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Sat, 18 Jul 2026

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 Guidance needed for families reclaiming childcare

Some families have had problems claiming back cash as part of the pilot scheme.

* The Jersey Child Care Trust's CEO, Fiona Vacher, says more guidance is needed from the government on how parents can claim back money from the childcare funding scheme.
* Some families have had problems claiming money back after being told they provided "invalid receipts" for childcare.
* Deputy Catherine Curtis, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, said 537 applications had been approved, with £1.4m paid out since the scheme began.
* Vacher said the repayments made a difference for some families "between actually being able to access childcare and not".
* Islander Rose Dowden, who has two young children and is expecting another, said childcare was still too expensive and that she had no choice but to have her children close together so she could be off work for the shortest time possible.
* Deputy Victoria Li questioned how smoothly the pilot had been working and suggested more could be done to make the process easier for families.
* The JCCT has said it will pay funds upfront for those who need it, with 35 families benefiting from this support totalling £63,000.