Family Information Service (FIS)

Who are the Family Information Service (FIS)?

We are a free, impartial service that aims to help all families find information, advice and support, when they need it, where they need it.

There are a number of ways to find out about Ofsted Registered  childcare providers in your area.

You can:

1. Search for childcare in Tameside by visiting the TMBC Childcare Search (FISO)
2. Contact a FIS Information Officer by telephone for Information, Advice & Guidance on Tel: 0161 342 4260

Once you have identified the provider(s) that you wish to approach, you can get an independent view of the service that they offer by using the links to Ofsted , to view reports of inspections. Adobe Acrobat is required to view inspection reports.

View Free Entitlement Funding in Tameside for 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds

• Who are the Family Information Service (FIS)
• What kind of information can I get from the service?
• How can we help?
• Why is information important?
• What can I expect when I contact the service (FIS)?
• Tameside’s Early Help website
• Tameside’s Family Hubs
• Tameside’s Local Offer – Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND)
• Two Year Old Funding
• Three and Four Year Old Funding – 15 hours:
• Three and Four Year Old Funding – 30 hours:
• Funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds - Tameside’s directory of Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) providers
• Can I get help with my childcare costs – ‘Childcare Choices’ website:
• Save money on your childcare bills with Tax-Free Childcare
• Service Information Directory (SID)

What kind of information can I get from the service?

We can provide you with advice on childcare such as,  Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, 30 hours of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds, children's centre activities and how to register as a childminder or set up a childcare business. We also have a wide variety of information about local and national services that can offer assistance to families and can put you in touch with these services if you need further support or information.

To give you an idea of how we can help have a look at the questions below and if you can answer yes to any of them, get in touch!

• Do you need to find good quality childcare so that you can work, train or study?
• Are you looking for things to do as a family or activities for children and young people to do?
• Do you want to talk to somebody about a health, education or parenting issue?
• Are you looking for services and support for your child with additional needs?
• Thinking of working with children or setting up a childcare business?

How can we help?

With so much information about, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start or who to contact to find exactly what you need. This is where the Family Information Service (FIS) can help.

Why is information important?

Having access to good quality information and advice can really help when making choices about family life. Whether you are a new parent or carer or have been bringing up children for years the Family Information Service (FIS) is there to help you every step of the way, right from birth up to 19 years of age.

What can I expect when I contact the service?

When you contact FIS you will receive a friendly and professional service and your enquiry will be treated in confidence. We will do our very best to answer all your questions and provide you with any useful publications, we will also signpost you to other services that may be able to support you if you need further help.
 

Tameside’s Early Help website  

Information, advice & support for professionals & families - the webpage is split into two sections, one for parents / carers & young people & the other for professionals who work with children & families – with both featuring easily identifiable buttons to take users straight to what they’re searching for. The parents / carers & young person’s section includes links to accessing Early Help, Children’s Centres, Grow in Tameside, Young Carers support, a handy Service Information Directory & much more. The professionals section includes information on safeguarding & safety, the Early Help Panel, the Team Around Approach & more. The Early Help website can be found here

 

Tameside’s Family Hubs

Family Hubs provide an unprecedented level of support to children and parents/carers.

They act as a ‘one stop shop’ offering early support to families and young people to help overcome difficulties and build strong relationships.

As well as being open in buildings in each of Tameside’s four neighbourhood areas, with facilities also available at other community venues, they also include virtual offers and are for families with children of all ages, from 0 to 19 or up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with a great Start for Life offer at their core.

By bringing existing family-help services together, they improve access and connections with support including help with infant feeding and perinatal mental health, as well as making it easier to access wider services such as smoking cessation and job advice.

Visit your local Family Hub at:

• Monday to Wednesday: 8.30am-5.00pm
• Thursday: 8.30am-4.30pm
• Friday: 8.30pm-4.00pm

 
For further information please visit: https://www.tameside.gov.uk/FamilyHubs
 

Tameside’s SEND Local Offer – Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND)

The purpose of the Tameside SEND Local Offer is to provide a single place where children and young people (aged 0-25) with SEND, their families, parents and carers can access information, advice, support and services. 

