Understand where to target resources for better outcomes for children
To tailor early years services - including childcare provision - so they meet the needs of your communities, you need a clear picture of children and families so you can make sure services are delivered in the most impactful way and reaching those who need them.
Our early years software solutions help you to support families with children in foundation years, promoting access to high quality childcare and family services.
You can make the most of limited resources with self-service portals which reduce the administrative burden whilst empowering childcare providers - including nurseries, children’s centres, family hubs, schools and childminders - to review and update information. Citizen portals enable families to apply for the childcare and funding they’re entitled to, to ensure every young child has the opportunity of a better start.
We provide reporting tools for attendance and engagement at children’s centres, so you have a clear indication which services are being accessed by disadvantaged groups and where best to target future resources. You’ll also have evidence of successful initiatives for Ofsted inspections.
With our family information directory software, you can promote services online, to give local communities easy access to information about the range of support available.
400-600%
➥ The increase in two-year old funding applications seen by local authorities as a result of the pandemic
01
Provider self-update portal
Main part of SUPP sending data to the LA to reduce burden, particularly for the EY census which is a big factor for LA’s using this product
Reduce the administrative burden by enabling childcare and family service providers to maintain and provide information directly, including for the early years census. By offering a single, secure digital method of collecting data, local authority teams have the latest information for meaningful analysis to ensure sufficient, high-quality and accessible childcare is available.
02
Better start assessment portal
Introduce a standardised electronic approach to early years assessments for providers, reducing the need to collect information from multiple sources.
Your teams benefit from a comprehensive view of children’s learning and development to identify patterns, spot local differences and use the data for planning to offer timely support to families. Both local and national assessment frameworks can be configured using powerful, flexible templates, with Ofsted-standard evidence. Parent-friendly reports can be produced to enable greater collaboration between providers and parents.
03
Family information directory (FID)
We provide the tools for a single comprehensive directory of childcare information, facilities and publications so that parents, carers and other interested members of your communities have easy, convenient, access to information.
Useful features include the interactive tool which highlights the location of provision and services in proximity to the enquirer’s place of work or home, and real-time responses for enquiries. Local authorities can use the data to identify areas with inadequate provision to target resources where they’re needed most.
04
Citizen 30 hour portal
Our software supports the smooth delivery of the 30 hours scheme as part of the Government’s Delivery Support Fund. Locally configured guidance can be quickly and consistently communicated to providers and parents, who benefit from intuitive, mobile-friendly access to information 24/7 to make informed decisions and feel involved.
Local authorities benefit from early awareness of eligibility to enhance local sufficiency planning – this helps to maximise resources and uptake of the 30 hour places, whilst reducing the number of queries overall.
05
Two-year-old funding portal
We help to reduce the administrative burden by empowering parents to check themselves – or via the provider as an assisted application - if they qualify for early years funding. Easy to use and available anytime and anywhere, including on mobile devices, the portal encourages more parents to make applications so a greater number of vulnerable children gain access to childcare, and earlier.
The portal creates significant cost and time savings for local authorities and providers, enabling digital channel-shift of this citizen service.
06
Children’s centre reporting tools
Our powerful reporting tools make it simple to see what services are being accessed to pinpoint any gaps in provision, demonstrate the cost effectiveness of services, and show how services support improved outcomes for children.
Effective information-sharing promotes multi-agency working: with our secure web-based system, you can ensure the right services and support are being provided across your authority without the need for separate systems. You can advertise services to hard-to reach groups through various channels, using SMS messaging to minimise missed appointments.
