Carers' Career Development Fund

This scheme is open to both parents/guardians and those with other caring responsibilities, and to all staff at Queen Mary (researchers, teaching staff, professional services, PGR students, postdocs and technicians). For the avoidance of doubt, this includes those with both parental/childcare duties, and those caring for adults.

Please note, researchers should check the terms and conditions of their grant funding before applying for this fund, as there may be other funds available to support training opportunities that include provision for travel. Some Doctoral Training Entities and Partnerships (e.g. DTP, CDT, CDP) also offer similar funding.

The fund is designed to support carers for costs incurred as a result of professional commitments and career development activities which fall outside of normal working hours, such as conferences, workshops and networking events. Costs will relate directly to the arrangements of a care provider, appropriate to the requirements of the case (for example, nursery care or a childminder, or a registered care provider in the case of an adult dependent).

This includes covering costs that arise from events and activities that take place during working hours but at an alternative location and at a distance such that travel occurs outside of usual working arrangements and has an impact on caring arrangements.

The care provider used must have active company registration and be based in the UK. We are not able to process any other types of claims. You can check if your provider is a registered company here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/ Please note that care providers booked through third party platforms (e.g. Bubble) must have their own active company registration in order to be approved.

1. Making a claim

Individuals will be able to submit a claim up to a maximum of £300 in any university financial year. We recognise that caring needs are diverse, and some people may need support that exceeds this £300 limit. If this is the case, applicants are asked to contact the Research Culture Team in advance of submitting their application to discuss the specific provision they need.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible in advance of the event so we can confirm whether funds are available in good time. We also understand that opportunities can arise last minute therefore there is no fixed deadline for applications. Applications will be assessed monthly on the first Monday of each month. The team cannot guarantee we can review applications outside of this timetable, so please keep this in mind to ensure we will have an opportunity to review and assess your application in sufficient time for you to plan your event attendance.

Please note you will need to provide copies of your receipts/invoices, showing the care provider company registration number, for review afterwards. Retrospective applications will not be accepted.

2. Completing the online form

Applicants are required to complete all sections of the form. Only applications that have been completed correctly and in full will be considered. This form can be found here.

Applicants will receive an on-screen confirmation message, notifying them that their application has been received. The team aim to acknowledge your application within 5 working days of the form being submitted. If you have not received a response within this time, please email researchculture@qmul.ac.uk.

3. Considering the claim

Applications will be considered on a monthly basis, on the first Monday of the month. You will be asked to provide proof of attendance at the event (see FAQ below). Provisional funding approvals will be sent by the end of that same month from the Research Culture team, subject to appropriate receipts/invoices being provided, post event.

After attending the event/conference, claimants will need to send their receipts/invoices of the care arrangements paid for to the Research Culture team at researchculture@qmul.ac.uk

Evidence will be reviewed in line with the timescales above, on the first Monday of the month. Confirmation of funding approval will be sent by the end of that same month from the Research Culture team.

4. Ensuring fairness

There is growing demand for the CCDF scheme amongst the staff community. In order to ensure fairness and enable as many individuals to benefit as possible, funds are apportioned so that a new pot is available at the start of each quarter (Aug-Oct, Nov-Jan, Feb-Apr, May-Jul). Funding requests will be assessed within the quarter in which the application is received.

Where funds are remaining at the end of the quarter, these will be rolled over into the next quarter. If funds for that quarter have already been depleted, then the application will be rolled over to the next quarter.

If your application has not been successful or we are not able to confirm funding two weeks in advance of your conference or training event, the research culture team will be in touch to confirm this.

5. Receiving the funds

You will receive reimbursement of the costs from the central finance team within one month of accounts payable approving your claim.

6. Providing feedback and financial records

Successful applicants may be contacted to provide feedback on the value and usefulness of the scheme and the impact that it has had.

For more information on record keeping, please see our privacy statement below.

When can I submit my claim?

