Women's Centre Childcare Fund (WCCF) DfC

KWC were relieved to receive a further letter of offer to exend the Women's Centre Childcare Fund for 2016/17. This fund, is tecnically an emergency fund, and we are grateful to the outgoing DSD Ministers Mervyn Storey and Lord Morrow, for their intervention in securing the funds for this financial year for the 14 NI Women's Centres.

Administerd by Department for Communities, Voluntary and Community Unit, the project enables affordable, accessible childcare support to be given to women who are jobseekers, in education and training or personal development / volunteering to improve their long term outcomes and employment options.

KWC continues to lobby government to recognise this important fund as a 'core childcare costs' programme which allows the 14 women's centres to lever in additional funding to provide a full range of childcare, child development and early intervntion initiatives for the 0-4 age group. Womens Centre Childcare Fund is key in making children from disadvantaged communities school ready, and to instil a love of learning from an early age.

WCCF was independently evaluated by Strategic Investment Board who recognised the social return on investment delivered by the programme. The fund also features in the draft Childcare Strategy for Northern Ireland, where Governement indicates it has recognised its value. KWC in partnership with the other 13 women's centres continues to lobby for this fund to be mainstreamed.

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