Changes in the benefits that families receive and changes to the welfare system may affect childminders in Scotland and the families they work with.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland has published guidance to help families and those working with families about the possible implications of the changes.
Tax credits are the main benefit for many working families towards childcare costs, which are gradually being replaced by ‘Universal Credit’. Universal Credit is a single monthly payment that merges other benefits that people may be receiving, including income support, working tax credits, housing benefit and more.
It may be useful to review current childminding contracts with parents to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions of your agreement, and direct them to CPAG’s latest guidance. The introduction of Universal Credit is happening gradually and the changes may cause confusion for parents and possibly delays in payment.
SCMA always recommend taking payments in advance, as parents who have accumulating debt is not advisable for your business, or for the parents. It’s also important to remember that whoever has signed the contract (i.e. both parents, if applicable) has agreed to meet the terms stated, including payment of the fees and on time.
Catch up with the best practice guidelines for your contracts using SCMA’s Pay and Conditions guide, which is available to download from
My Membership Dashboard.
CPAG Scotland has published a series of factsheets that explain the various types of welfare. To help childminders become more aware of the benefits available, SCMA has made four of these documents available for SCMA members to download for free from My Membership Dashboard.
Login to My Membership Dashboard and click on ‘View All Documents’ to see our range of online resources. From the selection you’ll find the following factsheets available to download:
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Childcare, tax credits and other help
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Financial help in the early years
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Tax credits – moving on to universal credit
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Benefits for disabled children and their families – a checklist
For further information, visit CPAG Scotland’s website at
cpag.org.uk/scotland.