Infant mental health
With the increased awareness of the need to understand what impacts children’s mental health and well-being, and how to spot the signs when things aren’t going well, South Staffs and Stoke on Trent College are each offering a free course leading to a Level 2 qualification. This is intended for EY practitioners who want to understand mental health in young children from 0-5, the significance of attachment and adverse childhood experiences, and their role in supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing in the early years.
The aim of this course is to increase knowledge and confidence amongst EY Practitioners to support early intervention for mental health and wellbeing in young children.
For more information and to book your place, follow the links below:
Certificate in Understanding Mental Health in the Early Years - Level 2 – South Staffordshire College
Certificate in Understanding Mental Health in the Early Years (NCFE Level 2) - Stoke-on-Trent College
Free - January 2025 DSL briefings
These briefings for schools only, facilitated by Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) will cover:-
- Education Safeguarding Advice Service updates
- Sue Lloyd-Nurse practitioner for Child Death Overview Process
- Rachel Willis-NSPCC
- Virtual School
- Learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, specifically in relation to contextual safeguarding/abuse outside the home.
Wednesday 22 January 2025 9:30am to 11:30am via MS Teams or
Wednesday 22 January 2025 3:30pm to 5:30pm via MS Teams
Click the link below for more details and to book your place on the SSCP website.
Check SSCP charging policy before booking onto SSCP training here:https://www.staffsscp.org.uk/learning-zone/training-costs/
Free - Reducing parental conflict training
1. Parental Conflict and the impact on children
This session, aimed at schools and settings, provides an introduction and overview of the topic of “parental conflict” and what the evidence tells us about how children and young people may be impacted when their parents’ relationship is distressed and/or communication is poor. The session will provide details of how schools and settings can obtain support for parents whose own relationship challenges (whether together or separated) may be negatively affecting their children’s outcomes.
21 January 2025 4:00pm to 5:00pm via MS Teams
Email children.families.training@staffordshire.gov.uk with the delegate name, setting name, email address, name of course and date. (Please do not contact the EEAC team as they are unable to process bookings for these events).
2. Working with Dads and Significant Males
This course is aimed at anyone who works directly with children and their parents. It aims to increase knowledge and skills of the vital role fathers and male carers play in the lives of their children and to promote best practice from the workers supporting those children.
• Understand the key research pertaining to fathers and male carers
• Be more reflective of their own approach to working with significant males and how their own values may influence their approach.
• Increase knowledge of some of the barriers to successful engagement of male carers
• Awareness of best practice when working with fathers and male carers
• Reflect upon how effective healthy relationship work with parents requires best practice with dads.
27 January 2025 1:00pm to 4:30pm via MS Teams
Email children.families.training@staffordshire.gov.uk with the delegate name, setting name, email address, name of course and date. (Please do not contact the EEAC team as they are unable to process bookings for these events).
3. Having Courageous Conversations with parents and carers
This course, aimed at anyone who works directly with children, young people and their families, provides an opportunity to reflect upon and understand why some conversations can feel difficult. It offers a safe space to explore the challenges of difficult conversations and the potential barriers to having open and transparent conversations about sensitive subjects. It aims to:-
• Explore why some conversations are difficult and the impact on practitioners
• Consider how a restorative approach can support effective discussion by us having empathy for the other parties position
• Explore how conflict can be avoided and minimised
• Discover tips to managing difficult conversations and increase confidence
28 January 2025 9:30am to 1:00pm via MS Teams
Email children.families.training@staffordshire.gov.uk with the delegate name, setting name, email address, name of course and date. (Please do not contact the EEAC team as they are unable to process bookings for these events).
Ofsted guidance - apply to join a nursery or other daycare organisation (EY2)
Ofsted may need to carry out checks on any person if they become part of an Ofsted-registered organisation that provides childcare. This can be the case even if they don’t care for the children themselves.
Ofsted need to know about them to make sure that everyone who is legally responsible for the children’s care, and anyone over 16 who could come into contact with children, is suitable.
Click the link below to read the guidance.
Free speech, language and communication needs advice sessions
MPFT's Speech and Language Therapy Service are holding a series of online speech, language and communication advice sessions for SENCO's and key workers in schools and PVI settings to discuss child specific concerns.
This is for children not currently accessing the service where you may be considering a referral to speech and language therapy or where you may just need a little guidance for individual children.
The sessions are online via MS Teams and are one to one with an HCPC registered speech and language therapist from the Service.
Appointments are available on:
- Wednesday 29 January 2025
- Thursday 13 February 2025
- Thursday 13 March 2025
- Monday 7 April 2025
- Thursday 22 May 2025
To book an advice session email stokespeaksout@mpft.nhs.uk quoting ‘SLCN advice session’ and state your preferred date.
Safety advice on buying toys online
The Child Accident Prevention Trust has published advice on toy safety, highlighting the risk of buying toys online through unknown sellers.
These toys may not be made to UK safety standards and would not be suitable for children. Under 3's are most at risk.
Click the link below to view their factsheet on buying and checking toys and how to report dangerous toys.
Wraparound funding available 2024/2025
Funding is available to support providers to:
- create new before and after school clubs
- increase the hours they are open
- and/or expand the number of children they can care for.
Over 17 wraparound providers so far have been successfully awarded funding to support with staffing costs for 12 months, support with rent/ lease and essential resources
If you’d like to explore if funding could support your provision with growth and expansion click the link below for more details and to apply.
For an informal discussion contact sarah.atkins@staffordshire.gov.uk or call 01785 278598.
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