What is a Family Information Service – and why they’re useful for freelancers
Are you on a hunt for the perfect childcare for your new baby? Perhaps you’re wondering if there’s any help out there for paying for your childcare or looking for activities for your school-age kids? If this sounds like your sort of question, Family Information Services are your answer.
Family Information Services (sometimes known as Childcare or Children’s Information Services) provide free and impartial information and advice to parents and carers of children and young people within their local area. There’s a Family Information Service for every part of the country – making them a fabulous ‘go to’ if you’re looking for anything from a list of local childcare providers to activities to keep your kids occupied during the school holidays. And best of all, Family Information Services are completely free to use.
What does a Family Information Service offer?
As a minimum, your local Family Information Service will provide details of:
All registered and approved childcare providers in the local area
Clubs and activities for families and young people
Services and support for children with disabilities
Signposting to other relevant information about family life, such as schools and education services, benefits and community groups.
Most Family Information Services also offer a whole heap of extra support, from articles with parenting tips through to information on pregnancy and health services.
How much does it cost to use a Family Information Service?
Family Information Services are funded by the government and are completely free to use.
The majority of Family Information Services are run by their local council, although a smattering are delivered by independent organisations. However, regardless of who’s in charge, you shouldn’t have to pay a penny to use their services.
Why do Family Information Services matter to freelancers?
As a freelancer, you don’t have work colleagues or an HR department to let you know what funding you’re entitled to or how to find out about registered childcare. And even if you have the most fabulous parenting network, you could miss out on a brilliant childcare provider or holiday activity, simply because no-one happened to mention it.
Having a knowledgeable (and impartial) Family Information Service on hand can save you loads of time researching everything for yourself and help ensure you find services and support that are right for you and your family. The bottom line is, when there’s a service out there specifically set up to give you a helping hand and it’s free, why wouldn’t you check it out?
How do I find my local Family Information Service?
Contact your local council for details of the Family Information Service for your area or use the online search services for Family Information Services in Wales and England.
