The national computer system set up for parents to apply for the 30 hours has suffered a number of glitches, including the system incorrectly telling parents they are ineligible or their child does not exist. The problems have even prompted the intervention of senior Tory MP Nicky Morgan, who wrote to HMRC demanding answers.
Online systems was the focus of the 30 hours pilot by the largely rural county of Dorset, one of the second wave of early implementers of the funded policy.
Dorset’s experiences trialling its own local computer system fed into the development of the national system, and caused some headaches. ‘We must have spoken to more than a thousand parents on the phone, sorting out their issues,’ says Maureen Whitfield, service lead at Dorset County Council. ‘We needed to keep people informed and resolve issues to keep providers and parents engaged – this involved being readily available, and our funding team and advisor team spent weeks answering calls, with four phones ringing with queries constantly.’
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