West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin today welcomed measures today which will see working parents getting 30 hours of free childcare support each week. The measures will be a huge boost to working families and are aimed at helping more parents with young families balance work and family life and will give parents and annual boost of up to £5000 per child. Ministers from the Departments for Education, Work and Pensions and the Treasury this week confirmed that the Conservative manifesto commitment is currently being delivered to eight trial areas and will go live from April. The Government is also launching a digital childcare service to allow parents to apply for funding and childcare providers to register to become part of the scheme. Harriett has campaigned for better childcare funding since she was elected in 2010, to help parents into employment. Harriett commented: “The Government is spending more than £6 billion each year on childcare support and I welcome the news that the roll-out of this programme is well advanced. “High childcare costs have become an increasingly dominant factor when families are thinking about how to balance work and family life. “Every parent knows that giving a child the best possible start in life is crucial. These measures will help parents to ensure their child gets a good quality childcare place, as well as allowing parents to return to the workplace if they want to.”