Not a huge debt but need help

Sansababy

I get full Housing Benefit to cover my rent since I split with my husband but the rent arrears were accrued while I was still with him, he's technically liable for half of them but again he's not paying anything towards them.

They will take her because her paediatrician has written in a report that he wants her in Nursery 4 days a week and she's already only in 3 days, Social Services are already involved due to the circumstances of my separation from my husband and has warned me that taking her out or reducing her hours will be seen as ignoring medical advise and so they may take her into care because of that.

I have to have contents insurance due to my tenancy, but will definitely look around for a better deal.

wishingthemortgaheaway

I work in the early years sector, for one of the largest childcare providers in the country.
None of my settings make you take up additional hours in excess of the funded hours.

The rules say: you can not be charged for something else in order to take up funded hours.
So, you cannot be excluded from the funded hours if you choose not to pay for food.
The DfE also expects no child/family to be disadvantaged by choosing not to take up additional services.

The setting can say when you take up the hours: eg mornings only/ two full days. And can charge for 'additional things' such as food, Nappies wipes etc. But they absolutely cannot say, if you don't pay for nappies, you can't come to our nursery.

I would be interested to hear how nursery say you have to take up 15 additional hours a week in order to access the funded hours.

It sounds very dodgy to me (I can tell you, if some of my managers thought hey could get away with it, they would try,) budgets are incredibly tight due to the amount they get per hour not actually covering their costs, but that's the nusery's issue, not yours.

The paediatrician comment is interesting too, not one I've
Come across, but I don't have enough knowledge to comment on that one.

wishingthemortgaheaway

I've also checked the dfe case study publication which gave ideas of how providers could implement the 30 hours funding NONE of them show parents being made to pay for additional hours each week.

Are you term time only or all year round? If it's all year round, your funded hours work out about 11 hours a week.

Sansababy

All year round due to the report written by the paeds, but the Nursery claim 15 hours a week and then charge me over the year for the holidays so I pay the same £100 per month every month.

wishingthemortgaheaway

I still don't see how they can make you take out a contract that is double the free entitlement hours. As far as I'm aware, it's against the rules.
I think you need to take that up with the nursery/ local authority,
I would also speak to the paediatrician about his recommendation about the level of attendance at nursery. Explain the situation and ask what you can do to meet little one's needs without having to spend the additional money.

thegirlinthegreenscarf

This sounds like a complicated situation, if your ex is refusing to pay a share of the debt accrued when you were together, or contribute to his child then this is not going to be an easy fix.


Apart from selling unwanted posessions, doing online surveys/clicks etc to make more money I can't think of anything else.


The good news is that it is a small debt, so once you find a way, you will be able to get rid of it soon.
Could you downgrade/cancel/haggle your tv package just for a few months until the debt is clear? Could you cut down on your food shop (hard, I know) or could you go to friends/family once or twice a week for dinner until you find your feet? We are lucky in that both our parents live locally. When I was on maternity leave my inlaws would have us down for dinner every week, would treat us for a take away every now and then, and my parents would regularly turn up with food - a cooked chicken, biscuits etc. The downside is all the back seat parenting but hey ho life is not perfect lol