 The Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership (PSCP) is offering a range of free safeguarding training courses for childcare and early years professionals.
These sessions are designed to support you and your staff in strengthening safeguarding knowledge and practice, and are open to all local childcare providers.
We encourage you to share this opportunity with your team and take advantage of this free training.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Mon 27 Apr, 12.30 - 13.30 – Spot it early: signs & indicators of child sexual abuse - book here
Mon 27 Apr, 15.00 - 16.30 – Online sexual abuse / exploitation - book here
Tue 28 Apr, 12.30 - 13.30 – From concern to strategy discussion - book here
Tue 28 Apr, 16.00 - 17.00 – Direct work and interventions with children - book here
Weds 29 Apr, 15.00 - 16.30 – Support available to children and young people who experience sexual abuse - book here
Thu 30 Apr, 12.30 - 13.30 – Responding to harmful sexual behaviour - book here
Thu 30 Apr, 15.00 - 16.00 – CSA medicals: when to refer and what happens next - book here
Fri 1 May, 12.30 - 13.30 – Learning from reviews and next steps - book here
 Thank you to those that have already returned your digital transfer record. For those that are yet to return, please note that the deadline is this Friday, 17 April.
If you have any queries or have not received your transfer record, please do get in touch at eyinclusion@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
 You should have received termly review forms via email for those children who are in receipt of SENDIF emerging and SENDIF+. Please complete and return one form for your setting and return to eyinclusion@portsmouthcc.gov.uk by Monday 20 April.
Please note, payment cannot be made for the term without a review form being completed.
 Find out about how to support healthy screen habits for children under 5 over at the Best Start for Life website.
 This summer term we have a specific focus on SEND in our Termly Briefing and encourage all of our EY setting SENCos to attend. The first hour of the briefing will be a consultation with providers on SEND reform and we want to hear your thoughts on what is needed for change. Please come along and be prepared to share your views and experiences either through speaking or adding to the chat. This is your opportunity to have your SENCo voices heard!
To book your place, email Carol at eyworkforce@portsmouthcc.gov.uk and Carol will send you the Teams link to join. The Termly Briefing is on Tuesday 5 May, 10.00am - 12.00pm.
We look forward to seeing you at the briefing.
 Olivia Bailey, Minister for Early Education and Minister for Equalities at the Department for Education has written a letter to early years providers. The letter sets out the intention to amend the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, to clarify safeguarding requirements for children’s sleeping arrangements.
The amendments will make safer sleep requirements explicit within the EYFS framework. The new framework is expected to come into force from September 2026, subject to parliamentary process, although providers are already expected to be compliant with the requirements.
Minister Bailey has emphasised that providers must ensure children are placed down to sleep safely, in line with NHS safer sleep guidance. This includes placing babies on their backs, in a clear, separate sleep space, with appropriate bedding and regular supervision. The updated wording has been developed with input from The Lullaby Trust, medical experts and Ofsted.
Further amendments will clarify requirements for childcare on domestic premises and include a link to updated guidance on screen time and online safety. The full letter from the Minister can be read at the button below.
 Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton (HIPS) Safeguarding Children Partnerships are pleased to announce the launch of the newly updated HIPS Procedures website - the shared online safeguarding procedures manual for the four local safeguarding children partnerships covering:
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
The site provides a single, shared set of multi‑agency safeguarding procedures that all professionals must follow when working with children, young people and families across the HIPS area.
A more accessible, user‑friendly platform
The newly updated website has been designed to make multi‑agency safeguarding guidance clearer, more accessible and easier to use. It brings together all statutory and local procedures that underpin effective safeguarding practice, offering a streamlined, modern platform that supports quick navigation and confident decision-making.
Whether practitioners are seeking guidance on thresholds, escalation procedures, responding to concerns, child protection processes or shared responsibilities across agencies, the new site provides a single, consistent point of reference.
Improved user experience
A core aim of the redesign is to ensure that professionals across all sectors, including education, health, police, social care, local authorities, voluntary organisations and early years settings, can locate the information they need quickly and easily.
The new website features:
- Improved navigation and layout
- Clearer categorisation of procedures
- Updated, streamlined content
- A unified multi‑agency resource
Accessing the new website
Professionals across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton are encouraged to explore the new HIPS Procedures website, familiarise themselves with its updated structure and content, and ensure that any existing bookmarks and links are updated. Please note that the homepage URL to the HIPS Procedures remains the same: https://hipsprocedures.org.uk/.
 Feel free to promote the early years skills bootcamp poster at the button below.
 As the days get longer and the weather starts to improve, new hazards for children emerge. But it doesn’t take much to keep children safe. So, here are Child Accident Prevention Trust's top tips for keeping children safe from serious accidents.
 On 03/02/2026 a newsflash went out related to The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issuing a Product Recall to warn about a safety risk associated with the Hobbycraft Giant Box of Craft.
As of 26 March, the number of recalled products is now 30 from more than 10 separate businesses. OPSS is working with local Trading Standards and the UK toy industry to make sure businesses act immediately. Those that have been identified have been removed from sale and recalled.
All settings should review the products recalled here - asbestos - GOV.UK and follow the outlined precautionary steps on the relevant product page to dispose of these products safely. For more information you can access the business’ contact details within the alert or contact the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline, www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/, or your local Trading Standards department.
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