Catherine Chetwynd, Financial Director , Monday 22 February 2010 at 17:36:00 The demands of our fiscal deficit have put more families under pressure to have both parents working. We examine the provision for their financial support For a full PDF of the supplement, click here Gordon Brown announced at the 2009 Labour party conference that he proposed to scrap tax benefits on childcare vouchers …

AUDITORS will carry out a Treasury review into the Health and Social Services Department’s spending on a childcare subsidy. That follows HSSD being criticised for spending around £100,000 annually since 2001 to reserve nursery places for its staff’s children.

A new way of funding free childcare across Cumbria will begin in April.

A new way of funding free childcare across Cumbria will begin in April.

A survey of parents and carers is being carried out by Devon County Council, to find out whether the current childcare provision across the county is meeting parents’ needs.

Although David Cameron is often accused of being “out of touch” by virtue of his privileged education, last week he proved that, as a parent at least, he feels our pain.

From September, inspections of nurseries will be outsourced to companies including the Tribal Group Ofsted is going to privatise nursery and childcare inspections in England from September. The Tribal Group, an outsourcing firm, says it has won a £64m contract to inspect almost half of ­England’s nurseries. The firm says the five-year contract covers 45% of early years providers in the south of …

As they set out to find work, only half of young people feel their education has prepared them well for the jobs market, survey shows Two thirds of young people believe the economic downturn will cast a shadow over their job prospects for years to come, a survey of nearly 6,000 13- to 25-year-olds revealed today. Their confidence about being well-prepared for the world of work seems to plummet …

OLDHAM families will benefit from a new system to fund nursery education. The borough is one of 56 areas chosen to pilot more consistent childcare funding ahead of a national roll-out in April, 2011.

The education watchdog in England is in the final stages of preparing to outsource its early years inspections.

The education watchdog in England is in the final stages of preparing to out source its early years inspections.

The education watchdog in England is in the final stages of preparing to outsource its early years inspections.

An initiative designed to boost social mobility and help talented students become lawyers has appealed for greater financial support to help raise funds to assist candidates in need. The Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), which is supported by the Law Society Charity, supports promising entrants to the solicitors’ profession who face exceptional social, educational, financial or …