With you, with the child. Every step of the way.
Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council - Early Help Service
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Wednesday 1 April 2020
Now that the clocks have gone forward, and we are in April, spring is just around the corner. We hope that you and your families are all managing to stay safe and finding moments of normality and happiness together. It is so important to keep looking after yourselves and your family.
Thank you once again for your hard work and dedication to the people of West Sussex and please stay safe.
FAQs updated
The FAQs have been updated (see link at end of this bulletin). New information has been highlighted to make it easy to identify.
Contact with children not currently attending their Early Years setting
Your setting may be making contact with children who usually attend your setting but are currently at home. This can be a really positive thing for your families to support them during this time of limited social contact. However, it is crucial that you remain compliant with your setting’s safeguarding policies. Please only use your setting’s accounts rather than using any personal email addresses, phone numbers or social media accounts and ensure you remain GDPR compliant.
Some settings have come up with some fantastic ideas to keep in touch with families. These have included:
- Videos of the staff doing circle time activities for the children to do at home with their parents, or of the staff reading stories, or video messages for the children
- Messaging/video calling to key children from setting key workers, or to any child you are worried about but is not currently attending
- Sending ideas for activities to do at home – for example, activities to do with stories
- Video sessions where the children and staff can see each other
- Sharing links to apps such as Tiny Happy People, Hungry Little Minds, and Five Small Things
When using video apps such as Zoom and Facetime, take care to set the app security settings appropriately by following the app developer’s guidance, for instance to block entry to video meetings for uninvited members. We will look to provide links to information about video app safety in the coming days.
Contact with vulnerable children known To Social Care
Early years providers and social workers should be agreeing with families whether children known to social care should be attending early years provision. Where the setting that the child would normally attend is closed, the local authority can support with finding alternative childcare. The setting where the child usually attends should liaise with the social worker until they know that the child is attending another setting. Early years providers should also follow up with any parent or carer who has arranged care for their child and the child subsequently does not attend. Any non-attendance issues should be notified to the social worker immediately.
To support the above, early years providers should take the opportunity, when communicating with parents and carers, to confirm emergency contact numbers are correct and ask for any additional emergency contact numbers. In all circumstances where a vulnerable child does not take up their place with an early years provider, or discontinues, the setting should notify the child’s social worker.
Guide on supporting children's mental health and wellbeing
Supporting children and young people’s mental health at this time is really important in times of such uncertainty. A useful guide has been produced by Gov.UK for parents and carers, but may also prove helpful to anyone working with children and young people at this challenging time:
Ofsted updates
Ofsted has published a new page to set out their guidance and information relating to COVID-19, which will be updated regularly:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - including links to Gov.UK information
Note: All our FAQs for West Sussex settings are in one document. You will always be opening the latest version by clicking the link below in this, and future broadcasts.
Ensure that you additionally refer to the latest Government FAQs on Gov.UK
Links to our most recent COVID-19 setting updates:
31/3 Update 11 (childcare hubs; vulnerable children, furloughing staff; updates from FIS)
30/3 Update 10 (supporting business wage costs)
27/3 Update 9 (self employed; Letter from Vicky Ford MP)
25/3 Update 8 (guidance on social distancing within childcare settings)
24/3 Update 7 (PM's announcement and new government guidance)
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