Early years and childcare

Help with childcare costs

The schemes you can access depend on your child’s age and your personal circumstances.

How to find local childcare, how to find special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) childcare, questions to ask a childcare provider.

Find out about breakfast, after school and holiday clubs and where to access them.

FREE activities with food for children and young people throughout the school holidays.

Details and locations of your local children's centres, including services and activities for families with children under 5 years old.

Maternity services and local activities, pregnancy and starting a family, support after you have had a baby.

Services that are available from pregnancy to 36 months in our family hubs.

All children aged between 2 and 3 years old must be assessed to see how well they are developing.

A guide to support your child's communication needs.

How we support parents and children with toilet training (continence).

When to apply for a primary school place for your child and guidance about starting school.

Childcare roles and where to go to access training and government funded opportunities.

What you need to know about what registered childminders do, how to register and where to access training and opportunities.

Parenting courses for parents and carers living locally and other sources of parenting help and support.

How and why we look at the childcare that is being provided locally, the gaps in the market and what we do with this information.