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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Tuesday 8 December 2020
Reminder - this week's DfE data capture
This week's DfE data capture for the numbers of children currently accessing early years provision is open now, and will close at the end of Wednesday (midnight). Please use this link to complete your return.
If there are children unable to attend their usual setting because of isolation due to COVID-19, please do not count these children as affected by lack of places. This is because they are unable to attend another setting if isolating and we therefore do not consider them to present sufficiency concerns. Thank you for your continuing commitment to providing data and supporting your early years settings through this challenging time.
Department for Education (DfE) Data Collection Frequency Update
We are pleased to inform you that the DfE have reviewed the frequency of the data collection and that this will be moving to fortnightly from January 2021. Please complete the return this week and next week as normal. There will then be a break for the Christmas and New Year period. The next return will be due on w/c 4 January 2021, followed by fortnightly returns. The DfE will review the data collection frequency again in Spring.
Letter to all providers from Minister Ford
This letter from the minister thanks you for your continuing hard work to provide essential childcare, and acknowledges the vital role that Early Years providers and staff have played in ensuring children can continue to access high quality childcare throughout the pandemic.
Public Health seminars
To support early years providers to manage cases of COVID-19 and to reduce the risk of outbreaks within their setting, our local public health team are hosting a number of small group seminars for up to 15 leaders and managers of early years settings. These webinars will provide the chance to raise issues and ask questions as well as to share good practice between providers. There is one remaining seminar available for practitioners to book via the Learning and Development Gateway and takes place on 15 December, 1.00pm to 2.00pm.
Information Sharing
To support children’s safety and wellbeing, it is crucial that key information is shared between settings at transitions points. This is important to ensure continuity of support for the child and family as well as allowing the new setting to have the full picture of the needs of the child.
Key information that you should share with the new setting includes:
- A list of professionals currently involved in supporting the family – including their role and contact details.
- Any safeguarding/child protection records that you have kept whilst the child has been attending your setting.
- Information about any vulnerability factors that you know about the child or family through the Children’s Learning and Well Being Audit (CLaWBA), including the previous involvement of Early Help or Social Care.
- Information about the child’s learning and development within the setting, including assessment data, Learning Journals and any information about a child’s SEND and other support needs.
When passing on information to a new provider, you need to make arrangements to share the information securely and you may wish to have a record of the information given to the new setting, signed by you both. Where possible and appropriate a conversation between providers should accompany the transferal of recorded information.
Safeguarding information can be shared without parental permission. However, it is good practice to discuss this with parents so they are clear of your worries and your actions to support them and their child, unless sharing this information would put the child at greater risk of harm. Please see page 11 of the West Sussex Safeguarding Partnership Multi-Agency Threshold Document for more information regarding information sharing.
If a child for whom you have significant concerns leaves your setting without informing you of where they will now be attending, you need to notify the local authority to discuss next steps. Please make sure you understand, and share with parents, the privacy notice for parents accessing early years and childcare provision.
LADO Myth Busting Factsheet
There is a new resource on the West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership website which is really useful to share with colleagues and teams in meetings, newsletters or via email. Donna Tomlinson and Miriam Williams are the West Sussex Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs) and have produced this resource to help professionals understand the role of the LADO - view the Myth Busting Factsheet.
SEND and Inclusion Strategy Update
Please read this letter with an update on the 'Tools for Schools and Settings' and some free online information sessions about the new resource. This letter has also been shared with all West Sussex schools.
New course - A Look at Springtime Crafts – Embedding genuine creativity Webinar
Gather an array of springtime resource ideas and pedagogical approaches which ensure that children’s individuality and developmental needs are central to planning and provision. Reflect on your own practice by discussing case studies and considering the pros and cons of various craft activities. You will be motivated to embed manageable and imaginative enhancements for seasonal experiences that can be provided at school or home, using low cost/no cost resources. Spring festivals from a range of cultures will be briefly outlined. Professional responses to pressures and expectations from parents will be explored. For practitioners working with 3 to 5 year olds. Cost is only £15. Log onto the Learning and Development Gateway and search for the course code to book and pay by card.
- Tuesday 19 January 1.30pm to 4.00pm EYT 21/627
- Wednesday 20 January 1.30pm to 4.00pm EYT 21/561
- Wednesday 20 January 7.00pm to 8.30pm EYT 21/628
Online Christmas Sessions for Children from West Sussex Libraries
The West Sussex Library Service have created some special online Christmas events for children which can be enjoyed from home or in childcare settings.
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Baby Rhyme Time – three festive singalongs which will be uploaded to our website every week from Tuesday 8 December.
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Storytime – several online Storytimes are planned, featuring festive stories and a craft activity, starting Wednesday 9 December.
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Story Magic – an interactive multi-sensory Storytime, great for all children but particularly good for children with Special Educational Needs (SEND). There are already two festive stories on the website - ‘CJ the library cat’ and ‘Snowy Day’ - with more coming.
You can find the online events and more information on the Rhyme Time, Story Time and Story Magic page and also on a special Facebook group for families West Sussex Libraries – Family Corner. Use in your settings and share with families so children can enjoy them at home as well.
Please inform the Family Information Service if your setting needs to close or is re-opening. 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 closing due to COVID-19 please ensure you read and follow all the steps in the PHE South East Health Protection Team ' Managing Suspected and Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Early Years and Childcare settings' flowchart.
In the event of your setting having a confirmed COVID-19 case, if Public Health or the Department for Education have stated you must close for any period of time you must inform the Family Information Service. However, if Public Heath have not explicitly stated in correspondence to you that the setting must close, we would expect you to make contact with your Early Years and Childcare Adviser (EYCA) to talk through your circumstances, where possible, before making the decision to close the setting. If you are not able to make immediate contact with your EYCA then please email your nearest Early Help Hub using the following email addresses:
Where there are not clearly evidenced reasons why the setting had no option to close, there could be implications for funding received as per the government guidance.
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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#110 (Public health seminars, updating your sufficiency data, IT maintenance 7 December, DfE research, Ofsted research, Makaton training, EYTS training)
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#109 (Updated guidance, contingency framework, OOS guidance, planning for Spring 21 FE, transitions survey, future EY training programme, celebrating inclusion)
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#108 (Public health seminars, FE spring term estimate deadline tomorrow, autumn additional payments, spring term 30hr deadline reminder, safeguarding webinar)
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#107 (IT maintenance, Foundation Years FAQs, Attachment and Trauma webinar)
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#106 (Advance notice of IT maintenance, FE spring term estimates, reminder to submit sufficiency data)
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:
- w/c 07 Dec - Spring Term FE Estimates submissions payment expected
- 31 Dec - Deadline for Sufficiency information for Autumn 2020
- 04 Jan - Annual Census submissions open (mandatory for FE providers)
- 04 Jan - Spring Term FE Actuals submissions open
- 21 Jan - Spring FE headcount day
- 29 Jan - Annual Census submissions close
- 29 Jan - Spring Term FE Actuals submissions close
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