View this email in a browser

Bulletin 292

20 November 2023

Welcome to our Early Years and Childcare bulletin. Previous bulletins are available at: Cheshire East Early years and Childcare Bulletin

Business Support

Spring Term Data Entry

The Provider Portal will close on 26 November 2023 for the spring term data.  It will re-open again around 4 December.

Any data added after 26 November could result in the interim payment being delayed.

Expanded entitlements from April 2024 onwards

From April 2024, the early education entitlement will be expanded for working families of younger children so they can access 15 hours per week, increasing to 30 hours per week by September 2025.

The expanded offer for younger children will be introduced in stages:

• From April 2024 - working parents of two-year olds can access 15 hours
• From September 2024 – working parents of children aged 9 to 23 months can access 15 hours
• From September 2025 – working parents of children aged nine months upwards can access 30 hours

Parents must work at least 16 hours per week and each parent must not earn more than £100,000 to be eligible for this expanded funding. Eligibility can be checked on the Childcare Choices website.

Applications for working parents of 2-year-olds eligible from 1 April 2024 will be accepted from 2nd January 2024 on the Childcare Choices website.

The current entitlement for 2-year-olds remains unchanged. Parents in receipt of certain benefits are able to check their eligibility for 15 hours funded childcare at any time via our webpage, or by contacting the Family Information Service on 0300 123 5033.  

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

In settings on the early years register, the manager must hold an approved level 3 qualification. The manager should have at least two years’ experience of working in an early years setting, or have at least two years’ other suitable experience. The provider must ensure there is a named deputy who, in their judgement, is capable and qualified to take charge in the manager’s absence. Look out for our New Managers training on Wednesday 29 November 9.30-11.30am on Microsoft Teams. This course is suitable for new managers, deputy managers and senior staff, and those who aspire to be in a management position. Please note that due to an error this course was showing as fully booked on the training hub - it is now open for bookings.

Early Years Section 11 Safeguarding Audit

‘Working together to safeguard children’ 2018 makes clear the statutory duties for
early years providers with regards to the safeguarding requirements for your
provision.

To enable us to support you with these requirements, we have put together a short
safeguarding audit to capture what you have in place in your provision. School managed or governor run provision do not need to complete this audit as schools complete separate Safeguarding Audits.  

Please complete the audit in full by Friday 1 December 2023.

If you have not received the audit email please contact: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk 

National updates

Information Commissioners Office: Five data protection top tips for early years settings

It’s vital that early years settings have robust data protection practices in place to keep children’s information safe.  

Ahead of World Children's Day on 20 November, the Information Commissioner's Office created five practical data protection top tips for nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and other early years settings.

If you need to refresh your data protection practices or you’re just at the start of your data protection journey, the ICO are here to help you get that right. The five tips cover the topics they’re most commonly asked about by the early years sector, including:

• what ‘personal data’ is;
• how to deal with a request for personal information;
• what to do with your CCTV footage;
• sharing information when needed; and
• keeping information secure.

By following the advice, you’ll not only be keeping the children in your care and their families safe, but you’ll also be keeping your business safe too. 

Early years practitioner wellbeing support resources published

The Department for Education have published an early years practitioner wellbeing support resource on the Help for Early Years Providers platform.

The resources bring together:

• information on the benefits of investing in staff wellbeing in early years settings
• case studies from four early years settings who have shared their insights on best practice to support staff wellbeing
• a list of external resources for early years practitioners and managers

Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse consultation

In its final report the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) recommended that the government introduce a legal requirement for certain people to report child sexual abuse.

The Home Office published a call for evidence on the implementation of such a duty on 22 May 2023, which concluded on 14 August. This sought views on how a duty to report child sexual abuse might affect children, organisations, workplaces and volunteers.

The government is launching this consultation to set out proposals for creating a mandatory reporting duty and to test opinion on a small but significant number of undecided policy questions.

This consultation closes on 30 November 2023, please respond on the link below.

EYFS Learning and Development

Bookstart National Tree Week

Bookstart Star Packs for Children with Additional Needs

SEND

SENCo Contact Details

Please ensure that the SENCo contact details for your setting are up to date. If you have referred a child at your setting to the newly created Early Years Forum, the outcome of Forum will be shared with SENCos via the contact details held on the Provider Portal.

Please check the information held by the Early Years Team via the Staff section of the Provider Portal and add/delete SENCo details as required. Guidance notes are available.

SEND Consultations

If you would like to book an SEND, PSED or Communication and Language consultation, please email: earlyyearsandchildcareteam@cheshireeast.gov.uk

You will be sent paperwork to complete, once that is finished and returned by secure email, including with a parent/carers signature, you will be offered a consultation slot.

Cheshire East Chatters

Family Hubs

Congleton Family Hub Opening Week Timetable

Continuous Professional Development

Autumn Owners and Managers Briefings

The Autumn Owners and Managers briefings are now available to book on the following dates:

Wednesday 22 November 1.30-3.30pm at Oakenclough Family Hub

Monday 27 November 10am-12pm at Monks Coppenhall Family Hub

Thursday 30 November 6-8pm on Microsoft Teams

The sessions will be focussing on the processes for the new EY SEND forums, safer sleep and leading a whole team approach to curriculum. It is an opportunity to hear from our early years team, network with other owners and managers and ask questions. 

Please book on through the training hub.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

The Chess hub has been updated with lots of training opportunities up until December, please take a look and book on now!

Some training available in the next few weeks:

Don't Forget!

Cheshire East Key messages regarding infections including colds, flu and Covid-19

The key underlying public health message for respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and flu is that if someone is too unwell to attend school or work and carry out their normal activities or if they have a raised temperature, they shouldn't be in the setting. They should stay at home until they are well enough to return.

Most people no longer have access to COVID-19 tests but, if they do and they test positive for COVID-19, then the current NHS advice is to try and stay at home for five days (three days for children) after the first positive test result. After this time, they can return even if they have a positive test result, if they are well enough.

A few people may have a positive COVID-19 test but have no symptoms. It is likely that they are infectious and so can pass on the virus, especially during the early stages, so the advice would be to try to work from home for five days if possible. If they are unable to work from home, then a risk assessment should be done to explore what options are available.

Actions for settings

• Manage each infection in line with the NHS/UKHSA advice
• Contact UKHSA if necessary
• Report cases via the online form – request call back if further advice needed
• Issue parent/carer letters re measles and advice re illness

Key links and contacts

Health protection in education settings

UKHSA – candmphu@ukhsa.gov.uk  or 03442250562

Cheshire East Cheshire East education settings infection reporting form

Early Years Training Hub – reminder to sign up

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to the new Early Years Training Hub. If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so now.  You can sign up by accessing this link:

Chess Early Years Training Hub (sla-portals.co.uk)

Then click on the SIGN UP link on the top right hand side of the login page.

The Provider Login button on our Early Years and Childcare Training Resources (cheshireeast.gov.uk) webpage will also give you access to the new Early Years training Hub.

Through our Training and Events page you can find information about the training and CPD offer available to Early Years practitioners in Cheshire East. You can access the Hub via the link on our training web page:  however you will need to request personal login details by signing up to the Hub.

Please note: If you already have access to the Schools Chess Hub you do not need to sign up again however please email us to request additional access user rights to the Early Years Hub.