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 19 June 2020
It is the summer solstice tomorrow, marking the mid-point of the year. With so much happening over recent months it doesn't seem possible that half of the year has already passed. The pace of change can be relentless at times and we encourage you to try and take a break this weekend, wherever possible, and maybe manage a bit of 'me time'. As the restrictions continue to ease, for some this will be a huge relief but for others it may bring additional concerns. We are all different, so it is important to find your own ways to look after your wellbeing, and stay safe and well this weekend.
Transitions Guidance for Schools
West Sussex County Council's Education and Skills team, in collaboration with other services including Early Help, have developed guidance for schools to support the transitions of children between key school phases. This includes transitions for children starting school and the impact of the COVID-19 response on transition planning. The guidance is aligned with the information shared with early years providers. Please make sure that you are making contact with the schools that children within your setting will be moving to in September and that, for children who will need additional support when moving on to school, you are organising supported transition meetings. If you are unsure about what you need to do, please read the guidance in this document. If you need any additional support, please contact your EYCA.
Funding Temporary Changes to Children’s Free Entitlement (FE) Claims
Since the changes that came into effect on 1 June, we have received queries from settings regarding how funding can be obtained for children making temporary changes to their FE claim for these following scenarios.
- The provider a child normally attends has remained closed and the parents have chosen to temporarily join another setting.
- The original setting is open, however cannot offer the hours the family require due to social distancing requirements.
- The child would normally split their FE hours between two providers, but cannot due to the current guidance, so has chosen to stop attending one setting and access all hours at the other setting.
We are now able to confirm that in these circumstances, as these are temporary changes, settings do not need to transfer funding between each other. It is intended that in the first instance, you should use any available funded places you have to allow a child to access a place on a temporary basis. This is derived from funding you have claimed for children at headcount who are either not attending for their full claim or are not currently attending due to parents choosing not to return their child at this time.
If you do not have any available funded places, please complete a COVID-19 Exceptional Payment Form for these children. This form must be submitted within 28 days of the child starting and no later than 14 August 2020, otherwise we may not be able to fund this request.
We are still able to consider Post Headcount/Exceptional Payment requests for children as set out in 4.13 of the Provider Declaration, and must be completed on the standard form available www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement
Where families are choosing to make a permanent change of setting, the usual process of funding being transferred between settings should be followed. Refer to page 11 of the Provider Declaration for information about transfers, noting that point 1.25 states that 'WSCC will only acknowledge a notice period of up to four weeks relating to transfer of funding.'
Updated Gov.UK guidance
The guidance What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak was updated on 18 June.
The main changes that will be of interest to you are:
- New section on flexibility for primary schools to welcome back additional children this term.
- Amended definition of vulnerable children and young people.
- Further information on safety in schools and the national NHS Test and Trace programme.
- Updated content about 30 hours free childcare and/or tax-free childcare.
In the subsection 'Childcare fees and charges' it states "We expect nurseries to comply with the law and take a reasonable and proportionate approach to parents’ fees, considering these unprecedented circumstances, and to communicate any arrangements clearly with them. If you feel you have been affected by unfair cancellation charges during the COVID-19 outbreak, you can report it to the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) using their online form."
In the subsection '30 hours free childcare and/or tax-free childcare' it states "Now that early years providers are able to open to all children, we are asking local authorities to use their discretion in accepting the codes of all children who missed the 31 March deadline, provided they meet the eligibility criteria and there is capacity for providers to take them on." We will be reviewing this guidance and we will provide you with any further information or specific instructions, as soon as we are able via these setting updates.
The guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening was updated on 18 June. The main changes are:
- New section added to cover the issue of settings requesting medical evidence ahead of re-admission.
- Removed paragraph on phased return from 1 to 15 June as this is out of date.
- Changed the tense of references to opening.
Termly setting updates about your provision
As a result of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic we have not requested a termly update from providers in the usual way. To get things back on track we will soon be sending emails to providers requesting the submission of Termly Provider Profile forms via the Online Provider Portal. We will initially be targeting providers that are open term-time only, with emails being sent in August to childminders, all-year round providers, and those settings who remain closed until September.
The reason for this staggered approach is due to necessary upgrades to our software, which are due to be applied in July and August. This will allow us to process forms submitted by term-time only settings before they close for the summer break. We aim to process the other settings' forms before the beginning of the Autumn term.
Our aim is to have all information updated by September to support parents looking for childcare via the Family Information Service website as well as assist in our termly analysis of childcare sufficiency within West Sussex.
FAQs updated
Please note that our guidance and FAQ document has been updated. A link to the document can be found in the lower half of all our broadcasts. Any new or updated information is highlighted within the document to make it easy to spot.
Please inform the Family Information Service if your current operating status changes. Email family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk and include your setting name, Ofsted URN, the date you intend to close/open, and any changes to your operating hours. If you inform us of re-opening, you will be reinstated on the public list and appear on our website www.westsussex.gov.uk/fis.
If you are unable to re-open at this time, please complete a Recovery Plan and send a copy by email to family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk with your setting name and 'Recovery Plan' in the subject. This is so that we can look at the barriers you have identified and support you to re-open as soon as practicable.
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. The latest link to the survey is also available on our website.
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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#54 17 June (Free Entitlement Summer term payments, updated Safe Working guidance, Change4Life shake ups)
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#53 15 June (Numbers currently accessing, ICON, recovery plans, CJRS)
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#52 12 June (Maternity/Paternity furlough, HPS, notifying DfE, Business recovery webinar, PFA)
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#51 10 June (CJRS deadline today, statement re OOS provision, transitions booklet, infant mental health awareness)
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#50 8 June (updated FAQs/guidance, PPE, EH Services, family activities, insurance)
We have a range of online training available for you to access for your staff to ensure they have the most up to date information to support them in their role:
- 15 June - Summer Term FE Actuals payments released (week commencing)
- 22 June - Autumn Term FE Estimates submission open
- 03 July - Autumn Term FE Estimates submission close
- 13 July - Autumn Term FE Estimates payments released (week commencing)
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