Part of Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help (IPEH)
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Wednesday 14 February 2018
1. Mandatory Early
Years Census 2018 – deadline today (FE Providers Only)
The mandatory Early Years Census form is
available for you to complete via the Online
Provider Portal (OPP). The deadline for return of your Early Years Census Form is midnight
today (14 February 2018).
Future FE payments
may be at risk if you do not complete your Census return by this deadline.
Please refer to the
attached document “Important
Information – Census 2018” for specific guidance around the staff
qualification questions as we are receiving a few queries.
Attachments: Important Information - Census 2018
2. Spring term Free Entitlement – Online Provider Portal
re-opens for pre-payment check (14-16 February) (FE Providers Only)
Thank you for
submitting your Free Entitlement (FE) actuals, Early Years Pupil Premium
(EYPP) and Disability Access Fund (DAF) claims for spring term.
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) is re-open for you to check
your claims are correct prior to payments. The deadline for this check is midnight Friday 16 February.
WARNING: If you need to correct any extended hours, please note
you will be required to carry out a “30 hours free childcare” check on the
code again. This could result in a change in eligibility status and/or key
validity dates which in turn will delay payments.
Please check the
following:
- All
children no longer claiming FE with you have been deleted. If not, request
deletion.
-
No children with zero hours left on
your headcount.
- All
eligible children who were in
attendance during headcount week only are present and correct, including
their personal details. If they were not in attendance during headcount week –
remove them from this headcount and submit a Post-Headcount/Exceptional
Payment request.
- All
children have the correct number of weeks and correct number of weekly
universal and extended hours as attended during headcount week.
- All
EYPP information is present and correct.
- If
DAF has been confirmed, payment will show as an adjustment. We can only make
one DAF payment in a financial year and we must receive evidence child meets
the eligibility criteria.
Payment is due for
release at any point during the
week commencing 26 February. Please note it may take 3-5 working days for the
payment to appear in your account. This may therefore be the following week.
If you have any queries please contact the Family
Information Service on 01243 777807 or email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk
3. Spring Term Inclusion Funding
For any children in receipt of Inclusion Funding,
please note that funding will be paid per Free Entitlement (FE) hour in line
with the hours submitted for your FE Actuals. You do not need to submit a
separate claim. Payment for the Spring Term will be due the week commencing 26
February, therefore if you are not
intending to claim Inclusion Funding due to, for example, being unable to
recruit additional staff to enhance ratios, you must notify the Inclusion Team
by email to inclusionteam@westsussex.gov.uk by Friday
23 February 2018.
4. Urgent: 30 Hours
Extended Free Entitlement – Summer Term Deadline
The 30 Hours Extended Free
Entitlement (FE) deadline for next term is fast approaching!
Parents who are
expecting to start receiving Extended FE funding for the Summer term 2018 must
apply for their codes with HMRC in good time to ensure they can claim next
term. Failure to apply on time means parents are not eligible until the term
following their code validity date. This would mean these parents would miss
out on the additional 15 hours funding until September 2018.
The deadline for the
Summer term is 31 March 2018 but we strongly recommend parents apply by 28
February 2018 at the latest. Not all parents get their code straight away so,
by applying early, this gives them time should any further information be
needed.
If you have any
questions about FE please see the FAQ’s on the website or email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
5. Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Referrals
All concerns
for children and young people who may be at risk of significant harm should be
directed to MASH. We would encourage you to telephone MASH prior to
making a referral to discuss your concerns, where appropriate you should follow
up this call with a completed MASH Referral Form to the MASH GCSX Email – MASH@westsussex.gcsx.gov.uk
Two recent external audits of MASH have highlighted concerns
regarding the quality of the referrals received into MASH, parents were also
too often unaware that a referral had been made, the consequences are that a
considerable amount of Social work time in MASH is spent clarifying the
referral information and trying to make contact with the child’s parent /carer.
Click here to view the Continuum of
Need document and here for the Threshold Guidance.
Click here to view examples of good
referrals to the MASH.
