VALE FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2024 - MARCH 2025
BECKY WICKETT – SOCIAL CARE INFORMATION TEAM MANAGER
CONTENTS :
1. Meet the team
2. Overview of the Family Information Service (FIS)
3. Key Achievements in 2024-25
4. Key Challenges in 2024-25
5. Enquiries to the Family Information Service in 2024-25
6. Feedback from Parents/Carers and Professionals
7. Key Actions for 2025-26
8. Contact Details
1. MEET THE TEAM
1.1 Team Overview:
• Becky Wickett – Social Care Information Team Manager
• Kelly Fenton – FIS Outreach and Information Officer
• Dawn Jenkins – Social Care Information Assistant
Cath Broad – FIS Support Assistant
•
• Lyndsey Richards – Index and FIS Support Officer (funded through Families First)
• Kath King – Childcare Offer Engagement Officer (funded through the Childcare Offer Admin Grant) • Eva Dixon – Childcare Offer Support Assistant (funded through the Childcare Offer Admin Grant)
The Family Information Service (FIS) sits within the wider Social Care Information Team, alongside the Dewis Cymru Regional Project Team.
2. OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE The Vale Family Information Service (FIS) is a one-stop information service for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0 – 20 years in the Vale of Glamorgan. It also supports professionals working with families and childcare providers. 2.1 Meeting Statutory Responsibilities FIS delivers the ‘ Information ’ duty within the Council ’ s Information, Advice and Assistance (IAA) service, as required by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 . It also enables the Council to meet its obligations under Section 27 of the Childcare Act 2006 , and the revised Childcare Statutory Guidance 2016 , by providing prescribed information to parents and prospective parents on childcare and related services.
We provide free information and guidance on a wide range of topics including:
• Childcare and help with childcare costs
Groups for new parents
•
• Activities for children and young people
Family support services
•
• General matters that are important to families
We also support prospective and existing childcare providers by offering relevant information to help sustain and grow the sector.
Our team maintains an online database of this information via the Dewis Cymru website, which also feeds into the Childcare Information Wales platform. We work in close partnership with teams such as Childcare and Early Years, Flying Start, Families First Advice Line, Children & Young People Services, and Learning and Skills, to ensure families and providers in the Vale receive a seamless and valuable service.
To make our service more accessible, we ’ ve developed an animation that explains what we do in a clear and engaging format.
Animation about the FIS Service
2.2 Index for Families of Children and Young People with Disabilities or Additional Needs
We administer The Index , which is funded through Families First Grant. This enables us to ensure families in the Vale are connected to relevant services, support networks, and opportunities. The Index also helps us to share targeted information and updates that reflect the needs and interests of registered families. 2.3 30 Hour Childcare Offer for Wales We promote the Welsh Government 30 Hour Childcare Offer funding for 3 to 4 year olds in the Vale. Our team supports parents throughout the application process and works closely with childcare providers to help them register for and deliver the Offer.
3. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
3.1 Families First Quality Award We successfully maintained our accreditation for the Families First Quality Award , a national recognition of excellence in delivering information, advice, and assistance to local families. The assessment process requires us to evidence performance against 16 standards , including how we support families of children with disabilities.
We have made significant progress in addressing the recommendations from our initial assessment, many of which are reflected throughout this report. Our next annual review is scheduled for January 2026 . 3.2 Christmas Events for Families In response to feedback from the previous year, the Family Information Service organised two Christmas parties at the Barry Memo Arts Centre , designed to enhance the experience for families. The events welcomed over 550 attendees , offering a wide range of festive
activities delivered by 22 partner organisations , including teams from within the Vale of Glamorgan Council and external services.
Each family received a contact sheet listing all participating organisations , and support was available on the day for those who needed it. Highlights included a ‘Ti a Fi’ session hosted by Rhiannon James from Mudiad Meithrin during the Early Years party, and a performance by a choir from Pukka Productions at the after-school party.
One parent shared their appreciation:
“ We enjoyed everything, being a single mum Christmas can be expensive so it was so lovely to meet Santa, make Christmas crafts and do all the fun festive things without having to find the money, thank-you. ”
3.3 Targeted Outreach and Community Engagement
We focused our outreach efforts on supporting parents seeking employment or training, resettled families, and families of children with disabilities or additional needs.
