Clause 11. Payment during absences of eligible child

11.

Payment during absences of eligible child

(1)

If a provider in respect of an approved early-childhood education programme charges a fee for holding open the places of children who are absent from the programme when the programme is available, GCAP payments may continue to be granted in respect of an eligible child for any continuous period of not more than 30 working days when the child is absent from the programme because-

(a)

the child or applicant is injured or ill; or

(b)

of a family bereavement; or

(c)

the child is on holiday; or

(d)

of any other reasonable circumstance.

(2)

GCAP payments cease if an eligible child is absent from the programme for a continuous period of 15 working days or more and none of the circumstances in subclause (1)(a) to (d) exist or clause 12 applies.

(3)

Despite subclause (1) GCAP payments may continue to be granted in respect of an eligible child for the period of the absence if the child is absent from an approved early childhood education programme because of COVID-19 requirements, whether or not the programme charges a fee for holding open the places of children who are absent;

(4)

In this clause, -

available, for the programme, if subclause (3) applies to the child, means that-

(a)

the programme is attended by, and provided to, any other child, or any other children, to whom COVID-19 requirements do not apply; or

(b)

the programme is not attended by, nor provided to, any children, because their absence is due to reasons that are or include COVID-19 requirements

COVID-19 requirements, for a child or children, mean requirements that apply to the child or children, and that are imposed-

(a)

by or under an Act; and

(b)

to prevent, or limit the risk of, the outbreak or spread of COVID-19.