It has been agreed through the West Sussex LSCB that from
January 2018, unless the concerns are of an immediate child protection nature,
if the MASH receive a poor quality referral and/or parents are unaware the
referral has been made, the referral will be returned in order for this to
be completed. Where consent in unable to be obtained a clear reason must be
provided.
If however you are worried
or concerned about a child and feel that the child and/or their family/carer
would benefit from Early Help Services you can make contact directly with your
local IPEH Hub, the contact details are listed here (this will
require consent from the parent / carer or child (where able to consent).
6. Online Provider Portal Workshop
- Are you new to using the Online Provider
Portal (OPP)?
-
Have you been using the OPP for a while but
have queries on how the OPP works
and how best to submit the various data returns required throughout the
year?
If so,
this is the web-based workshop for you!
The workshop is open to both FE providers and
non-FE Providers and we tailor the session to suit those attending. There is often time at the end of the session
to also sort out individual queries if you have them.
As this is a web-based session, you will need
access to a laptop or PC and phone. Unfortunately tablets or smartphones are
not currently compatible with our systems.
We have four sessions currently planned, to
coincide with the times that the portal will be open for FE Estimates or
Actuals submissions. Please call the
Family Information Service 01243 777807, quoting course code BR017N to book on your preferred session
- 6
March 2018 10.00am – 12.00pm
- 12
March 2018 1.30pm – 3.30pm
- 10
May 2018 1.30pm – 3.30pm
- 15
May 2018 10.00am – 12.00pm
In
the meantime, make www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal
your first port of call as this page contains all the guidance you need which
also includes an ever growing number of YouTube videos.
7. The
Communication Trust launches a new Professional Development video
The
Communication Trust have launched a new Professional Development Video: ‘Talking to parents about their child’s speech,
language and communication’. The video has been developed in
partnership with Afasic to support practitioners working with children and
young people with how to raise initial concerns about a child or young person’s
speech, language and communication development with their parents.
This video is intended to be used as a professional development
resource, to enhance confidence and skills in talking with parents about their
child’s speech, language and communication development and skills, with
reflection and discussion points throughout.
The video is suitable for anyone working with children and young people across
all different phases and is completely free to access.
To access the video please click here.
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Children, Young People and Families (IPEH)
Stakeholder Newsletter
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January 2018 Newsletter |
Upcoming Key Dates
Date What's Happening?
14/02/18 Census Deadline (Midnight)
14/02/18 - 16/02/18 Portal re-opens for Spring Actuals check
w/c 26/02/18 FE and Inclusion Spring Term Payments released
Network Meetings
Feb-Mar SENCo/INCo Network Meetings
For meeting information, dates and venues www.westsussex.gov.uk/eytraining
Previously on the Weekly Broadcast
Below is a list of headlines from recent broadcasts. Click on the date to view a copy:
Wednesday 5 February 2018
- Advance notice: Spring term actuals - Online Provider Portal re-opening
for checks (FE Providers Only)
- Mandatory Early Years Census 2018 – now open
- Update your Termly Childcare Provider Update form today!
- Jobs in Childcare
- Free Entitlement leaflet available
- Makaton Foundation Workshop for Professionals
- Learn, Explore, Debate (LED) Events
Wednesday 31 January 2018
- Treasury Committee - Childcare Inquiry
- Early Years Census 2018 – opens 5 February 2018
Special Broadcast Friday 26 January 2018
- Important - Online Provider Portal now closed for Planned Maintenance
Wednesday 24 January 2018
- Spring term Free Entitlement actuals – deadline tomorrow!
- Your Early Years Census 2018 – advance notice
- Important - Online Provider Portal Planned Maintenance
- Early Years and Childcare Business Conference: Bookings now open!!!
- The Best Start In Life
- Personal Development Course for Parents
Wednesday 17 January 2018
- Early Years and Childcare Business Conference
- Spring term Free Entitlement actuals and 30hr codes
- Staff Module Unavailable
- Get it Right and Protect Yourself
Wednesday 10 January 2018
- Spring term Free Entitlement actuals and 30hr codes (FE providers)
- Early Years Census advance notice
- Survey of Childcare/EY providers by DfE
- Are any children in your setting due to start school in September 2018?
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