Petition Allow childcare companies to register with CIW, similar to Ofsted, to allow cheaper holiday clubs.
Parents in Wales are currently facing higher holiday club costs compared to parents in England.
This could be helped if more companies allowed payments via TFC .
Currently in Wales for companies to allow payments via TFC (Tax-Free Childcare - a government scheme designed to help parents with childcare costs) all childcare providers must be registered with CIW. This includes any after school and holiday clubs.
In England Ofsted offers a voluntary registration to any company that works with children and agrees to follow its childcare guidelines.
More details
Holiday club costs are more expensive in Wales and as registration with CIW(Care Inspectorate Wales) is mandatory to receive payments via TFC.
A typical week (5 days) of holiday club in Wales can range from £175 to £325. If parents could pay for these via TFC it could save £35-£65 a week.
Parents can not always take 6 weeks off, a typical employer gives 4 weeks holiday pay a year which does not cover the 13 weeks of school holidays per year, even with 2 parents splitting leave, so holiday clubs become a necessity in most working parents schedules.
Currently in England Ofsted offers a voluntary registration to any company that works with children and agrees to follow its childcare guidelines. Whereas in Wales CIW only have one registration option for out-of-school care providers, which is based around provision in permanent settings that provide a play-based service ( they require staff to have a playwork qualification only, with no flexibility for other childcare qualifications).
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