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible in advance of the event so we can confirm whether funds are available in good time. We also understand that opportunities can arise last minute therefore there is no fixed deadline for applications. However, retrospective applications will not be accepted.

Can I use a care provider outside the UK?

Unfortunately we are unable to process claims for providers based outside the UK. The care provider must have direct active company registration in the UK in order to be approved.

If my claim is unsuccessful, do I have to wait 12 months to be able to submit another one?

No, you may submit as many applications as you’d like within the university academic year but can usually only receive a maximum of £300 within this period.

If I successfully bid for an amount below £300, can I apply again within the same university financial year?

A core principle of this fund is to enable as many individuals to benefit their careers as is possible. Therefore, typically we will only fund one event attendance per year.

The care I need to arrange will cost above £300, what should I do?

We recognise the diverse range of caring responsibilities our staff may have and seek to ensure this fund can be used by all. We recognise that some staff may require specific care arrangements that exceed £300. For example, this could be because of complex caring needs, or the time needed to be covered.

If you wish to submit an application that exceeds the £300 cap, please contact researchculture@qmul.ac.uk so that this can be considered. You will be asked to provide an outline of the need for this additional cost to enable the team to assess this in line with the aims of the fund.

Will I be expected to report on the expenditure? If so, what does this entail and when will I be asked to do this?

Yes, after attending the event/conference, claimants will need to provide evidence of their receipts/invoices, showing registration number, in order for the award to be confirmed.  Reimbursements will then be processed. All reimbursements will only be made against receipts and in line with Queen Mary’s financial policies and procedures.

What should I provide as proof of attendance for the related event?

You can provide any documentation that shows us you will be attending the event referenced in your claim. This could be, for example, email confirmation of conference or event booking, email invitation to speak at event, an email from the organiser to confirm booking/attendance.

What if am ill or cannot attend the conference/event? What shall I do?

If you are unable to attend an event and would not require the funds, then please researchculture@qmul.ac.uk to inform us. We will make a note on your application to reflect this which means the funds can be reallocated for someone else to use. This also ensures our records are accurate and you will not be prevented from request funds again later in the year.

I am having problems submitting my form, what should I do?

Please email researchculture@qmul.ac.uk should there be any problems with submitting the form via the web page. Please indicate that this is the case in your email and we will support you to submit your application.

Will these costs be treated as a taxable benefit?

We expect that most costs being reimbursed by this scheme will be covered by a HMRC exemption which would recognise these costs as being part of the costs of work related training (see definition below).  Your application will be reviewed in line with these guidelines. Should any tax charge be applicable this will be recorded on a P11D form by Payroll which will be reported to HMRC to be reclaimed at a later date.

Work-related training is defined within HMRC guidelines as follows:

Work-related training is defined as any training course or other activity which is designed to impart, instil, improve or reinforce any knowledge, skills, or personal qualities which:

• are, or are likely to prove, useful to the employee when performing his/her duties or
• will qualify or better qualify the employee to undertake the employment, or to participate in charitable or voluntary activities arising through the employment.

The training must relate to the employee’s current employment or to a “related employment”.

The Research Culture Team is part of the Research Services Directorate at Queen Mary University of London. We process your personal information in order to assess your eligibility for the CCDF.

Data protection legislation allows us to use your personal information in this way because it is required to deliver an agreement (or ‘contract’) we have with you and you have actively given us your permission (or ‘consent’). You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at researchculture@qmul.ac.uk.

In line with financial regulations, Payroll and Finance will keep your information for up to 6 years before the personal data related to your CCDF claim will be destroyed. The Research Culture Team will use your anonymised data for the purpose of monitoring, evaluating and improving the operation of the fund, and will share this anonymised data internally with the EDI team and with other colleagues as appropriate. Data shared in this form will also be shared with Payroll and Finance, in line with existing data sharing protocols, to enable administration of payments. 

We will not share your information with any external organisations. On rare occasions, we may be required or permitted to share personal information by law (e.g., for law enforcement purposes).