Childcare Offer for Wales: National Digital Service
Update from the Welsh Government:
The national digital service will enable every parent and childcare provider to use one single service to access the Childcare Offer for Wales. Not only will this will bring consistency of experience for parents across Wales, it could significantly improve the experience of childcare providers delivering care funded by the Childcare Offer. One of the key benefits of the new service for childcare providers is that they will be able to move towards working with just one system and one payment schedule, no matter which local authority area the children in their care live in.
The national digital service will also be fully bilingual, enabling those childcare providers and parents who wish to engage with the Childcare Offer through the medium of Welsh to do so.
Providers who wish to deliver the Childcare Offer for Wales will need to register on the national digital service. Welsh Government will be opening registrations for providers from September and will let providers know the exact dates on which they can begin to register. These messages will come via the provider’s local authority team as well as CIW, so keep an eye out for these emails!
Key Dates:
September – October 2022: Childcare providers across Wales will be invited on a phased basis to register on the new Childcare Offer for Wales national digital service
November 2022: Parents applying for funded childcare from January 2023 will begin applying via the national digital service
January 2023: Parents begin receiving their funded childcare hours and providers begin claiming for payment through the national digital service
For any providers who are not as confident using digital services, Welsh Government is providing free basic digital skills training to help. Virtual training sessions will be offered in early September but pre-recorded training is already available at Essential Digital Skills for Childcare providers (gov.wales)
Bespoke training on using the new national digital service will also be available from September. Please look out for emails from your local authority team and CIW.
Further information on the new national digital service can be found here: Childcare Offer for Wales: National Digital Service | GOV.WALES
