Childcare Grant funding is for the following:

• parents who are re-entering the work place or looking to access a training course.
• access provision through the medium of Welsh;
• to support the well-being of children.

Limited funds are available therefore we may not be able to fund all requests.

Applications must be submitted by the parent/carer.

If you have more than one child, please fill out a separate application for each child.

Applications will be considered and responded to within 10 working days. If applications are successful the funding will begin from date of approval, and payments will be made directly to the childcare provider on a monthly basis.

Find out more and how to apply here

The purpose of these grants are to enable children with Additional Support Needs to access and participate fully in childcare.

The applications must be submitted by the childcare provider.

This grant offers:

• A contribution towards funding an Additional Playworker to provide 1:1 support for the child. 
• Equipment / resources to enable them to participate fully in your childcare setting.
• Training for childcare providers for specific medical/healthcare needs or more general training that is directly linked to the provision of care for a specific child with additional support needs.

Find out more and how to apply here

This Sustainability grant has been established to support childcare providers in Flintshire and must be submitted by the setting with approval from the Registered Person / Responsible individual. 

This grant offers support to childcare providers to open new provision, expand or sustain their childcare provision.

Find out more and how to apply here

The Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers, to this end we may share your personal data with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds to prevent and detect fraud. The Auditor General for Wales requires all local authorities under his powers in Part 3A of the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004, to provide data it holds for this purpose. The data is shared with the Wales Audit Office/Audit Commission.

By submitting this application form I declare that I understand that Flintshire County Council may seek verification of any of the facts supplied. In addition I understand that if any of this information is found to be false, deliberately misleading or missing, this may result in Flintshire County Council deciding not to provide you with the Welsh Government Children and Communities Grant.

You will receive an e-mail from us, from time to time, to confirm that your circumstances are still the same however, it is important that you let us know immediately if you switch to another provider, your address, your work circumstances or living arrangements change. If you do not inform us the funding could be lost.

Please complete the application form below ensuring that you identify the correct childcare providers in the drop down box on the form.

How we use your personal information for Contact Centre purposes

The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them.  Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services.  Because we collect and use personal information about individuals we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with.

We have summarised in this privacy notice some of the key ways in which we use your personal information in the Early Years Team and why we record calls.  This information should be read in conjunction with the Council’s corporate Privacy Notice.

Who we are, what we do

The Early Years is a team responsible for answering incoming telephone calls for The Childcare Offer, Childcare Development Team, Early Entitlement and the Westwood Centre. 

All calls to Early Years Team are recorded with the exception of:

• Calls where payments are made
• Calls that leave the Early Years Team, i.e. transferred internally to departments as recording ceases at the point of transfer.

What and whose personal information we hold

Where customers choose to interact with the Early Years Team their personal data may be shared with the relevant service area/and wider organisations if necessary in order for them to process the customer’s request.

Excluding Payment card details, all dialogue and information provided by the customer to the Westwood Centre (and vice versa) during a telephone call with the Early Years Team, is captured and held in the call recording.  The type of information that recordings will hold will vary by call but typically includes:

• Contact detail such as name, address, telephone number, property and email addresses
• Identifying details, including date of birth and national insurance number
• Financial information, including employment, income, bank account details
• Family information including ages, dependents, marital status
• Information about the subject matters health and medical details.

Where does the service get my information?

The source(s) of personal information provided during a call to/from the Early Years Team may include:

• Information provided directly by the subject matter
• Information provided by another member of the public (e.g. complaint or concern)
• Information provided by an elected Councillor on behalf of their constituent
• Information provided by other Council officers/services that liaise with the Early Years Team in the interests of its customers, or the Council itself
• Information provided by other organisations (e.g. Emergency Services, Landlords) regarding an individual.

What we will do with your personal information?

It has become common practice to record calls due to the growth of business conducted by telephone.  Recording customer conversations allows the Council to assess customer satisfaction, train and develop staff, review call quality, and have access to a verbal record of what is said in the event of a subsequent complaint. 

It also means employees feel more protected knowing that any threatening behaviour can be evidenced and acted upon where necessary.

Information held within a call recording can be used in the following ways:

• Quality and Training Purposes - Written records only provide partial information.  A call recording provides a more rounded view and allows us to better understand customer experience and assess the processes applied.  This can help us identify any improvement areas and ensure the quality of service provided by Customer Contact Officers, by using the information within the recording to inform training subjects and individual employee development plans
• Gaining a better understanding of our customers – Many calls are verbally resolved without the need to complete any records.  Listening to sample calls will help us better understand our customer needs, and gain a more informed view of organisations we signpost to.
• Complaints and Disputes - Some calls are verbally resolved.  Where information is entered onto an electronic system this becomes the established record.  In the event of a complaint or dispute, a call recording (if available), may provide additional information to help us investigate any allegations, to  protect the interests of the subject matter and/or the Council by using the information within the recording to respond to complaints regarding the Contact Centre and/or other Council services.
• Legal Claims - For use in the defence of legal claims against the Council.
• Employee Safety and Wellbeing - A recording may become a vital piece of evidence in the event of any threats being made to the Council or an individual.

What is the legal basis for the use of this information?

The recording of calls protects the interest of the subject matter and the Council in meeting:

• Legal Obligations – using the information to comply with a common law or statutory obligation
• Public Tasks – to exercise ‘official authority’ and powers that are set out in law; or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law.

Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?

Whilst information gathered during a call may be shared with other Council services or external organisations to assist in the resolution of the subject matters enquiry, call recordings are confidential and will only be shared with the following, where reasons for sharing is justified:

• Other Council services who work with the Contact Centre, with the intention to assist in resolving a dispute or complaint
• Other organisations involved in the care of the subject matter (i.e. Social Services/Health care professionals etc)

How long will my information be kept?

Call recordings held by the Contact Centre are retained for 24 months.  Once this period of retention has expired, recordings will be deleted and no longer retrievable.

Your information, your rights

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you.

For further information on your information rights and how to exercise them. visit our Data Protection page.

Contact Us

If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the Early Years Team is using your personal information please contact us in one of the following ways:

By email:  westwoodcentre@flintshire.gov.uk
By telephone: 01352 703930
In writing: Early Years Project Support Officer, Tabernacle Street, Buckley, Flintshire CH7 2JT