30 Hours, Part 10: Dorset - Gremlins in Dorset

The national computer system set up for parents to apply for the 30 hours has suffered a number of glitches, including the system incorrectly telling parents they are ineligible or their child does not exist. The problems have even prompted the intervention of senior Tory MP Nicky Morgan, who wrote to HMRC demanding answers.

Online systems was the focus of the 30 hours pilot by the largely rural county of Dorset, one of the second wave of early implementers of the funded policy.

Dorset’s experiences trialling its own local computer system fed into the development of the national system, and caused some headaches. ‘We must have spoken to more than a thousand parents on the phone, sorting out their issues,’ says Maureen Whitfield, service lead at Dorset County Council. ‘We needed to keep people informed and resolve issues to keep providers and parents engaged – this involved being readily available, and our funding team and advisor team spent weeks answering calls, with four phones ringing with queries constantly.’

She adds, ‘This was largely due to the speed with which we had to be prepared for the 1 April roll-out and the fact that the system we were using for parents to apply was a temporary solution.’

TEETHING PROBLEMS

Along with North Yorkshire, Tower Hamlets and Leicestershire, the county started offering places in April 2017, unlike the original eight areas, which have been doing so since September last year. Like York, Dorset is trialling full roll-out, although its challenges as a rural county are very different from York’s city-based approach. The county estimates there are around 3,000 eligible three- and four-year-olds, and at the time of writing more than half (1,544) have taken up their places.

‘Because the national system wasn’t ready, parents had to express their interest on the DorsetForYou website, and that was then sent to HMRC, which sent them an invitation to apply,’ Ms Whitfield says. ‘We had lots of parents ring us up and say they hadn’t heard back, because HMRC was batching several hundred requests together and then responding to them all at once – it wasn’t an automated system.’

While they are now using the national system, and the national helpline, the team still fields some calls when technology glitches mean parents are unable to process their requests. ‘What we have learned is that you have to keep parents up to date with what happens next in the process,’ says Ms Whitfield. ‘You cannot assume that someone has read something online that says you have to take this document to the provider by 31 August. Experience says that they will wait until 1 September and then it will be too late – there have to be reminders.’

The council’s communications and marketing teams dealt with providing information for parents, through building web pages, Facebook campaigns, targeting local media and distributing newsletters, as well as updating information. The county’s early years providers were also dealing with hundreds of enquiries from parents. Dorset providers are a diverse mix of PVI settings, pre-schools and out-of-school clubs, with around 50 per cent of providers being childminders.

‘Our approach was to offer to all parents, and let the demand from parents encourage the delivery by providers,’ explains Ms Whitfield. ‘Our provider group across the county responded positively to this, with more than 90 per cent prepared to offer more than 15 hours to parents. Our role was to support them to do this by keeping them constantly informed, having the systems in place and resolving issues.’

MUCH-NEEDED SUPPORT

A council-run website provides information for providers, who were also able to access a programme of events, with representatives from HMRC and the Department for Education on hand to answer queries. ‘Providers have also benefited from time with council advisers, including setting visits, support with model templates, an advice line, email support and monthly newsletters,’ says Ms Whitfield.

Dorset was also able to draw on the experiences of other councils. ‘Representatives from Cornwall, one of the 25 early innovator councils, came and delivered a workshop at our provider event,’ Ms Whitfield says. ‘The national support programme Childcare Works has also shared information and we have attended events with them for progress sharing.’

Providers must sign up to a local agreement, which is based on the Department for Education’s model agreement. Like the DfE model, the agreement says that providers may charge for additional elements such as food, nappies and services such as yoga or trips, but that parents who do not wish to pay such charges must still be able to access the free hours. The Dorset local agreement also says providers must not oblige parents accessing the 30 hours to reserve a place each term.

Case study: Bradpole Pre-School, Bridport

Bradpole Pre-School is a charity-run setting, situated in a classroom at the back of a secondary school. The pre-school provides early years care and education for children aged between two and five, with around 26 children present at each session.

‘We have been offering the 30 hours since April,’ says play leader Kathryn Cosser. ‘We did think about limiting the number of places we offered at first, but because the take-up was all from families we already had, we didn’t feel we could say “some of you can have it and some of you can’t”. We may still limit places from September when new families join us.’

It costs £5.20 an hour to deliver a place at the pre-school, and the funding for the 30 hours is £4 an hour. ‘That’s a large financial loss for us,’ says Ms Cosser. ‘If everyone wanted the full 30 hours, we couldn’t do it.’ Around 18 children are eligible, but at present only two are taking the full 30 hours, with most taking just a few hours more than the original 15.

If children are absent, the setting would normally still charge for the place, but with the 30 hours they can only claim for two weeks absence, which is another potential financial loss. ‘Our rate seems very unfair when you see what is going to other areas,’ Ms Cosser says. ‘We may be an affluent area in some ways, but young families here have the same money as in other areas.’

Bradpole was not impressed by the computer system that parents had to use to claim their 30 hours. ‘It was appalling,’ Ms Cosser says. ‘Myself and a colleague spent about four hours, unpaid, supporting parents through it. One has English as an additional language, she had to try six separate PINs, and the system kept locking her out. I had to phone a guy at the council who walked us through it for two hours. But then, while it has been difficult I am aware that we were part of a pilot and that is what happens.’

Bradpole does not make additional charges on top of the 30 hours. ‘We went to a big meeting and I was shocked to hear what some other settings were charging for in the past,’ Ms Cosser says. ‘Mid-morning ballet sessions that everyone had to do, or a lunch club in the middle of the day. Some were charging registration fees.’

However, Ms Cosser is impressed by the support the pre-school has received from the council. ‘We did feel we were prepared, there was always someone on the end of the phone when there were problems,’ she says.

DOUBLE TIME

By James Hempsall, who has the contract to aid delivery of the 30 hours

Online application is a vital part of engagement with parents. By offering information online, parents can have access to all they need and answers to commonly asked questions. Dorset did an amazing job of responding to the challenge of early roll-out quickly and efficiently. Their processes have been so informative for the national system and for all local areas as well.

Dorset has shown that even with an online system, the demand from parents for 30 hours is so great that it generated more than 1,000 telephone calls. Such demand for calls is just not sustainable for stretched council resources, nor is it enough to meet parents’ needs. The telephone helpline is essential – as a first point of access, or to speak to a real person if the system falls down for whatever reason, or simply for a human contact and reassurance.

But many parents won’t be able to call from 9am to 5pm. The reality is most will want to make their arrangements during non-working time, in the evenings, at weekends or squeezed into breaks or lunchtimes. So, online is a convenient way of accessing information for parents. Some need help to use online services and/or gain access to computers when they aren’t available at home or work. I welcome HMRC opening up text, helpline and email options in recognition of this.

It is critically important that councils have a comprehensive local communications offer. Much of this can be delivered at low or no cost, and includes social media, information on the council and partner websites, and a well-briefed legion of professionals and organisations working with parents in the community and at work. They should all know (or at least be able to easily find) the eligibility criteria, the application process, and answers to frequently asked questions. And many professionals need to make time to support those parents who need it to navigate the application process all the way through to using provision. Settings have always played a big part in making this happen.

www.childcareworks.co.uk

www.hempsallconsultancies.com