Families Information Service (FIS)

Statement of service

Statement of service

Harrow FIS provides families with children and young people with information on:

  • services
  • entitlements
  • support
  • activities 

Accuracy, accessibility and response times

All information provided is kept as accurate as possible and updated daily. The information is presented in an easy-to-understand format. Please note that availability is resources dependent.

We respond to enquiries on the same day or by the next working day. If a more detailed response is needed, we'll acknowledge your enquiry and tell you how long it will take to provide the answer.

Impartiality

  • The information and advice provided will be impartial.
  • No particular type of childcare provision or service is promoted.
  • Information is offered on the basis of fairness to all providers.
  • Advice to service users includes relevant leaflets with suggested questions to enable them to make an informed choice.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Strict confidentiality is guaranteed however exceptions exist: 

  • if child is perceived to be at risk
  • if the child's care fails to meet legal or quality requirements

Your request for information will be dealt with fairly and sensitively. When collecting information from enquirers or providers it will be made clear how the information will be stored and used. All policies on confidentiality will comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.

How you can help us improve our services

The FIS in Harrow is committed to providing the best possible service to our customers and we are continually looking for ways to improve that service. In order to do this, we welcome your feedback, either formally or informally by telephone, email or via the web. All your comments are valued. We will use them to inform and improve our service to meet the needs of our customers more effectively.

The services offered by the FIS will be reported quarterly. They will be monitored and reviewed constantly to ensure they are meeting customers’ needs. Enquiries will be monitored for customer feedback.

Complaints

  • To complain about the service provided by FIS, contact the service manager via details at the end of this page.
  • To complain about an individual childcare provider contact Ofsted via details at the end of this page.
  • To submit a formal complaint to Harrow Council use our online complaints procedure.