Childcare, 16-19 Year Old Parents and Further Education

A key part of Government education and training policy is the encouragement of more people from low income families and disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in further education.

The provision of student support is a central part of the policy. It is recognised that different groups of young people experience particular barriers and difficulties when accessing further education. One group in which there is considerable interest is 16-19 year old parents and childcare has been found to be a major barrier for these parents.

Financial support for childcare for students comes from the general Learner Support Fund and, for college students, the Childcare Support Fund. Both these funds are discretionary and institutions set their own policy for assessing eligibility, within DfES guidelines. Teenage parents are a priority group.

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