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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Friday 22 May 2020
The week seems to have flown by and it’s already Friday again. At least we have a three day weekend ahead with the bank holiday on Monday. We hope this gives everyone, who has been working so hard, some extra time to relax and recuperate if you can. Whilst many people are able to stay at home, we know this is not an option for many of you as your work, caring for children, cannot be done from home. We continue to thank you for your herculean efforts in these ongoing challenging times.
Data capture
The early years and childcare sector is part of a critical national infrastructure providing care for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children in response to COVID-19. From Monday 6 April, local authorities were asked by the Department for Education (DfE) to provide information on the status of the early years and childcare settings in their area. This included the number of providers currently open and the number of children attending. As a result we began the process of a twice weekly data capture from yourselves in the form of an online survey.
To help prepare for the broadening of children accessing early years provision, the DfE has made changes to the information they now require. This means we no longer need information to be returned by out of school provision. However, we do now require the following information to be submitted via our updated survey. Please make sure you have this available in order to complete it:
- A breakdown of vulnerable children who are Children in Need (CIN), have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), or both and other vulnerable children.
- If you are planning to be open the following week, whether you are a childminder, a maintained early years provider or any other group based provider.
The survey will continue to be open from Monday each week and will close at midnight on Wednesday. This will give you longer to record the information on which children are attending your setting during that week. Where possible, additional guidance has been provided within the survey to help you make an accurate submission.
We recognise that you will already be incredibly busy, and under significant pressure at this time, so thank you in advance for your co-operation with this process and for the information you are able to provide.
Here is the link for next week's survey, open from Monday 25 May to midnight Wednesday 27 May. From Monday, the link to the weekly surveys will be published online in addition to appearing in these setting update emails.
Access to Key Worker Places for Early Years Practitioners
The children of key workers remain eligible for access to school and early years places after 1 June, even if they have not accessed a place before during the COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, all early years practitioners should be able to access the childcare they need to return to work. We are aware that some practitioners have been told that they cannot access their child's place if they have not previously been attending. The government guidance is clear that key worker children, and vulnerable children, have priority in accessing a place before other children returning from 1 June. Please make sure that you are following this guidance when planning to extend your intake of children. If any practitioners are experiencing difficulties in accessing the childcare they need, please speak to your EYCA so we can support them to resolve this issue.
Staffing your provision during COVID-19 restrictions and beyond
We have produced the following information and template which may be useful for you at this time as you consider and plan your staffing provision:
Staff Survey
We are aware that as settings are planning to extend the number of children attending, some settings have a number of staff that are unable to work due to health issues. We are also aware that some providers may still not be able to re-open, for example if the premises they usually operate from is currently not available for them to use, but may have staff who are able to assist another setting to provide childcare.
To support settings who are unable to increase the number of places offered to children due to limited staffing, we would like to know which practitioners are currently able to work with other providers on a temporary basis. If you have completed our previous questionnaire and are still available to support in this way, please complete this version as well. The survey will open online on Monday 25 May 2020.
Also, some settings who have limited staff available, may want to work with another local provider to offer childcare as a hub. If you would like support to think through how you might manage this arrangement, please speak to your EYCA or email the Family Information Service at family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk.
Updated guidance on safeguarding in schools, colleges and other providers during the coronavirus outbreak
The government have updated the guidance on safeguarding in education and childcare settings during the coronavirus outbreak as they plan for wider opening. The guidance includes advice on updating the child protection policy, designated safeguarding lead arrangements, protecting vulnerable children and mental health support for children and young people.
All providers please complete a short online survey, once a week. The link to the survey is different each time. A link will be provided in each Monday broadcast, and the survey will be open for three full days each week from Monday to Wednesday, closing at midnight on the Wednesday.
If a family you know are struggling to ensure they have food for their family, collect medication, or are in need of any additional support, contact West Sussex County Council Community hub.
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#42 20 May (Expansion of testing with new symptom identified, SSP rebate scheme, updated guidance, transcript of speech by Gavin Williamson, EY training)
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#41 18 May (New guidance on safe working, planning to re-open)
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#40 15 May (Data capture frequency, LADO toolkit, re-opening tips, DfE vodcast, training brochure)
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#39 13 May (Re-opening childminders, furloughing, business recovery webinars)
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#38 12 May PM (Planning for the future)
- TODAY - Summer Term FE Actuals submissions close
- 25 May - Bank Holiday
- 15 Jun - Summer Term FE Actuals payments released (week commencing)
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