EUSS or are appealing a refusal for EUSS. This can be in the form of written or email confirmation from the Home Office.
If you wish to apply for 30 hours working parent entitlement for a 9 month, 2, 3 or 4 year old in your foster care, then you must speak to the child’s social worker before applying. The social worker will then discuss this request with the Service Manager for Looked After and Vulnerable Children who will need to confirm the criteria is met.
If you receive consent to apply, then please complete the Application for 30 hours for a Foster Child form - (update March 2024) (PDF, 188.65 KB) in full.
Once you have completed the form, it must be sent to the child’s social worker for counter signing by the Service Manager for Looked After and Vulnerable Children.
The counter signed form should then be forwarded by email by the social worker to the Early Years Funding Team at eyfunding@enfield.gov.uk.
Please be advised you, the foster parent(s), may be required to provide evidence that you are engaging in paid work outside your role as a foster parent. Evidence may include:
- pay slips,
- a job offer letter
- evidence of self-employment (such as tax return)
If your application is successful, you will get your eligibility code from the Early Years Funding Team.
Codes must be reconfirmed every three months. The Local Authority will contact the Social Worker to confirm that the code is still required and circumstances have not changed before reconfirming the code.
If you are unhappy about the decision made by the Local Authority, please seek resolution through your social worker or through the Local Authority complaints process.
For more information, view Free childcare for eligible working parents for children aged from 9 months and above in foster care
This process is only for foster carers. If you are applying for your own children visit GOV.UK - childcare you can get help paying for.