All Benefits for carers articles – Page 81
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Article
Childcare costs continue to rise
The Daycare Trust has urged parents to take advantage of childcare vouchers from employers as nursery fees continue to increase at a faster rate than above inflation.The Annual childcare costs survey from the Daycare Trust shows that parents, on average, now pay £7,000 to £8,000 for a full-time nursery place ...
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Article
Redrow introduces voluntary benefits
Property developer, Redrow has introduced a voluntary benefits scheme.The plan, entitled Redrow Plus, includes a range of high street discounts on travel, health and leisure, food and entertainment, as well as motoring.Staff will be able to gain points each time they make an online purchase at over 1,800 retailers and ...
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Article
Busy Bees acquires nine new nurseries
Busy Bees Childcare has acquired the TLC nursery group which operates nine nurseries in the Midlands and South East, taking the number of nurseries it operates to 133.The move takes Busy Bees into the public sector and public healthcare markets as TLC has nurseries based at a number of hospitals. ...
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Article
Accor Services acquires 62% stake in Motivano
Accor Services has acquired a 62% stake in benefits provider Motivano UK and the current management of Motivano UK will remain shareholders at 38%.Accor Services bought the stake previously owned by venture capital firm Geocapital Partner.The current management team will continue to develop Motivano within Accor Services, enabling their clients, ...
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Article
National Express improves parental policies
National Express has improved its parental policies in a bid to offer more than the statutory level of leave to its employees.Male staff can now take two weeks paternity leave on full pay, and adopting parents can take a maximum of 52 weeks leave with statutory adoption pay.The transport company ...
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Article
Ministry of Defence to introduce childcare vouchers
The British Ministry of Defence is to introduce a childcare voucher scheme for its 240,000 regular personnel and reservists, whether they are working in the UK or are posted overseas.The announcement comes just days after a leaked report highlighted declining morale among troops and the difficulties the military is facing ...
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Article
Tax break has boosted client numbers for some childcare providers
Just under a quarter (24.3) of childcare providers claim that the number of children in their care has increased since the tax break on childcare vouchers was introduced.Just over half, however, say that the number has not changed in this time, according to the Childcare provider survey by Accor Services ...
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Case Studies
Childcare vouchers at PWC impact post-maternity leave retention rates
The introduction of childcare vouchers at PricewaterhouseCoopers has had an impact on post-maternity leave retention rates, which soared from 40% in the mid-90s to 92% in 1998 when the scheme was launched, before falling to 89% in 2005.Women returning to work after maternity leave are now offered 12 months' worth ...
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Analysis
Childcare perks can encourage parents' return to work
Employers can use childcare perks to encourage parents' return to work by easing financial burdens, so boosting retention levels, says Alison ColemanFor any working parent, the task of balancing family life with work obligations can be an expensive and sometimes stressful business. For some employees, it may all become too ...
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Article
Emergency Childcare unveils school holiday club service
Emergency Childcare is to launch a web-based service that gives employees last-minute access to over 200 holiday clubs.The provider claims the service, which is called Out of School Care and lists holiday clubs suitable for children aged between six and 16 years, is unique.When the service launches in November, staff ...
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Article
Kent County Council moves its childcare provision
Kent County Council is changing its childcare voucher provider to AllSave UK from September.Jane Vivier, reward adviser at the council, said: "We were looking for someone that could grow the business and communicate to all our staff." Previous provider, Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers, lost out in a tender after the ...
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Article
Busy Bees Group acquires Leapfrog Day Nurseries and Childcare Vouchers
Busy Bees Group has acquired Leapfrog Day Nurseries and Leapfrog Childcare Vouchers.Busy Bees, part of Australian nursery provider group ABC Learning Centres, bought the 88 Leapfrog sites from Nord Anglia Education. In a letter published on the Busy Bees' website, John Woodward, Busy Bees group managing director, said: "We have ...
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Article
Emergency Child and Home Care acquires Bupa Childcare
Emergency Child and Home Care has acquired Bupa's corporate childcare arm.The new company will be given the name The Family Care Company and will offer its clients emergency child and elder care; out of school care; on-site creche and nursery management; childcare search and selection services, and advice lines for ...
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Article
In-laws can be relatives under extended Flexible Working regulations
The definition of relative under the Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints and Remedies) Regulations 2002 has been extended to include carers' son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws.The regulations, which were extended to offer the right to request flexible working to carers of adults in April this year, originally omitted both sons and daughters-in-law from ...
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Article
Gissings launches childcare voucher product
Gissings Advisory Services is launching a new childcare voucher scheme to market.The salary sacrifice product will be marketed to its more than 500 clients and entitles employees to tax and national insurance free childcare at any Ofsted or DFES registered/approved childcare provider. The vouchers can be provided electronically and are ...
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Article
Childcare - definitions - Emergency childcare
Employers are increasingly providing emergency childcare. This can be as basic as providing staff with access to telephone numbers for nurseries through an employee assistance programme, right through to providing access to a nursery.Providing emergency child care can help to reduce absence or leave being taken at short notice.Providing access ...
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Article
Childcare - definitions - On-site nurseries
On-site workplace nursery schemes are supplied by employers to offer working parents another affordable childcare option. Child care vouchers may be used to pay for this facility.Because of the capital expenditure involved in providing onsite child care nurseries, it is an option that tends to be more suitable for larger ...
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Article
Childcare - definitions - Childcare vouchers
Childcare vouchers are a flexible and tax-efficient way to cover child care costs for the employee.Employees can agree to sacrifice up to £55 a week or up to £243 a month from their pre-tax salary for vouchers redeemable at any approved childcare provider. The employee makes tax and national insurance ...
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Article
Buyer's Guide to childcare
The corporate childcare market is continuing to grow, but employers must ensure schemes are managed correctly to qualify for tax exemptions, says Bea OaffThe childcare benefits market is one that is continuing to experience growth, and there is potential for it to broaden its appeal even further. There are now ...
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Article
Additional paternity leave law in consultation document
The government has published its consultation document containing further proposals around additional paternity leave (APL) and pay.The consultation, which closes on 3 August 2007, will ask opinions on how APL and pay should be administered, such as whether parents should be able to self certify their eligibility. Elizabeth Lang, associate ...