12 July 2024

EEAC Update issue 24

EEAC updates are published every Friday, during term time.

PLEASE SHARE THESE UPDATES INTERNALLY WITH ALL STAFF

Letter from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson

Following the General election last week Bridget Phillipson has been appointed as Secretary of State for Education, and she has written to all those working in early years, children’s services, schools, further and higher education. Click the link below to read the letter.

You are also invited to join a live event taking place on Tuesday 16 July at 4:00 - 4:45pm where she will share her vision for education, children's services and skills, and through a live chat function you will be able to share your views too. Click the link below to book your free place via Eventbrite.

Training - Safeguarding

FREE Learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Review–Child I

Monday 23 September 2024            9.30 am – 12.00 pm

Following on from the recent publication of Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) for Child I, the Board are holding this learning event for all practitioners.

FREE Lunch & Learn–Sexual Assault Referral Centre

Monday 16 September 2024            12.30 – 1.30 pm

Children & Young People that we can support. Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) referral pathways. Strategy Meetings. Difference between Child Protection and Child Sexual Assault medicals. Forensic timeframes. Learning from incidents. About the examinations. Onward referrals and care

FREE Supporting GCP2 Assessments

Thursday 8 August 2024                   9.30 – 11.30 am

Tuesday 20 September 2024            9.30 – 11.30 am 

Supports recognising low-level neglect and gives you the knowledge to understand the importance of doing a GCP2 at the earliest opportunity. Do you know how to contribute to a GCP2 assessments, even if you don’t work with families and children in the home?

L1 Core slides for Sept 24-Aug 25 *£80 Special Offer*(£100 to purchase in October 2024)

Aimed at the Designated Safeguarding Lead to deliver L1 training in house. Core slides can be purchased on an annual basis and will provide you with the opportunity to deliver a locally designed product that contains the most up to date information, including thresholds and referral pathways, as well as information about key priority areas for the Board. The core slides include trainer notes.

Available now to pre order ready for you to deliver in Sept 2024.

L2 Working Together to Safeguard Children Multi Agency Training

• Monday 9 September 2024                  9.30 am – 4.30 pm
• Thursday 19 September 2024              9.30 am – 4.30 pm
• Tuesday 24 September 2024                9.30 am – 4.30 pm

New members of the workforce who work predominantly with children, young people and/or their parents/carers and who could potentially contribute to assessing, planning, intervening, and evaluating the needs of a child and parenting capacity where there are safeguarding concerns.

L3 Learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Review Multi Agency Training

• Saturday 14 September 2024              9.30 am – 3.30 pm
• Monday 30 September 2024                9.30 am – 3.30 pm

Update for L2 certificate. To have the time to stop & reflect, to understand the history of reviews and their links to the legislation, to consider the learning from national/ local reviews, to become familiar with the CSPR processes and what this means for you! To apply learning to current caseload and future practice particularly in relation to analysis & decision making.

L3 Children and Domestic Abuse Multi-Agency Training

Friday 20 September 2024                   9.30 am – 4.30 pm

Update for L2 certificate. A one-day workshop aimed to increase the understanding of domestic abuse and its impact on children. Create a greater understanding of the need for multi-agency working to manage safer outcomes.

Please check the charging policy before booking onto SSCB training Training costs-Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board

Click the link below to book your place.

FREE - SSCB Training

Reducing Parental Conflict Training for more information click here

An Introduction to ‘Whole Family’ Working for more information click here

E-learning & Resources-FREE Training & Free Resources-SSCB

FREE Training-Developing an Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse

18 September 9.15am–4.30pm and 19 September 9:15am-1pm (both days must be attended), NSPCC, 213 Basford Park Road, Newcastle under Lyme, ST5 0PG

Created by the NSPCC, this is a one and a half day face to face training course that provides understanding, knowledge and skills in identifying and responding to Child Sexual Abuse. It is aimed at all professionals working with children.

The training aims to support delegates to:      

• Identify the types of child sexual abuse (CSA)
• Utilise appropriate language
• Increase understanding of the research base
• Determine ways to support most vulnerable groups at risk for CSA
• Identify the ways CSA can impact children, their families, and society
• Understanding grooming and offender behaviour
• Recognise, Respond, Report and Record concerns
• Share best practice with others in your network

Please email Expressions of Interest to Stoke.TFC@NSPCC.org.uk with your name, role, organisation and contact details by the 12 July 2024.

