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Care to Learn: get your application sorted

Apply for Care to Learn as soon as you can. In particular, make sure you begin your course before you reach your 20th birthday if you want to benefit from the scheme.

For your childcare provider to be paid from the day you start learning, you’ll need to apply before your course starts – or within 28 days of starting.

If you apply more than 28 days after your course starts, childcare payments may only be paid from the beginning of the week that your application is received.

For general information about who qualifies for Care to Learn, contact the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

• Learner Support helpline

Get a Care to Learn application pack

You need to complete an application form for each year you want to claim Care to Learn.

If you are starting a course before 27 August 2023 you will need to complete an application form for 2011/12. You can get a 2011/12 application pack by calling the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

If you are starting learning on or after 27 August 2023 you will need to complete a 2012/13 application form. The easiest way to request an application pack for 2012/13 is online using the link below, or you can call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

• Request a 2012/13 Care to Learn application pack Opens new window

Completing the Care to Learn application form

If you need help completing your application, ask your support worker, adviser, parent or carer – and check the guidance notes that come with the form.

There are three parts to the form:

• Learner details (part A) - you need to complete this section
• Learning provider details (part B) - your learning provider needs to complete this section
• Childcare provider details (part C) - your childcare provider needs to complete this section

When you have completed part A of the form with your details, you should ask your learning provider to fill in part B and your childcare provider to fill in part C.

If you have a support worker, it's important you provide their contact details as the Learner Support Service may need to contact them.

Where to send your application form

Send the completed application form to the Learner Support Service in the pre-paid envelope provided in the application pack.

If you’ve lost the pre-paid envelope, you can send your completed Care to Learn application form to:

Care to Learn
Freepost RSLX-CAZR-RHLY
Learner Support Service
Birmingham
B24 9FD

What happens after you apply

The Learner Support Service checks that your application is completed correctly. If it isn’t, they will write to you, asking for any missing information.

It's important that you send any missing information as soon as you can.

If you’re not eligible for Care to Learn, you’ll get a letter explaining why.

If your application is accepted, the Learner Support Service will send you a Notice of Entitlement (NoE) and a payment plan telling you what financial help you are eligible for through Care to Learn.

Your childcare provider will get a copy of the payment plan, telling them when payments will be made to them.

If you have successfully applied for help with travel costs, your learning provider will be sent a letter telling them when payments will be made to them.

When do childcare payments start?

Childcare payments start when you start on your course and take your child or children to your childcare provider.

Your learning provider and your childcare provider will need to let the Learner Support Service know that you are still attending your course and your child is still in childcare. Payments will stop if you or your children stop attending.

Not satisfied with how your application was handled?

If you're not satisfied with how your application was handled, call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

It's staffed by advisers who will be happy to help solve your problem.

• Learner Support helpline

If your circumstances change

You’ll need to let the Learner Support Service know if any of the following has changed since you applied:

• your personal details such as your address
• your childcare provider
• the arrangements with your childcare provider, for example the hours they look after your child and the fees charged
• the cost of travelling between home and your childcare provider
• your course, learning programme or learning provider
• the number of hours you're learning (you may have forgotten to include private study or time to revise and take exams)

To confirm the change, you (or your learning or childcare provider) will need to complete a change of circumstances form. To get the form, call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

It’s important you tell the Learner Support Service if you’re changing childcare provider, as your provider won’t receive payments unless you pass on their details.

• Learner Support helpline

If you need to hold a childcare place over the summer holidays

If your course lasts more than one year, Care to Learn may be able to pay a retainer to your childcare provider to keep a place open over the summer holiday period. You will need to complete a Summer Retainer form. To get the form, call the Learner Support Service on 0800 121 8989.

Your learning provider will need to confirm that you will be returning to the same course with them after the summer holiday period. Your will also need to be using the same childcare provider in your second year of learning.

If you want to apply for a Summer Retainer, complete a Summer Retainer form before the start of your summer holiday. Care to Learn will not pay a Summer Retainer if you send in your form after 1 September 2012.

Useful contacts

• Care to Learn contacts