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The Families Information Service offers free, impartial information and guidance for providers and families in Derbyshire. FIS is available to any family caring for children or young people aged 0-19 (or up to 25 years, for children and young people with SEND).
FIS:
- Provides guidance on Government schemes available to help parents pay for childcare relative to their circumstances
- Provides guidance on choosing the right type of setting for their child
- Provides a brokerage service to help parents struggling to find childcare
- Supports with applications for 2-year-old funding and extended entitlement (30-hours)
- Connects families to other family support services in Derbyshire
- Maintains a searchable directory of childcare providers - make sure your details are up to date using the provider portal via the Derbyshire Provider Portal
- Offers a range of marketing materials for providers
With the squeeze on family finances due to the cost-of-living crisis and effects of the pandemic, it is essential that families are aware of all the help they are entitled to, which may then support them to access your provision.
As a provider you don’t need to hold all this information, just contact or direct families to FIS using the details below:
01629 535793 (9am to 5pm Monday-Friday)
info.fis@derbyshire.gov.uk
New applications:
Please be reminded where parents have not applied for a 30-hours code before the 31 August 2022 deadline, they will not be able to access the extended entitlement for the autumn term 2022. However, they will still be able to access the 15 hours per week universal funding.
Please note: It is imperative that providers check that all codes (for both new and existing parents) are valid on the provider portal before offering a place to the child in order to avoid parents being issued with an unexpected invoice for childcare that the provider initially agreed would be funded.
Reconfirmation of codes:
As you will be aware, parents need to reconfirm their eligibility code approximately every 3 months. Although the onus is with parents to reconfirm by the end date of the code, providers have a responsibility to notify parents they have fallen out of eligibility and encourage them to access their childcare account as a matter of urgency. Therefore, it is in the provider’s interest to encourage parents to regularly check their gateway account to ensure they are aware of their reconfirmation deadlines. It is important parents DO NOT miss reconfirmation deadlines as they may lose their funding for the term.
If a parent has questions about their application or difficulties with applying or reconfirming their code, they will need to contact the HMRC helpline on telephone: 0300 123 4097.
Grace Periods:
Providers will be aware of the grace period dates for each parent and should share these with parents who experience a change in eligibility status. Please be reminded to check eligibility dates carefully before agreeing a start date with parents.
Please note: grace period end dates are dependent on individual validity end dates and are unique to when the parent applied. Providers are also reminded that parents are unable to start a placement with a new provider during a grace period. However, if an ineligible parent finds work that takes them above the minimum income threshold during their grace period, they will be able to reconfirm and continue with their 30 hours. More information about grace periods can be found in the Statutory Guidance.
To receive 30 hours funding, parents must:
- have a valid 30-hour code
- have a code start date which is prior to the term they wish their child to attend
- meet the age criteria - the child starts the term following their third birthday
Please ensure that the 30-hour code start and end dates are checked for existing children as well as children new to the setting.
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Tax free childcare:
Please remind working families that they can use Tax Free Childcare to help pay for their childcare costs. Find out more on the government website via the link below:
how-to-use-tax-free-childcare
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September / October 2022 Actuals:
The portal will be open from 5 September - 18 September 2022 for the submission of the September / October 2022 Actuals data.
Please remember to delete the names of the children no longer attending your setting from the headcount.
Once all the information has been submitted, please remember to click ‘Send Claim’.
If you do not submit your information by this deadline, you will not receive your funding during the normal payment timescale.
Please be aware, as detailed on your 2022-2023 funding calendar, the submission dates for Adjustments have changed.
From September 2022, Adjustments will open once a term, removing the requirement to input any changes each month. Please keep a record of any adjustments as these will need to be entered on to the portal when it opens each term.
As outlined on the funding calendar, the portal will open for Adjustments on:
19 November – 27 November 2022
(To include any changes which occurred during the September/October and November 2022 periods)
15 February – 1 March 2023
(To include any changes which occurred during the December 2022, January/February 2023 periods)
19 July – 30 July 2023
(To include any changes which occurred during the March, April/May, June, July 2023 periods)
Payments for Adjustments will be processed during the last month of each term alongside the Actuals payment (as detailed on the funding calendar).
Important: please be reminded that ‘Adjustments’ submissions are for children who increase / decrease their hours, start / leave a provision following the closure of Actuals. Adjustments should not be used as an alternative to Actuals.
Thank you for returning your signed Provider Agreement Extension (where applicable).
Important: Please ensure you continue to adhere to your signed Extension for the delivery of early years entitlements for two, three and four year olds, which takes account of the requirements of the Statutory Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE).
When considering fees, please be reminded that providers:
- Cannot charge parents “top-up” fees (the difference between a provider’s normal charge to parents and the funding they receive from the local authority to deliver funded places) or require parents to pay a registration fee as a condition of taking up their child’s funded place. (13.8)
- Must not charge parents an additional amount for items that are required to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage such as craft materials, toys, books, equipment etc. and for business costs such as hygiene resources, on-line registers, accommodation, staff, staff training and online tools such as ‘famly’, etc. (13.9 & 13.10)
- Must not charge parents of funded children higher rates for additional hours or meals that result in them paying more than the settings published hourly/sessional/daily charges. (13.11)
- Must ensure their invoices and receipts are clear, transparent and itemised, allowing parents to see they have received their early years entitlement completely free of charge and understand fees paid for additional hours or services. Providers must ensure that receipts contain their full details so they can be identified as being issued by a specific provider.” (13.12)
Although the early entitlement hours are generally described as free, the government is clear that providers can charge for meals, consumables, additional hours or additional services.
Therefore, a provider can charge for meals and snacks as part of an early years entitlement place and can also charge for consumables (such as nappies, sun cream, trips etc.). These charges must be voluntary for parents and cannot be a condition of accessing a funded place. Providers must ensure parents are fully informed of the cost for any additional meals, consumables and hours they choose to take prior to commencing their funded place. (13.2)
Providers are able to determine how they offer the early years entitlement including the patterns of delivery. Please ensure policies/information is clear and transparent for the parent around the hours to be claimed, the pattern of delivery and any additional charges. These should be discussed and agreed with parents before they sign a contract to take up a place. Providers are also required to include in their admissions policy/information how they offer funded hours, including the number of funded only places, if applicable.
The Early Years Finance team will be resuming face-to-face visits to undertake funding compliance audits from the autumn term. Funding compliance audits will consist of a mix of visits and desk based checks.
The audits are a statutory requirement to ensure providers are adhering to information contained within the Department for Education (DfE) ‘Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities (June 2018)’ along with providers’ signed local authority Provider Agreement Extension (where applicable). The checks also assist providers to develop systems when delivering the early entitlement funding.
Please see the links below to the DfE guidance documentation:
DfE Early education and childcare-statutory guidance.pdf
Early years entitlements-operational guidance.pdf
Local authority notification:
Due to the current rise in covid cases, should you need to close your provision due to covid, please ensure you notify the funding team via the relevant in-box:
CS.enquiries.childminders@derbyshire.gov.uk or CS.enquiries.groupcare@derbyshire.gov.uk or CS.enquiries.schools@derbyshire.gov.uk along with the quality team via: CS.EYS@derbyshire.gov.uk
Ofsted notification:
For closures of three days or more please be reminded that there is also a requirement to notify Ofsted as per the guidance set out in the following document;
Actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic - February
2022 (pg18/19)
Actions for early years and childcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic (publishing.service.gov.uk)
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If you are a contracted provider and would like to receive text reminders when the provider portal is open / closed, please ensure you notify us (and Ofsted of course!) of your mobile number. |
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