Vale Family Information Service - Story

The National Lockdown saw the Vale Family Information Service (FIS) facing the challenge of playing a key role in setting up a brand new service while, at the same time, coping with the issues involved with delivering a front line information service while working from home, and in some cases – home schooling.

Working together with childcare leads, including colleagues from Children and Young People’s Partnership, Flying Start, Play and Education, the Coronavirus Childcare Assistance Scheme emerged to pay the childcare fees of eligible key workers and for vulnerable children. The scheme enabled those playing a crucial role throughout the Pandemic, to work, return to work and/or increase their hours.

The Team rose to the challenge, developing new application and assessment processes (an area of service delivery completely new to all FIS staff) and then sourcing the childcare.

To deliver a fair, consistent and open service to those accessing the scheme, meant staff getting to grips with the evolving guidance from Welsh Government at pace, sharing knowledge and experience with colleagues clearly and quickly to adapt processes and provide advice and guidance.

Effective and regular communication and support from the Team leader, ensured staff shared the vision for the Scheme and took pride in their achievements.

Between April and August 2020, we processed 442 applications and placed 312 children in childcare, 299 of whom were children of key workers and 13 were ‘vulnerable’ childcare.

FIS are rightly proud of their achievements and both childcare providers and families agree it was a job well done:

‘Always someone on hand to answer any questions that I had. Made it easier for me to focus on my work during the difficult time, I didn’t have to worry about childcare.’

‘I can’t thank FIS enough for the support I had during lockdown it was a lonely time with the children as we weren’t able to meet with others who continued to work and getting the emails and the catch up phone calls was reassuring that we were all on the same team doing our best and offering PPE.’