The Local Offer is also a resource for professionals, volunteers and anyone involved in caring for or supporting young people with SEND.

Information, advice & support regarding Tameside’s SEND Local Offer can be found here.

Two Year Old Funding:

The 2 year old funding is up to 570 hours of free early education childcare provision per year for eligible 2 year olds - this works out as 15 hours a week if your child takes up the childcare during term time or you could take fewer hours over more weeks in the year although this depends on the hours offered at your preferred childcare provider. The funding can be accessed at any of the Ofsted registered childcare providers registered within the Tameside’s directory of Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) providers which includes Childminders, Pre-school Playgroups & Private Day Nurseries. There is a criteria for the 2 year funding so not all families will be entitled to this funding. All eligible two year olds are able to access their childcare place the term after their 2nd birthday.

Further information regarding the 2 year funding including the eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found here

Three and Four Year Old Funding – 15 hours:

All 3 and 4-year-olds in Tameside can get 570 hours of free early education childcare per year – it is usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year or you could take fewer hours over more weeks in the year although this depends on the hours offered at your preferred childcare provider. The funding can be accessed at any of the Ofsted registered childcare providers registered within the Tameside’s directory of Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) providers which includes Childminders, Nursery Classes, Pre-school Playgroups & Private Day Nurseries.

All eligible three year olds are able to access their childcare place the term after their3rd birthday and it stops once your child starts reception class.

Three and Four Year Old Funding – 30 hours:

If eligible, you're entitled to an extra 570 hours of free early education childcare a year to use flexibly, so 1140 hours in total. You, and any partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £120 a week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage). If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible. You can't get 30 hours free childcare if you, or your partner, expect to earn £100,000 or more. Parents need to apply the term before their child meets the age criterion to ensure they can access a place at the start of the term after your child turns 3 years of age - if not, you will need to wait until the following term to access your full 30 hours. Parents can split their hours between multiple providers but no more than two sites in one day.

Parents who want to claim the additional 15 hours entitlement for three and four year olds need to apply via HMRC (not Tameside Council) through the ‘digital childcare service’ via this link.

If you would like to complete an eligibility calculator to see if you meet the eligibility criteria for the additional 15 hours of free childcare - you can access the calculator via the www.childcarechoices.gov.uk  website on the link: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. If you are eligible & would like to apply via HMRC - just click on the ‘apply now’ link which will also take you directly to the HMRC on-line application.

Parents who need assistance to apply (or who do not have access to the internet) can call the childcare service ‘Customer Interaction Centre’ on Tel: 0300 123 4097 and apply over the telephone.

Further information regarding the ’30 hours of free childcare’ for 3 and 4 year olds including the eligibility criteria can be found on the link
 

Where can I access the funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds - Tameside’s directory of Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) providers:

You can access the 2, 3 and 4 year funding at the Ofsted registered childcare providers within Tameside’s directory of Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) providers which includes Childminders, Nursery Classes, Pre-school Playgroups & Private Day Nurseries - childcare providers who can offer places for 2 Year olds are indicated by a symbol. These childcare providers can be viewed here.

Can I get help with my childcare costs – ‘Childcare Choices’ website:

The Government is introducing new ways to help parents with childcare costs - whether you have toddlers or teens - you could get support. The ‘Childcare Choices’ website has been set up with several calculators including the 2, 3 and 4 year old funding options so you can check eligibility around your own family’s individual circumstances here.

Tax-Free Childcare - Save money on your childcare bills

If you’re a working parent or carer, you can get up to £500 every three months (up to £2,000 a year per child) to help with the costs of childcare. If your child has a disability, you can get up to £1,000 every three months (up to £4,000 a year per child). You can use it to pay for childcare including:

• childminders,
• nurseries and nannies’
• playschemes,
• before and after school clubs, and holiday clubs

Find out more and how to apply by visiting childcare choices. 

Service Information Directory (SID)

If you prefer to look on-line then visit our Tameside Service Information Directory. This contains lots of useful information about local and national services including contact details and opening hours as well as activities and events that are taking place across Tameside.