Childcare

The council has now signed up to a childcare voucher scheme with Accor Services giving all parents and guardians who work for Ealing Council up to £55 per week. That’s £243 per month free from tax and national insurance per employee to pay for registered childcare services.

An employee on the lower rate of tax, earning under £34,600 per year can expect to save around £962 a year. On the higher rate they’ll be a saving of £1,195 a year.

How to join the scheme

Join online via the Accor Services website

contact Accor Services by logging onto their website www.childcarevouchers.co.uk then click on 'join the scheme' on the right hand side under 'Tools for Parents'
you will then be prompted to enter the SCHEME ID, which is COUN0344. You will then be asked to enter your payroll number, seven digits, which can be found on your pay slip. You will then be asked to set a four digit PIN, which will be required should you wish to come back to the application in the future
after saving the your details you should then enter your personal, child and carers details
before you submit your completed form you will be asked to print and read the terms and conditions. It is critical that you read these thoroughly

Request a joining pack by telephone

You can telephone enrolment helpdesk on 0870 365 1248 to discuss joining the scheme and requesting a joining pack.

If you already receive tax credits then childcare vouchers can affect this. You can check this you using Accor’s tax credit estimator on the right hand side of their website. You will be asked the access code.

For vouchers to be issued for the next month’s pay date you will need to join the scheme by the last working day of the previous month.

Key to the scheme

vouchers will be issued as a ‘salary sacrifice’, deducted out of the employee’s gross pay
parents with children up to 15 years of age – or 16 if they are disabled - are eligible
each payment is per parent, so two parents employed by the council or another childcare voucher provider, could get up to £110 per week, £486 per month
the vouchers can be used by registered child minders, nurseries, clubs or schemes registered by Ofsted
vouchers can’t be used to pay for informal carers, such as family members
if a parent or carer already receives tax credits then childcare vouchers could affect this. Staff can check this by using Accor’s calculator on their website (a unique Ealing code will be provided)
monthly payments not used can be carried over to the following month, to pay for lump sum childcare, such as holiday play schemes
deductions could affect statutory sick, maternity or redundancy pay – but not pensions
vouchers can be given electronically with no expiry date or as a paper voucher with a 12-month expiry date
temporary, part-time and school (teachers and non teaching) staff can join the scheme – but not casual (as and when) employees or agency workers
staff can join at anytime of year – but must have a good reason to leave the scheme within 12 months of joining
participants can access Accor’s help lines to discuss joining the scheme and ask any questions they may have.

For more information

Please read the childcare voucher scheme frequently asked questions and the terms and conditions (pdf).

Telephone the helpdesk on 0870 365 1248 if you would like to discuss any queries and questions that you may have. It is important that you quote the Scheme ID (COUN0344) when calling.

You can also contact Ros Wells in human resources by email wellsr@ealing.gov.uk or ext 5246 for more information.

Familylife Solutions

As a member of the Childcare Voucher Scheme, parents will also have access to the Accor Familylife Solutions service. This is a free and confidential help line for working parents. It offers information and support on a wide range of parenting and family issues as well as childcare provider searches and emergency childcare.