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Suffolk InfoLink wins NAFIS award for Best Directory 2023!

"This is a wonderful achievement. It is a huge endeavour to create and maintain a directory of this size, and I am pleased that this significant work has been recognised by this award. The directory is a vital resource for families."

Cllr Rachel Hood, Cabinet member for Education, SEND and SkillsCllr Rachel Hood, Cabinet member for Education, SEND and Skills

Suffolk InfoLink wins NAFIS award for Best Directory 2023!

CONGRATULATIONS!! . . . .

Suffolk InfoLink won the award for Best Directory at the 2023 NAFIS (National Association of Family Information Services) Conference.

The NAFIS awards were presented at an online ceremony by Liz Roberts, a trustee of Coram Family and Childcare and the former editor-in-chief of Nursery World. Liz said: “The annual NAFIS awards provides a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the important and innovative work that Family Information Services do. I was delighted to announce Suffolk’s win for the award for Best Directory at the NAFIS conference last week. This win is a testament to the brilliant partnerships and collaborative work taking place in Suffolk, and a directory that goes above and beyond to meet the needs of local families. This award recognises the important steps Suffolk has taken to ensure that parents can easily access high-quality information about vital services, including the emotional wellbeing gateway and support with the cost of living.”

Success for Suffolk InfoLink at National awards - Suffolk County Council

 

For more information about the 2023 NAFIS Awards see Celebrating collaboration and innovation at the NAFIS Awards 2023 | Family and Childcare Trust

Suffolk won Most Innovative Family Information Service at the NAFIS awards 2020

The award win highlights the close partnership between the Suffolk Family Information Service (FIS), and the Community Information Team (CIT), based within Public Health. In close collaboration, the two services adapted Suffolk’s online Community Services Directory, Suffolk infoLink, to meet the public’s rapidly changing needs during the Covid 19 pandemic.

These developments supported Suffolk’s Track and Trace, Home But Not Alone and the Suffolk Advice and Support Service, enabled key workers to find childcare and provided easy to use access essential information on financial help and food banks. The 7000 live community organisation records held on infoLink allowed the CIT team to communicate essential information quickly with hundreds of sector partners including early years/childcare providers and the VCSE sector.

The National Association of Family Information Services is the only national membership organisation supporting local authorities to deliver high quality information and advice to families. 

Parents associated with Coram Family and Childcare’s Parent Champions Programme judged the awards this year. The Parent Champions judging panel said: “Suffolk FIS added a new free text field to display Coronavirus information which each provider could then adapt their online record so that any changes in services due to the pandemic would appear at the top of their webpage. The new filters added to the website allows providers to target people based on their need. The filtered list has grown to over 400 services providing specific support during the pandemic. It is searchable by area, and easily accessible from the fixed ‘Coronavirus Information’ banner on each page of this FIS’ page.”

Feedback from front end users of the Infolink service has been equally positive:

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