3.3.1 Employment Support
Our Outreach Officer worked closely with local Job Centres, Communities for Work, CELT+, and Adult Community Learning, to enhance support for parents entering or returning to the workforce. We attended monthly one-to-one appointments with those most in need, resulting in a 16% increase in enquiries from this group. Additionally, we received 100 enquiries specifically related to parents returning to work — over 30% of our total enquiries for the year.
3.3.2 Support for Resettled Families
We extended our outreach to Ukrainian and Afghan communities , in collaboration with the Job Centre and the Resettlement Team. To improve accessibility, we translated key materials, helping families better understand and access available services.
3.3.3 Neurodiversity Engagement
Our Index Officer participated in Neurodiversity Focus Groups in primary schools located in the lowest 10% deprived areas in Wales . These sessions highlighted the challenges faced by neurodiverse children and their families. With only 32% of parents registered on The Index , this initiative helped us connect with new families, share information, and support voluntary registration for ongoing assistance for them to receive ongoing support.
3.4 Childcare Offer Awareness and Support Our Childcare Offer Team strengthened partnerships with the Flying Start 2-Year-Old Offer Team and the Business Support Team to raise awareness of the Welsh Government ’ s 30 Hour Childcare Offer for 3 to 4-year-olds. We responded to 510 enquiries from parents and childcare providers, offering tailored support and guidance. Working closely with Flying Start colleagues , we ensured that families transitioning out of Flying Start were informed about their potential eligibility for the Childcare Offer. This included collaboration with Flying Start childcare providers, Health Visitors, and Childcare Liaison Officers to share information at key transition points. We also engaged with the Vale Business Forum and provided advice to parents starting their own businesses. A feature on the Childcare Offer was included in the Business Support Newsletter, reaching approximately 665 subscribers . We will continue to explore opportunities to promote the Offer in partnership with the Vale Economic Development department.
3.5 Supporting Children with Additional Needs We supported parents of children with additional needs to access the Childcare Offer Additional Support Grant , ensuring inclusive access to childcare provision. Working in partnership with Early Years colleagues , we provided funding for 16 children , enabling childcare settings to offer additional staffing and tailored support . This not only helped children fully benefit from their childcare experience but also supported parents in accessing work or training and eased the transition to school. 3.6 The Index for Children with Disabilities or Additional Needs
This year, we registered 175 children on The Index , marking a 14% increase from the previous year. We identified two new referral pathways — with Cardiff and Vale UHB Neurodevelopmental Service and the Local Authority Education Department — which are expected to launch in 2025 – 26, helping to further increase registrations. To strengthen collaboration, our Index Officer introduced and chaired a series of regional ‘ Index and Health ’ meetings, bringing together professionals including health visitors, school nurses, community connectors, and colleagues from Cardiff Index and the Vale ASD Project. These meetings have helped boost referrals and improve service awareness.
They also developed and published bespoke resources, including:
• A Guide to Education for Children with Additional Needs (viewed over 1,100 times)
An Anxiety Card
•
• A Padlet of Inclusive Activities and Family Support Services (to be published in 2025 – 26)
The Index was proud to be a finalist for the Inclusive Services Award at the Thinkedi Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Additionally, new connections with the Visual Impairment and Hearing Impairment teams have enhanced our understanding of accessibility and improved the support we offer.
3.7 Maintaining Service Information We maintained and enhanced information for 497 services on the Dewis Cymru online directory, which also feeds into the Childcare Information Wales website.
This included:
263 childcare records
•
• 234 listings for family support services, activities for children and young people, and parent & toddler groups
We also conducted our annual review of providers offering Welsh-medium childcare and those operating outside standard hours (before 8am, after 6pm, and weekends). This data informs both the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment and the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan . 3.8 Social Media Engagement We continued to grow our online presence, reaching 4,700 Facebook followers — a 5.6% increase from last year. Our most successful post was a link to our Summer Activities Programme, which reached over 9,000 accounts and gained 50 new followers in that month alone. Our Index Guide to Education post gained over 4,500 views and our Childcare Offer Applications post in February gained almost 4,000 views. Due to changes in Facebook ’ s data insights, we are unable to compare reach figures with previous years.
