About Your Organisation
Wrexham Family Information Service (WFIS) is part of Wrexham County Borough Council and sits in the Children’s Social Care department in the Prevention and Service Development Team.
WFIS provides information and advice to families and professionals in Wrexham with children from 0-20 on issues including:
- Childcare
- Things to do
- Education
- Parenting
- Children and young people’s services
- Childcare Costs
- Services for disabled children and children with additional needs etc
Enquirers can contact WFIS by phone, email, social media, drop-in and outreach. WFIS also works in partnership with a number of other teams and services to support the families of Wrexham.
WFIS is also able to provide 1:1 support to parents to help them access the services that they may need through our Parent Support Advisors, in the following areas:
- 1st 1000 days
- Asylum seeker and refugee families
- Families with children with a disability or additional need
- Parenting
This can take the form of making referrals, supporting the parent to access a service, accompanying them to groups or first appointments.
Why did your organisation choose the Families First Quality Award?
It is bespoke to Family Information Services and included the Welsh specific perspective that is missing in other quality awards. It also enables us to demonstrate that we are meeting the requirements of the Welsh Government’s IAQF.
What approach did you adapt to help prepare for your assessment?
The WFIS team worked together to discuss the elements of the standards and to identify evidence together that could be used. The assessment was an item on our staff meeting agendas from the start to completion. It is still on there as we explore ways of taking forward the recommendations.
What did you or your team learn from the whole assessment process?
Whilst it was a lot of work, the team and I found the process very beneficial to the service. It provided an opportunity to reflect on our work and identify examples of really good practice that is going on across the service. It provided us with the chance to celebrate our successes and see how much we deliver as a service, whilst reflecting on areas that we could improve on. The team found the whole assessment process a very positive experience.
Following the accreditation or your journey to becoming accredited, what impacts have you seen on your service delivery?
It has raised the profile of the service amongst our senior managers. It has provided an opportunity to shout about our service particularly as the news at the moment is heavily Covid focussed. We are in the process of considering how we can take forward the recommendations of the assessment and implement them to strengthen the service moving forward.
Overall, how was your experience with Assessment Services Ltd?
The whole experience was made painless by our Assessor. Sue was incredibly supportive, taking the time to understand our service before we even spoke for the first time. The process was clearly explained and timescales set that took into account the existing workload. The expectations for us was very clear and enabled me to complete the portfolio without any difficulty. The two virtual assessments days were positive experiences for staff, parents and partners. Everyone spoke highly of Sue.
The process allowed us the time to focus on our work and what we are doing well. This sometimes gets forgotten when you are constantly on the go and supporting families. It was a chance to reflect on our practice and celebrate our successes. It also enabled us the opportunity to identify ways that we can improve as a service and reach more families. The suggestions provided by our assessor were all suggestions that could enhance our service and reach more families. We are in the process of exploring how we can take these forward. Some of the suggestions matched work that was already starting up in the background.
Whilst the completion of the portfolio requires a lot of time to put together, it is a beneficial exercise to take stock of where you are as a service and if there are gaps or areas that need to be improved on.
