Free early years and childcare complaints
This complaints and appeals procedure relates to the government’s free early education and childcare schemes for children from 9 months-old.
Parents' complaints and appeals
If you find it hard to get an early education and childcare place contact our childcare advice line. We can provide a brokerage service to support you to find a place.
Where a place cannot be found, complete our online form or write to us, and we will submit the complaint on your behalf.
If you need to appeal because you wish to change your child’s setting after headcount week, or who wish to increase their universal hours after headcount week:
- Contact our childcare advice line. We will help you decide if you have grounds to make an appeal.
- Submit a formal appeal through our childcare advice line by providing us with the necessary information and evidence. Your appeal will be acknowledged within 5 working days. A decision to uphold or not uphold an appeal is made within 20 working days, unless more time is needed to collect further information. We will keep you updated if this is the case.
- If your appeal is not upheld, submit a complaint. Fill in our online form, email or call us.
If you wish to complain about the way the free early education and childcare place is being delivered:
- Approach your childcare provider, first by informal discussion and then if necessary through the provider’s formal complaints procedure.
- If you are not satisfied with the outcome of making a complaint to the provider, contact our childcare advice line. You can expect to receive advice on any limitations we may have in hearing a complaint and support to make a complaint. Complaints can be made:
- in writing
- by calling our childcare advice line
- by completing our online form.
A full reply to your complaint will be sent to you within 20 working days. However, complex complaints may mean we need more time to investigate. If there are any delays, we will let you know.
For all the above, if you are not satisfied with the way the complaint has been dealt with by us or believe we have acted unreasonably, contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Complaints are normally only considered when the local complaints procedures have been exhausted.
Provider complaints
For childcare providers with a complaint relating to the delivery of the free early education and childcare entitlement.
Step 1
Take up your complaint directly with the Head of Service. We will aim to sort out the problem as quickly and as easily as possible. Depending on the complexity of the complaint, this could take up to 20 working days.
Complete our online form and address to the following:
- Early Years and Childcare Service for complaints relating to the general administration of the funding or relating to the withdrawal of funding from a provider
- Alex Gamby, Head of Early Years and Childcare.
- Management Information for complaints relating to the systems and processes used for the counting and payment calculation for funded children
- Katherine Atkinson, Head of Information and Intelligence.
Or write to them at Kent County Council, Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ.
Step 2
If you remain dissatisfied escalate your complaint by writing to the Divisional Director or fill in our online form. When we receive your complaint we will:
- acknowledge receipt of the complaint within three working days
- aim to resolve your complaint or appeal within 20 working days, providing a full account of its findings and any actions resulting from the investigation
- inform and update you where this timescale cannot be met.
Step 3
If you are not satisfied with the way the complaint has been dealt with by us or believe we have acted unreasonably contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.