main content Children's Information Service (CIS)

The Children’s Information Service (CIS) provides quality, impartial information, guidance and support to parents/carers and professionals working with families.  The CIS aims to enable families to make informed choices about childcare and other child/family related issues.  The CIS will not recommend or endorse individual childcare providers, but will discuss the options in an impartial and non-judgmental manner.

What we do

The CIS is a free and friendly information service for anyone needing support and information regarding childcare and child/family related issues. This includes not only parents and carers but also health visitors and other professionals working with families (such as social workers, teachers etc) and anyone who may be involved with and supporting parents/families.

The CIS aims to provide a comprehensive and confidential information service to all childcare providers within Bromley.

Information

The CIS maintains a database of information which providers can update whenever they need including, for example, details of an vacancies.  This information is used to inform parents and families who are looking for childcare.  The CIS can also provide relevant OfSTED forms, supporting literature on a variety of topics and general guidance on funding.

The CIS can provide details of:

• All registered and some unregistered childcare:- childminders (with vacancies), babysitters, day nurseries, pre-school playgroups, crèches, out-of-school clubs and holiday schemes.
• Funding available to families:- tax credits, childcare vouchers and nursery education funding (free part-time early education).
• Schools:- when/how to applyand the admissions procedures
• Quality in settings:- how childcare is regulated and what to look for in settings
• Parent and toddler groups and activities for children.
• Information about services which support children, young people and families (e.g. issues around bullying, behaviour and parent support).

For a brief description of the different types of childcare available, please see Childcare – Frequently Asked Questions

The CIS also provides outreach sessions (the CIS go and visit groups at their own locations) for organisations who co-ordinate groups of parents/carers. These are informal information/discussion sessions and are tailored to the particular requirements of the group.

Next Steps

The CIS can be contacted by phone, email, post, fax and drop-in. The office is open for enquiries either by phone or drop-in between 9.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday – you don’t need to make an appointment. There is an answerphone which operates outside these hours and also when all the lines are busy.

Contact

Telephone:  020 8464 0276
e-mail:  childcare.information@bromley.gov.uk

Address:
Early Years and Childcare Service, Bromley Central Library 3rd Floor, High Street, Bromley, BR1 1EX