Education Minister has welcomed that the new
Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) has saved
parents almost £1million on their September childcare bills.
Added to the contribution from Tax Free Childcare, the total
saving to parents in Northern Ireland rises to over £2million.
The Minister said: “I announced my intention in May 2024 to have
the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme operational by
September this year and I have delivered on this ambitious
commitment. I am delighted that in the short time the scheme has
been operational, close to 13,000 children and 1,500 childcare
providers have now registered for the scheme."
In its first month of operation, the scheme saw 12,630 children
registered and approved to benefit from the subsidy, which aims
to alleviate financial pressure on families and help more
parents, particularly women, stay in or return to work. Designed
for working parents, with children below primary school age, the
NICSS builds on Tax-Free Childcare eligibility targeting
families who typically face the highest childcare costs.
The Minister continued “When I took up post as Education
Minister, I pledged as a priority to make childcare more
affordable for working families. This scheme is now
delivering for those hard-working families across Northern
Ireland and they are starting to feel the direct benefit in their
pockets. This scheme is an outstanding success and in September
alone has saved parents almost £1m on their childcare bills, with
an additional estimated £1.1m in savings through Tax-Free
Childcare.
"The combined effect of both these schemes is that Northern
Ireland working parents have saved over £2m in September. I
commend the exceptional level of commitment and cooperation shown
by the sector to support the rollout in a very short period of
time so that families would feel the benefit as quickly as
possible.”
Commenting on continuing engagement with the sector, the Minister
added: “I have spoken directly to providers
delivering the scheme and to the parents using and benefiting
from it and it has been extremely encouraging to hear the real
difference the scheme is making to family life for local
families."
In conclusion, the Minister said: "Registration
for the Childcare Subsidy Scheme remains open and I encourage
anyone who is eligible and has not yet signed up, to do so.
For my part I will continue to work to deliver affordable
childcare for parents throughout Northern Ireland."
Notes to editors:
- The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme is delivered by
the Early Years Organisation on behalf of the Department of
Education. Childcare providers and parents can register for the
Scheme at NICSS — Early
Years - the organisation for young children
(early-years.org)(external link opens in a new window / tab)
- The Scheme is focused on working parents, based on Tax Free
Childcare (TFC) eligibility with children below primary school
age. These tend to be the highest users of childcare and
therefore incur the greatest costs. The scheme provides a 15%
subsidy towards parents' bills (paid directly to providers to
reduce upfront costs). The parent can then claim 20% TFC on the
remaining bill. You must also have a TFC account for your child.
It does not apply to unregistered or informal childcare
arrangements.
- It is a decision for eligible childcare providers to decide
whether or not they wish to offer the subsidy to their parents.
The subsidy scheme is not mandatory for providers, therefore not
all providers may decide to offer the subsidy.
- The subsidy provided to parents can be claimed back by
providers directly from the scheme administrator. This ensures
that the provider can offer the subsidy without any financial
loss.
- The data on the scheme is provisional at this stage and
subject to revision.
- The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the Northern
Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) are updated regularly,
and can be accessed at Frequently Asked
Questions on the Early Learning and Childcare Measures 2024-25
| Department of Education (education-ni.gov.uk)