Education Safeguarding Advice Service (ESAS)

Are you concerned about a child, have viewed the threshold Framework, but are still unsure of what actions to take? Or do you need help with your safeguarding procedures and processes?

The Education Safeguarding Advice Service (ESAS): -

• Is an advice service for education professionals only including the early years sector.
• Provides advice and guidance, to help professionals with their decision making.
• Supports settings who have concerns about children (aged pre-birth to eighteen) who live in Staffordshire.
• Provides advice about referral processes from earliest help to child protection.
• Signposts professionals to guidance to inform their decision making.
• Promotes training opportunities to strengthen practice.
• Supports settings with professional disagreements and the escalation process.

Threshold framework document -Accessing the Right Help at the Right Time’. Multi-agency guidance on the access criteria to help support children, young people, and families. Threshold Framework 2023 

Early help assessment training - Training & Free Resources 

Family Hub Summer Fun Days

Staffordshire families are being invited to summer fun days at their local Family Hub, as part of plans to launch the new Family Hub brand.

A fun day has been organised in each district during the school holidays with free activities for children and families.

Please share information about the events with your families.

Funding Provider Agreement 2024-Update

A reminder that in early June we emailed the refreshed Early Education Funding Provider Agreement to providers to sign electronically via the new platform Adobe Acrobat Sign, saving providers time in printing, completing forms and sending the agreement back to us.

Thank you to all providers who have returned the Agreement so far. If you have yet to return it, the deadline for completion is 19 July 2024.

If you have not received a copy of the Agreement, please check your JUNK/SPAM folders before contacting us eeac@staffordshire.gov.uk

Funding offers for 2 year olds

Remember, there are 2 funding offers available for families with a 2 year old.

Think2 - this is for parents on a low income who are in receipt of some additional government support. Some parents may also be working. Applications and eligibility checking is performed by the EEAC team. 

Successful Think2 applicants receive an 18 digit eligibility code beginning with TYF860 which should be used to do a 'Placement' on your EY Portal. The funding can be used straight away if the child is age eligible. Parents do not fall out of eligibility and will not need to reconfirm their code. Parents do not need to apply to Childcare Choices.

For criteria and more details visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/think2

Working Parent Entitlement - this is for working parents who meet the  income criteria. Applications and eligibility checking is performed by Childcare Choices (HMRC) and parents may apply from when their child is 9 months old. 

Successful applicants receive an 11 digit eligibility code beginning with 500 which can be validated on your EY Portal. The code is valid the term after the successful application and parents need to reconfirm this every 3 months with Childcare Choices.

For criteria and more details visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk 

A small number of parents may be eligible for both the working parent entitlement and Think2. Think2 has the advantages for parents that they will not fall out of eligibility and will not need to reconfirm every 3 months. Please also note that a small number of parents may not qualify for either entitlement as it is not a universal entitlement for 2 year olds.

Click the link below for more information for parents to help with childcare costs.

Term Funding Periods

Remember to encourage parents to apply or reconfirm their working parent code before the end of the period to be valid for next term. Review the dashboard on your EY Portal for those codes which are shortly due reconfirmation. The Childcare Choices website has been updated to include the expansion of the entitlements for working families from April 2024. Parents should visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk to find out all the options available to save money on their childcare.   If parents have queries they can call the Childcare Choices customer interaction centre on 0300 123 4097.

Early Years Area SENCO Team helpline 

To request a helpline call back:

• Email: EYSENIS@staffordshire.gov.uk
• Type the words ‘Tuesday helpline’ in the email subject
• Include a brief summary of your query and contact details including a contact phone number in the email

You can email at any time, requests are collated for the next helpline date.  Each Tuesday, a member of the team will operate the helpline.  If Tuesdays are not a suitable time to call back, please note this in your email and we will try to accommodate your request. 

To make a request for consultation, download the request form on Staffordshire Connects | EY SENIS Team. Instructions and guidance are included on the form.

Please note - the EYSENIS team do not have a direct phone number. They can be contacted by email: EYSENIS@staffordshire.gov.uk.

This update is produced and distributed by Staffordshire County Council. If you wish to follow up on anything in this update then please contact us by email at eeac@staffordshire.gov.uk

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