Parents can now carry out a speedy new check to see if their two-year-olds are entitled to free childcare.

Hounslow Council has launched a new online eligibility checker service which links directly to the Department for Education system and allows parents and carers to input simple details and receive an instant response as to whether or not they qualify.

Up until now, the process to find out if you can get 15 hours of free childcare per week has involved making a call or sending an email to the council and then waiting for days for a response.

Councillor Tom Bruce, cabinet minister for education and children’s services, said: “We want to provide the right services in the right place for families who need them most, and hopefully now more people will check what services they are eligible for.

“We know that these early years of a child’s life are of critical importance and we want to do all we can to ensure that every child in our borough gets the best possible start in life.”

If a family meet the requirements, a free childcare voucher can be downloaded.

This can then be taken to their chosen child-minder, pre-school playgroup or day nursery to access their free childcare immediately.

Alternatively, the system will list childcare providers in the area who provide free places and are registered with Oftsed.

To use the system you need to provide:

  • The child's date of birth
  • The parent, carer or guardian's National Insurance (NI) number or National Asylum Support Service (NASS) number
  • The parent, carer or guardian's date of birth
  • The parent, carer or guardian's surname

For more information on how to access the online checking service visit www.hounslow.gov.uk/free2.