Free childcare for families to get back in to work

The £75m three-year programme, announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, will help 50,000 families where one parent is working and the second wants to go back in to work.

As well as childcare costs of up to £175 a week per child or £205 in London, the cash will pay for help from the Learning and Skills Council to find and attend training courses.

Workless families will also be entitled to help if they can't get support from other sources.

The programme will start in 67 local authority areas with the highest number of eligible families in January 2009, and will then be rolled out to all local authorities the following September.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes said: "This will help lift families out of poverty by enabling them to gain the skills they need to enter the workplace."