Funding for the Early Years and Childcare Entitlement

Bolton Council has a variety of teams which offer help and support covering all Early Years Funding and Childcare topics.

Information Systems Team

The Information Systems Team maintains the Provider Portal which is used by the early years sector to submit headcount data and carry out eligibility checks for two year old funding and 30 hours.

The maintenance of this involves the following:

• Setting up early years settings with access to the provider portal including password resets.
• Identifying enhancement requests for software supplier.
• Configuring and testing the changes to the Provider Portal.

Information Systems Team Contact Details

Data Management Team

The Data Management Team processes any new registrations/de-registrations information they receive from Ofsted. They also contact early years settings to find out about information on a settings services, costs, vacancies and facilities which is then recorded in our local system and the information is then used for childcare brokerage services.

Data Management Team Contact Details

The Information and Communication Team

The Information and Communication Team is part of the Bolton Council People Services Department. Our team has a role of delivering information services for children, young people, families (including the local offer where children and young people have special education needs or disabilities) and adults in accordance with the statutory information and advice duties under the Childcare Act 2006, Children & Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014. Our team have a range of roles including updating Bolton Council webpages and undertaking user experience surveys for people of all ages.

The Families Information Service is part of the role of our team, through this we:

• undertake childcare sufficiency assessments.
• work with partners to develop the communications plan and produce publicity around the funded early education and childcare offer in Bolton.
• provide training to the Start Well Children Centre staff on delivering quality information services for families and on using eligibility checking systems.
• provide training to early education & childcare providers on the use of eligibility checking systems.
• update the Bolton.gov.uk website.
• support the development of the My Life in Bolton information hub, including the local offer.
• carry out 2 year old funding eligibility checks through providers / health visitors (not parents), including investigating children submitted on headcounts who do not appear to be eligible in our systems
• identify children eligible for EYPP.
• carry out 30hr validity checks (for all providers in the interim, but for childminders on an ongoing basis).

Information and Communication Team Contact Details

Bolton Start Well Service

The Start Well Service works with the early years workforce; children and families and other professionals to ensure the best possible start in life for every child.

Start Well service builds on the existing partnerships to work together to;

• Improving the quality and impact of early education and childcare for all children so that more children are school ready age 5 years.
• Improving children’s health and wellbeing in the early years and ensuring all children grow up in a safe and secure environment.
• Addressing inequalities, raising aspirations and improving the life chances for the most disadvantaged children and families.

Bolton Start Well Service has expert officers who provide comprehensive advice and support in the following areas:

• Early Years Foundation Stage Quality and Outcomes.
• Early Years Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 
• Early Years Communication and Language.

Start Well Service Team Contact Details

Finance Team

The Finance Team is made up of two departments that support early years providers with early years funding payments, processes and enquiries.

The Strategic Finance Unit

Support early years funding through:

• Operational support of the Early Years headcount portal, including initial headcount and amendment task processes.
• Administration of 15 hour entitlement for eligible two year olds, three and four year olds (the “Universal Entitlement”) and the 30 hours entitlement for working parents of three and four year olds (the “Extended Entitlement”).
• Pupil data enquires.
• Collation of Local Authority Funding agreements.

The Schools Finance Unit

Support early years funding through:

• Application of the Local Authority budgetary requirements and statutory monitoring of the total Early Years Block funding.
• Financial policy, and administrative support of funding issues.
• Early education and childcare statutory guidance for local authorities, including determination of funding rates.
• Guidance with regards to Parental funding enquiries.
• Administration of Early Years Pupil Premium and Disability Access Funding payments.

Finance Team Contact Details