Lord Mayor of Belfast encourages families to find out what financial support is available

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Kate Nicholl, is calling on all parents, whatever their circumstances, to make sure they are receiving all the financial support they are entitled to, especially with their childcare costs. Councillor Nicholl made the call following a virtual advice session with Employers For Childcare’s Family Benefits Advice Service, which provides a freephone helpline and advice service, supporting families to identify and claim the support that is available to them, to help them get into work and stay in work.

Speaking after her call with Chris Briggs, Senior Family Benefits Advisor at Employers For Childcare, the Lord Mayor said: “Having personally benefitted from a call to the Family Benefits Advice Service, I would encourage every parent to contact the team. Even as an elected representative, I wasn’t aware of all the financial support my family was entitled to with our childcare costs so this service has been really valuable for me, and will be for other families. The team make it so easy and do everything for you – it’s free, impartial and totally confidential. It’s so important that all families, whatever their income level, find out what support is out there for them – particularly during this cost of living crisis when many households are struggling to make ends meet.”

Aoife Hamilton, Head of Charity Services with Employers For Childcare commented: “We were delighted to meet virtually with the Lord Mayor and to tell her more about the work of the Family Benefits Advice Service. We are aware that many families are not claiming all the financial support they are entitled to, particularly those who are working, so we would encourage everyone, no matter what their situation, to give us a quick call and we can help them with a personalised ‘better off’ calculation. It’s really easy – parents can call our Freephone helpline on 0800 028 3008 or drop us an email to hello@employersforchildcare.org. Last year, we identified an average of over £2,800 for families that called us – that amount of money could make a phenomenal difference to families, now more than ever”.