This Scheme shall be known as the Tax Credits (Approval of Home Child Care Providers) Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2006 and shall come into operation on 6^th April 2006.

In this Scheme—

• “the Children Order” means the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 19952;

• “the Department” means the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety;

• “approval criteria” has the meaning given to it in Article 6;

• “child” has the meaning attributed to it by the Child Tax Credit Regulations 20023;

• “HSS Trust” means a Health and Social Services Trust established under Article 10(1) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19914 within whose operational area the home child care provider resides;

• “operational area” in relation to an HSS Trust has the meaning given in Article 2(2) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19725;

• “parent” includes a person who—

  1. a

     has parental responsibility for a child;

  2. b

     is an authority foster parent in relation to a child;

  3. c

     is a foster parent with whom a child has been placed by a voluntary organisation; or

  4. d

     fosters a child privately;

• “parental responsibility”, “authority foster parent”, “fosters a child privately” and “voluntary organisation” have the respective meanings given to them by Article 2(2) of the Children Order;

• “qualifying child care” has the meaning given to it in article 4;

• “relative” in relation to a child means a grand-parent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether of the full blood or half blood or by affinity) or a step-parent;

• “relevant first-aid certificate” means a certificate in respect of a course of first-aid training—

  1. a

     which is suitable to the care of babies and children;

  2. b

     which includes training in the following areas: dealing with emergencies; resuscitation; shock; choking; anaphylactic shock; and

  3. c

     which has been undertaken by the applicant not more than three years before the date upon which the application for approval is made;

• “home child care provider” means a person approved under this scheme.

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 19546 shall apply to this Scheme as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.