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Facilities for children in Westminster
Thoroughly revised 10 November 2008
When the current Palace of Westminster was designed in the 1830s, facilities for children were not part of the plan. These days, limited childcare facilities are available to those working in the Houses of Parliament but, unfortunately, Members of Parliament themselves are not offered any assistance.
Despite the fact that there are now 125 female Members of Parliament, there are no plans to introduce any further facilities for the use of Members. As Kitty Ussher MP reported in The Guardian in August 2005, the lack of facilities meant that she had to be excused from the whip until the next Parliamentary session. Her article can be found here.
Index:
Childcare vouchers are available to Members' Staff, but there is no mention of whether or not these are available to Members themselves. Childcare vouchers can be used to pay for some of the costs of caring for your children while you are at work.
How do childcare vouchers work?
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You must apply to join the childcare voucher scheme.
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Once your application is approved, you will receive vouchers monthly.
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You pass the vouchers to your childcare provider.
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Your childcare provider must return their vouchers to ACCOR Services to cash them.
Am I eligible?
If you can say 'Yes' to each of the following statements, then you are eligible.
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I have a child or children under 12 years of age
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I am an employee of the House of Commons Service or an employee of a Member of Parliament who pays me out of their staffing allowance whose contract of employment is for one month or more
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I can confirm that my partner (if I have one) is either working or studying or for some other reason unable to look after my child
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I have to pay someone to look after my child so that I can work.
If your partner works for the House of Commons or a Member of Parliament you cannot both claim.
How much do I get?
For a child under the age of 5, you will receive £167.34 per month
If your child is aged between 5 and 11 (inclusive) you will receive £33.34 per month.
Vouchers are available only to cover those hours when both you and your partner are unable to provide for childcare. So if your partner works part time, you can only claim vouchers for the hours he/ she is at work.
What if I work part time?
The value of your vouchers will be based on the hours you work each week.
What if my child is at school and under 5?
If your child is under 5 you will receive childcare vouchers if you meet the qualifying conditions of the scheme.
Who can I give the vouchers to?
You can give them to:
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A registered childminder
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A registered private nursery/ nursery school
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A play group or creche
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A community nursery
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A workplace/ partnership nursery
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A local authority day nursery
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A nanny share scheme
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A nanny or other carer in the parents' home
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For school age children, a holiday playscheme
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A close relative of the child, other than your partner. A close relative here means a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt.
This person must be legally allowed to look after your child, and they must register with ACCOR Services.
How do I apply?
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Contact extension 5973 for an application form (also available to download from the intranet) and a yellow parents' information pack.
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Fill in the application form which should be returned to the childcare vouchers section in DFA. If you work for a Member, you must have it approved and signed by your Member. If you are an employee of the House of Commons Service, you must have it approved and signed by your DEO.
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Inside the parents' information pack you will find a smaller pack called Information for Childcarers. Give this to the carer(s) you have chosen. If you have more than one child care provider for different children, please contact the childcare vouchers section for further packs.
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When you get your vouchers, sign them and pass them to your childcare provider.
What does my carer have to do?
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Your carer will have to fill in the form called Childcare Vouchers Redemption Agreement, and return it to ACCOR Services. (You can find this form in the small pack called Information for Childcarers, which is inside the parents' information pack). If your carer is a childminder, a nursery, playgroup or creche, a holiday playscheme or a nanny looking after the children of more than two families, then they will need to send a copy of their registration certificate.
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When your carer gets the childcare vouchers, he/ she will have to sign them and return them to ACCOR Services who will send a cheque in exchange.
How will I receive my vouchers?
Accor will send them to the address on your application form.
The Westminster Holiday Playscheme runs during every school holiday and is available to civil servants of various Government departments and staff of the House of Commons. The Scheme has five sites around Westminster, all in government buildings and is run by Tinies Kids' Clubs. More information and a registration form can be found here – http://www.tinies.com/whp. They're registered with Accor, so you can use your childcare vouchers.
Baby changing facilities are open to visitors and can be found in the disabled-access WC off the Lower Waiting Hall, and on the second floor, next to the WCs behind the Pulpit on the Upper Committee Corridor. There is also a babycare room here.
Further information on all of the above childcare facilities available to Members' Staff can be found on the Department for Finance and Administration's intranet site. There's a link from the Parliamentary Network homepage.
You may also like to try the Westminster Family Information Service, run by Westminster Council, which provides information and guidance on Ofsted-registered childcare services in Westminster, including day nurseries, out of school childcare facilities, playgroups and childminders. The Family Information Service can be contacted on 02076417929 or visit the website here – http://www.westminster.gov.uk/childrensinfo/.