4. KEY CHALLENGES
4.1 Supporting Children with Additional Needs While the Welsh Government Additional Support Grant (ASG) provides vital funding for children with additional needs accessing the Childcare Offer, sector-wide staffing shortages have made it difficult for providers to offer the required support. This has limited access to childcare for some families, preventing parents from benefiting from the Offer. Additionally, the ASG only covers Childcare Offer-funded hours (17.5 hours per week during term time and 30 hours during holidays). Many children attend for longer periods, and without additional funding, parents are often asked to cover the cost of extra support themselves. This has led to us having to negotiate difficult conversations between families
and providers, with some parents feeling unfairly treated and providers facing operational challenges.
4.2 Referral Pathways for The Index Establishing referral pathways from schools and the Neurodevelopmental Service has been challenging due to system changes (e.g., schools moving to a new IT database and Health using the PARIS system). These changes require multi-level approvals, but we remain hopeful for progress in the coming year.
4.3 Inclusive Holiday Provision
Sourcing holiday clubs for children with complex needs remains an ongoing challenge. The Families First Holiday Club now requires a social worker referral, which limits our ability to refer families directly.
5. ENQUIRIES TO THE FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE DURING 2024-25
5.1 Examples of Enquiries
• A parent contacted us seeking clarification on the Flying Start 2-year-old funding — how to check eligibility, apply, and find suitable childcare. We confirmed the parent was eligible and provided a list of childcare providers accepting the funding. • While based at the Job Centre , we supported a single parent looking to return to work but facing barriers around suitable childcare. We helped identify a provider offering both after-school and holiday care , and guided the parent in accessing Universal Credit support , enabling them to take up new employment.
5.2 Enquiry Case Study
This case study demonstrates the complexity of some enquires we receive, especially regarding the Childcare Offer Additional Support Grant.
5.3 Total number of enquiries During the reporting period, the Family Information Service received 1,290 direct enquiries , representing a 9.7% decrease compared to the previous year . The higher volume of enquiries in 2020 – 21 was primarily driven by applications for the Coronavirus Childcare Assistance Scheme (CCAS) for key workers.
Since then, enquiry numbers have gradually declined, likely due to improved access to digital information , including resources available on the Childcare Information Wales
website . We regularly update this website, enabling parents and professionals to find answers independently without needing to contact the service directly.
In addition, 48 calls intended for Children & Young People Services were received and redirected to the Intake Team. These are not included in the analysis above .
5.4 Enquiry Patterns Throughout the Year It’s important to monitor enquiry volumes across the year to identify trends and plan service delivery. As in previous years, we saw a peak in enquiries in January , largely driven by the opening of Childcare Offer applications . Overall, enquiry patterns tend to follow a consistent annual cycle, with the exception of April and July 2022, when we launched the Summer of Fun Holiday Programme and Easter Programme, resulting in a temporary spike in enquiries during those months.
5.5 Subject of Enquiry The nature of enquiries received by the Family Information Service (FIS) continues to be wide-ranging. The most common reason for contact remains the Childcare Offer for 3 to 4-year-olds , which accounted for 39.5% of all enquiries . While still the leading topic, this represents a slight decrease compared to the previous year . The second most frequent enquiry type relates to Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and sign-ups to The Index , which have seen a 20% increase compared to the previous year , indicating growing awareness and demand for support in this area. There has been a significant reduction in enquiries about Flying Start , likely due to the introduction of the 2-year-old Childcare Offer last year. Enquiries regarding help with childcare costs have remained consistent with previous years.
5.6 Profile of Enquirers
Over the past three years, approximately 75% of all enquiries have consistently come from parents or carers , demonstrating a stable pattern in service usage.
12% of enquiries were made by childcare providers , a figure that has also remained steady over the last two years.
The remaining 12% of enquiries came from professionals, other relatives, or prospective childcare providers . Within this group, there has been a slight increase in contacts from Health and Social Services professionals , indicating growing awareness and engagement from partner agencies.
