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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Thursday 21 January 2021
Advance notice - next week's DfE data capture
Next week's DfE data capture for the numbers of children currently accessing early years provision will be open from Monday, and will close at the end of Wednesday (midnight). Please use this link to complete your return.
Updated letter for parents
Further to the Special Broadcast sent on Wednesday 13 January, please find here an updated letter for you to share with parents. This confirms the position announced in Setting update 119 on 14 January that Free Entitlement funding will be continued for the whole of spring term for eligible children, where they would have normally expected to be in attendance, where a signed Parental Declaration is in place and the setting is open for all children.
Important reminder: Mandatory Early Years Census 2021 (FE providers only)
As you may know, every year we carry out the Early Years Census for the Department for Education (DfE). The Early Years Census is crucial because it is used to calculate the amount of funding West Sussex County Council receives for free early education. The Early Years Census is mandatory for all Free Entitlement (FE) providers claiming funding for at least one child in Spring Term 2021. If you are registered to provide FE but are not claiming for any children in Spring Term, you do not need to complete the Early Years Census.
Please refer to the new guidance ‘Coronavirus-related support for submitting an Early Years Census 2021’ issued in Setting update 119.
Please read the Census letter for further information, then view our simple guide to completing your census on YouTube (six minutes). A PDF help guide is also available.
The Online Provider Portal is open for FE providers to complete the following by 29 January 2021:
- Submit your Spring Term actuals claim and
- Complete your annual Early Years Census form
Free Entitlement Spring term Actuals reminder
A reminder that Headcount day is today (21 January 2021). Please ensure you submit your Spring term actuals claims in line with the new guidance issued in Setting update 119, and by 29 January 2021. To ensure you submit your claims correctly please refer to the Actuals help guide and YouTube video, which also covers how to submit Disability Access Fund (DAF) and Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) claims.
For further information, including termly limits for stretched claims please read the document entitled ‘Claims process pdf’ on our website. For information regarding EYPP and DAF please refer to setting update 117.
Extended FE claims:
In order for a 30 hours code to be valid for Spring term:
- Parents must have applied for, or reconfirmed their 30 hour code before 31 December 2020.
- The code ‘start date’ must be before 1 January 2021 and the ‘Grace period end date’ covers the Spring term 2021.
Please note, WSCC cannot fund without a valid code.
If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Family Information Service on 01243 777807 and ask for the Specialist Team, or e-mail free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk
Local Offer
The Local Offer was introduced in 2014 in the Children and Families Act to provide parents and young people with the information they need to make meaningful choices over the provision available. Your Local Offer should provide families with information which outlines the support you can offer to children with SEND who attend your setting.
It could include information about your experience of supporting children with SEND and should outline what you might do to enable you to support all children within your setting regardless of their need. If you have not reviewed your Local Offer, it may now be six years out of date so now would be a good time to review it.
This template has been designed to support you to think through what you would like to share with parents as part of your Local Offer:
Free webinar - Understanding Parental Conflict Webinar
Parental conflict is known to be a risk factor for poor child outcomes, particularly when conflict is frequent and poorly resolved. Conflict can range from a lack of warmth and emotional distance to swearing and shouting. This webinar considers the stressors and triggers of parental conflict and how to support parent relationships. You will gain an increased awareness and an understanding of the role of fathers/male carers in a child’s life.
The course is free to attend. Please log onto the Learning and Development Gateway and search for the course code to book.
- Monday 8 February - 09.30am to 1.00pm - EH 21/309
- Thursday 11 March - 09.30am to 1.00pm - EH 21/310
Recover and Rise for local businesses
A series of online workshops aims to give West Sussex small businesses a robust toolkit to survive – and hopefully grow - in 2021.
The West Sussex Recover and Rise in 2021 programme is a series of free workshops, supported by the county council and run by Creative Bloom, Shake It Up Creative and Rume2. Topics covered include goal setting and business planning, plus critical digital skills like social media, Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimisation. You can sign up to workshops now.
Every Mind Matters
COVID-19 has impacted the whole country; for almost everyone, life has had to change fundamentally.
Research shows that since the start of the pandemic there has been an increase in a range of mental health conditions for adults, from low wellbeing, sleep problems and anxiety to depression.
To combat this, Public Health England is launching a Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign to support the nation’s mental wellbeing. It includes a free NHS-approved ‘Mind Plan’ and highlights their COVID-19 hub that includes tips and support on how to deal with change, cope with money worries, job uncertainty and how to look after your mental wellbeing.
It also includes practical tips and videos from experts on dealing with stress and anxiety, boosting your mood, sleeping better and what you can do to help others – including advice for parents and for children and young people.
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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#120 (Furloughing staff, update on EYFSP, Paediatric First Aid requalification, updated action cards, supporting children with self-regulation)
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#119 (New EY Census guidance, DfE data capture, Urgent - FE funding consultation closing soon, COVID-19 testing kits, update on Ofsted inspections, ELIM training, EY networks dates)
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13 JAN Special broadcast - Free Entitlement funding for 2, 3 and 4 year old children - spring term 2021
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#118 - (DfE data capture, updated guidance, protective measures for out of school provision, foundation years - new FAQs, HSE checks, informing DfE of cases, new online form to report cases to Ofsted, maths webinar)
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#117 (DfE data capture, DAF spring claims, EYPP spring claims, starting school applications - one week to go, springtime crafts, ICON)
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:
- 21 Jan - Spring term FE headcount day
- 29 Jan - Annual EY Census submissions close (mandatory for FE providers)
- 29 Jan - Spring term FE Actuals submissions close
- w/c 22 Feb - Spring term Actuals payments expected
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