Childcare Information Service (CIS)
Childcare Information Service for Peterborough
The Childcare Information Service (CIS) provides free
information. They hold details of all registered early
years education and childcare in the area and other information
such as how to pay for childcare, jobs and training in
childcare. The service it offers is confidential, impartial
and free of charge. They aim to make this information easily
accessible and freely available to all members of the public.
The CIS freephone helpline is open between 8.30am and 5.30pm
Monday to Friday (with an answerphone service out of hours).
The service is also available by post, fax, email and internet via
the local website www.opportunity-links.org.uk
and through outreach workers.
Further information on the CIS relates to:
As part of the National Childcare Strategy, local authorities
are obliged to provide childcare information to their area.
Opportunity Links is contracted to deliver this service for
Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council.
Through this role, and in compliance with the Minimum
Standards for Childcare Information Services, Opportunity Links is
dedicated to gathering and distributing childcare and other
relevant information to the public.
Through all of their work they strive to attain the
following underpinning principles; quality, impartiality,
confidentiality, partnership and equal opportunity.
To ensure enquirers are aware of the Statement of Service it
is advertised on their evaluation forms and on the Opportunity
Links website at www.opportunity-links.org.uk
The following sections detail the range and extent of
information that they provide.
Opportunity Links holds essential core details of all
registered early years childcare provision in the area, and take
steps to ensure this information is as up to date and accurate as
possible.
The core information on registered provision that
they are required to hold and make available to the public
is:
- The name of the provider and contact details. These details should not be made available to the public without the express consent of the provider.
- The type of provision, the age range and the number of places catering for children of each age.
- Opening hours, availability during school holidays and ability to provide emergency short-term care.
- The fees charged.
- Ability to cater for children of particular needs, for example, children who do not have English as a first language, or children with disabilities or special educational needs.
- Ability to cater for children from particular religious or cultural communities, for example, provision of appropriate food.
- Dates of last relevant inspections.
- Date the information held by the CIS was last updated.
Opportunity Links also holds information on supporting
information. This covers:
- Information about what to look for in a childcare service and how to choose a childcare provider.
- The service offered by different types of childcare providers.
- Help in deciding upon the most suitable arrangement for their children. For example, information on the proximity of childcare to work, home and school locations.
- The registration process and what to do if the enquirer has concerns about a provider
- Information on relevant family support, especially financial assistance that may be available.
- Information about work-life balance should be made available to employers, staff and people considering a return to work.
- Information on registration and inspection requirements.
If information is requested that they do not hold, we
signpost enquirers to organisations that are able to directly
provide the level of information they need. This includes:
- Local Further Education colleges and training providers. Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs).
- Representative bodies such as the Pre-School Learning Alliance, the National Childminders Association, National Day Nurseries Association and the Out of School Care Association.
- Peterborough City Council's Early Years & Childcare Team.
- CISs in neighbouring areas. This is particularly useful for enquiries and providers who live close to local authority boundaries.
- Relevant community organisations and groups, for example charities that may be able to assist enquirers eg, special educational needs groups.
- Relevant Government bodies and Departments, for example, the Department for Work and Pensions (DfWP) to provide enquirers with information on benefits.
- Schools, many of which are ideally placed to provide and develop suitable premises for out of school childcare.
- Employment Service District Managers, lone parent advisers and job centres .
They aim to make the above information, accessible and
freely available to the public. This is achieved via a free-phone
help-line that is available between 8.30am and 5.30pm Monday
to Friday throughout the year except bank holidays. There is also a
24-hour answer service.
Information is also available via the Opportunity Links
website - www.opportunity-links.org.uk.
Registered childcare information is only made available on the
websites with the consent of providers. Therefore more
comprehensive information may be available by calling the
help-line.
They take specific steps to ensure the service is well
publicised to the whole community, paying particular attention to
hard-to-reach groups. This includes:
- A marketing and publicity strategy that targets the whole community.
- Appropriate steps to make the public aware of the service, publicising itself in a range of outlets appropriate to the local area and in a manner most suitable for the audience it is designed for, e.g. in relevant languages.
- Steps to raise awareness of its services amongst other relevant bodies and organisations.
- Making this Statement of Service, and the information in it, available to the public.
- Outreach workers who develop our links with relevant bodies and attend events.
Opportunity Links aims to answer enquiries within 24 hours. If this is not possible due to working hours, or the complexity of an enquiry, a courtesy update call will be made to the customer.
Enquirers can expect a polite and helpful service. Opportunity
Links has a recruitment process in place that ensures staff have
strong interpersonal skills and experience of enquiry handling. The
organisation is also committed to the ongoing development and
training of staff so that the level of service can be
improved.
Opportunity Links is always looking to improve the service and
positively welcomes feedback by sending evaluation forms to all
enquirers. All comments, compliments and complaints received are
used to evaluate and improve the service and to assist in future
planning.
If you are not happy with the service you receive form the CIS
in reference to the Statement of Service you can make a complaint
in the following way:
- All complaints in the first instance should be made to the CIS Manager, either by telephone, email or in writing [details below). Your complaint will be recorded in writing on a Complaints form and dealt with promptly. You will receive a written response within 5 working days.
- If you wish to take your complaint further you should put it in writing to Peterborough City Council's Head of Early Years & Childcare. Your complaint will be investigated and you will receive a written response within 10 working days. They will ensure that you receive a satisfactory resolution to the complaint or advise further appropriate action to take.
All complaints will be treated in a confidential manner. Should a member of the public wish to remain anonymous this will be respected. All complaints will be archived confidentially for a 12-month period. It is the CIS manager´s responsibility to continually review the quality and delivery of the service using the complaints procedure to critically evaluate the service.
Child Protection Complaints
If any member of the public is concerned about a childcare provider it should be referred immediately to OFSTED´s Early Years Directorate complaints department 0845 640 4040.
CIS Manager: mary.barnes@opp-links.org.uk
Opportunity Links
Childcare Information Service for Cambridgeshire &
Peterborough
Trust Court, The Vision Park, Histon
Cambridge, CB4 9PW
Telephone: 01223 566522
Email: mary.barnes@opp-links.org.uk