5.7 Channels of Enquiry The majority of enquiries continue to be made via telephone, accounting for 59% of all contact. However, this represents a decrease compared to the previous year , suggesting a shift in how families are choosing to engage with services. There has been a notable increase in enquiries submitted through the website enquiry form, social media platforms, and outreach activities , reflecting the growing importance of digital and community-based engagement. In addition to the Family Information Service (FIS) public phone line , the team also staffs the national Childcare Offer helpline for the Vale and The Index helpline . Data from all three services is captured in the graph below.
5.8 Source of Enquiry In the last year, 25% of all enquiries were from individuals who had previously contacted the service, indicating a consistent level of repeat engagement. The remaining 75% were new contacts , reflecting ongoing outreach and accessibility. 20% of enquirers discovered the service through a search engine or the Vale of Glamorgan website , highlighting the importance of digital visibility. When comparing this year ’ s data with the previous year, there has been a notable increase in the number of enquiries recorded as ‘ not known ’ in terms of referral source. This is likely due to the high volume of emails and brief telephone calls, where it is not always possible to capture how the enquirer heard about the service. There has also been a significant rise in enquiries attributed to publicity efforts . This increase is largely due to the introduction of a ‘ publicity ’ option within the Dewis enquiry recording module. There ’ s also been an increase in referrals via the First Advice Line and other council services.
5.9 Website Performance We ensure that information for families is accessible and regularly updated on our Family Information Service (FIS) web pages. Over the past year, we received almost 43,000 page views , a 2.4% decrease compared to the previous year. The graph below illustrates views to our most popular web pages, which have remained consistent across categories over the last two years. Notable exceptions include: • 2022 – 23 : A spike in views to our Holiday Programme pages, driven by the Welsh Government funded Summer of Fun scheme . • 2021 – 22 : Increased traffic due to essential COVID-related information for parents and providers. Our Summer Holiday Activity Programme in July 2024 was particularly popular, generating over 15,000 views alone.
6. FEEDBACK FROM ENQUIRERS
We aim to contact everyone who enquires to the service to gain feedback, to help develop the service and ensure that people received the information they need. We also collate comments received from people after they've used the service.
6.1 Feedback Responses
We obtained feedback from 41 people using our new form and questions ‘ Your Views Matter ’ .
• 98% said they would recommend our service to other people
• 95% said we responded to their enquiry in a reasonable time
• 88% said the support, advice or information we provided to them was very helpful or helpful
6.2 Comments Received
Here's a snapshot of comments made by parents and professionals who contacted our service:
• X was so helpful and informative, she supplied me with all of the information I needed. Thank you, excellent customer service!
• I spoke to x today who not only listened, supported but has sent me lots of relevant information. I really appreciated her listening and prompt email.
• Spoke to x for help with childcare advice. She was incredibly helpful and supportive! Couldn’t do enough for us.
• We find the Index emails very helpful and useful.
• X helped us understand using the childcare offer and tax free childcare at the same time. We know how to apply and when to apply, and how to find childcare when we know our primary school.
7. KEY ACTIONS FOR 2025-26
7.1 Support the transition of the FIS to an Integrated Front Door for Children, young people and family services
7.2 Collaborate with Communications and the Integrated Front Door Project Board , to create a website, social media and outreach programme.
7.3 Promote the Childcare Offer to parents via childcare providers, using information packs, posters and outdoor banners.
7.4 Develop and implement a targeted communication and outreach plan to raise awareness of the full range of Family Information Service (FIS) support.
7.5 Establish referral pathways to The Index through Education professionals, the Neurodevelopmental Service and Flying Start.
7.6 Enhance accessibility of information and engagement through new and existing technology solutions for parents, carers, childcare providers, and partners.
7.7 Promote the Welsh language throughout all FIS and contribute to delivering actions within the Mwy Na Geiriau Plan .
7.8 Review and improve information on childcare provision, services and activities for children and young people listed on the Dewis Cymru directory .
7.9 Use a new platform ‘ Dewis Cymru ’ to host the summer and Easter holiday programmes
8. CONTACT DETAILS
Family Information Service
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Dock Offices
Subway Road
Barry, CF63 4RT
01446 704704
fis@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
Facebook: @VOGFIS
www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/fis
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker