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Bulletin 319

8 July 2024

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

Business Support

Provider Portal – Eligibility Checker

Before adding a child – please use the eligibility checker to check the end date of a code, it may need reconfirming if the end date is before September for new children.

Reminder to apply/reconfirm childcare funding codes for free childcare entitlements for working families with children aged 9 months to 4 years old

Provider Portal – data for autumn term 2024

The provider portal is now open for providers to add autumn term data. The provider portal will close on Friday 26 July for interim (70%) payments to be calculated and paid by week ending 30 August 2024.

Please continue to email any additions/adjustments for the summer term to the FEEE Team at FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk.

If there are any issues with entering working family codes, please contact the team FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk or phone 01270 685888. Please be aware by incorrectly adding a 2YO as disadvantaged, providers are placing themselves at risk of having funding reclaimed.

When entering new children who are ‘nominated for DAF’ (Disability Access Fund) in the Provider Portal, please scan a copy of the Disability Living Allowance letter (DLA) to FEEE@cheshireeast.gov.uk to verify and receive the DAF payment of £910.

Advice for parents on parental leave applying for a working family eligibility code 

Parents on parental leave e.g., maternity leave who are applying for an eligibility code for the child who is the reason for the leave, or for parents starting a new job, the following applies: 

• If a parent is returning to work from parental leave before 30 September they can apply for the working parent entitlement now, to take up a place during autumn term. They need to apply online, and they will then receive a letter in the post within 1 to 2 weeks so they can access their childcare entitlement.
  
  
• If a parent is planning to start a new job before 30 September, but their start date is more than 31 days away, they should call HMRC on 0300 123 4097.
  
  
• If a parent is planning to start or return to work from parental leave between 1 October and 31 January, they’ll be able to apply from 1 September to take up a place during spring term. 

From 1 October, the below dates will apply:

If a parent is applying for childcare for an older child, who is not the reason for their parental leave, they can apply online regardless of their return-to-work date. 

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements

Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Focus on...

Each child must be assigned a key person. Their role is to help ensure that every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled relationship for the child and build a relationship with their parents and/or carers. They should also help families engage with more specialist support if appropriate.

National updates

EYFS Learning and Development

Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge begins in Cheshire East Libraries on Saturday 6th July and runs until Saturday 14th September. It’s free to sign up at your local library. As they read for fun throughout the summer the children earn special stickers to encourage them along. There’s a mini challenge for the pre-schoolers who can choose books for their parents and carers to share with them. Every finisher gets a certificate and medal (or golden sticker for under 3’s) and a free swim voucher kindly provided by Everybody Health and Leisure. Marvellous Makers Summer Reading Challenge 2024 | The Reading Agency (youtube.com)

BookStart Shirley Hughes' Birthday

To contact BookTrust, please see the contact details below:

Frances Lennon, BookTrust Coordinator - 07827 954086

Sarah Harrison, BookTrust Administrator - 07827 877966

bookstart@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk

SEND

SENIF Applications

When making an application for SENIF please provide a provision map to support your applications. Please click on the link below to download a copy.

SEND Inclusion Funding (cheshireeast.gov.uk)

Early Years SENIF panel

The next deadline for Early Years SENIF panel is 2^nd July 2024. Please follow the link below and for all applications. You must submit a provision map alongside any other essential documents. The provision map template can be found within the link below. Early Years SENIF panel does not take place in August.

SEND Inclusion Funding (cheshireeast.gov.uk)

Early Years Forum Summer Deadlines

The deadline for Early Years Forum North 2^nd July 2024. The deadline for Early Years Forum South 9^th July 2024. Early Years Forum does not take place in August. Please email Earlyyearsforum@cheshireeast.gov.uk if you are uncertain if you are situated in the North or South locality.

Early years forum – information for practitioners (cheshireeast.gov.uk)

Early Years Forum

Please can we remind everyone that if you are emailing any supporting documentation for children being presented at the Early Years Forum, that you email it to the Early Years forum inbox: Earlyyearsforum@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Please do not email this information to individual staff members.

Early Years Forum – Professional Portal access for uploading information

Where a child is due for review at Early Years Forum, Forum will ask childcare settings to provide an update on the child’s progress since the previous Forum. Requests for information will be sent to you via the professional portal.

If you are not already registered on the professional portal, you will need to create an account. To enable you to do this, the Business Intelligence Team will email you with instructions on how to register.

Please register for an account as soon as you receive an email from Business Intelligence so that you can respond to requests for information and attach any supporting documents via the professional portal, ensuring increased security when sharing sensitive data.

Cheshire East Chatters

Cheshire East Chatters Talking Walk-in's

Family Hubs

Repurposing of children’s centres consultation

We have launched a consultation asking for people’s views on a proposal to repurpose up to seven of our children’s centres and to further develop our family hub offer.

We have already repurposed five of our former children’s centres into family hubs, which support children and young people from 0-19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). We are opening our sixth and final family hub in the Crewe Lifestyle Centre by September 2024. We are now looking at the best ways to offer flexible outreach services from our family hubs to respond quickly and effectively to changing needs and priorities across our borough, improving the reach to our most disadvantaged communities to improve outcomes.

The consultation outlines a proposal to repurpose up to seven of our children’s centres that we have not already remodelled into family hubs, using these buildings for education delivery purposes including extending childcare for children from two years of age, extending wrap-around provision for primary aged pupils and delivering additional special educational needs and disabilities provision within local communities.

Health services and clinics will continue to be available onsite at these locations.

The proposals outlined in the consultation will support the financial savings the council is required to make as part of the medium-term financial strategy, while having minimal impact on services.

Please promote this consultation among families you think would be interested to get involved, or have your say using the link below.

Repurposing of children’s centres consultation

Childminder Pop-Up's

Childminder Drop-In's

Cheshire East Family Hubs

Continuous Professional Development

Ofsted - Preparing for your Inspection

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from HM Ofsted Inspectors who will deliver invaluable inspection feedback and address some key challenges faced in Early Years, in order to help you to prepare for your inspection.

17th September 2024 10:00 - 11:30 or 18:30 - 20:00 (Teams)

Autumn Term Training on the ChESS Early Years Training Hub

The ChESS Early Years Training Hub is currently being updated with lots of training opportunities for the Autumn term, please watch this space!

Don't Forget!

Early Years Training Hub – reminder to sign up

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

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

Then click on the sign up button on the top right hand side of the login page.

The ChESS Early Years Training Hub button on our Early years training webpage will also give you access to the Hub.

Through our Early Years training page, you can find information about the training and CPD offer available to Early Years practitioners in Cheshire East.

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