Kinship Local Offer
Our Kinship Local Offer sets out how we will help kinship carers, to give children and young people the best possible family experience whatever the child’s legal status, needs and circumstances.
Support with childcare
As a kinship carer you may be entitled to financial support to help cover the cost of childcare.
There are a certain number of hours a week of free childcare, from an approved provider, available for those who meet the eligibility criteria.
Currently, if you’re working and you live in England, you can get:
- 15 hours a week if your child is 9 months to 2 years old
- 30 hours a week if your child is 3 to 4 years old
These age ranges are inclusive, meaning you can get 15 hours a week up until your child’s third birthday, and 30 hours a week up until their fourth birthday.
By September 2025, most working families with children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support a week.
Universal Credit
If you're eligible for Universal Credit, go to work, and pay for childcare, you can get up to 85% of the childcare costs back through Universal Credit. However, you will only get the money back once the childcare has happened - usually in the same assessment period that you report them.
You can claim a maximum amount for each assessment period of:
- £1,014.63 for 1 child
- £1,739.37 for 2 or more children
If you cannot pay your childcare costs upfront, you may be able to get help through the Flexible Support Fund.
Tax-Free Childcare
Tax-Free Childcare is available for children 11 years and under. It can help pay for care outside of school hours, such as breakfast clubs or after-school clubs. It can also be used to pay for childminders, nurseries, and nannies for children who are not of school age.
If you meet the criteria, you can get up to £500 every 3 months to spend on childcare with a registered provider. If the child you care for is disabled, you can get up to £1000 every 3 months.
You cannot claim Tax-Free Childcare if you're also claiming Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.
For more information, contact the Southwark Family Information Service.
- call 0800 013 0639 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- email family.info@southwark.gov.uk