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 16 February 2021
Reminder - this week's DfE data capture
This week's Department for Education 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.
In order to ensure the data is consistent, in the section around children wanting places, please do not count children where a place has been offered but you have been unable to accommodate the attendance pattern/hours requested. Also, please do not include any children who are isolating or temporarily unable to attend due to COVID related reasons.
Contain Outbreak Management Fund Reminder
As announced on 3 February, West Sussex County Council have secured £500,000 for early years and childcare providers who are registered to provide Free Entitlement (FE) places to help with the challenges of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a temporary package of financial support in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This financial support is separate to FE funding and is taken from the West Sussex Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF). The grant aims to help address the increased costs of running your setting due to the pandemic and other issues that providers face in ensuring their premises are safe for children and staff, in order to offer high quality care and learning in these exceptional times.
Please refer to the special broadcast for more details and to apply. The closing date is midnight on 28 February 2021.
Public health action cards
Please find updated public health Action Cards for you to use within your setting. If you have any issues downloading the Action Cards then you may wish to try an alternative web browser such as Google Chrome.
Autism Awareness in Early Years Webinar – last date this term
Led by Juliette Francis from In-Trac training, who you may have met during a Safeguarding or Attachment and Trauma in the Early Years course, you will increase your awareness of the Autism spectrum and how to develop support strategies. You will explore behaviour triggers and understand visual cues and timetables, as well as strategies to help minimise anxiety. Cost is £50 per place. Log onto the Learning and Development Gateway and search for the course code to find out more, book and pay by card.
- Wednesday 3 March - 9.30am to 4.00pm - EYT 21/289
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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#126 (DfE data capture, updated Actions for Early Years Providers, safeguarding and child protection for the designated person, library service online offer)
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#125 (Outcome of FE consultation, vulnerable children in settings, slides from Public Health webinars, planning for positive transitions)
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#124 (DfE data capture, new Foundation Years FAQs, Readiness survey, free ICAN training, working with children who have EAL)
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#123 (Updated information for managing COVID-19 cases, letter from Public Health, final reminder - FE spring term and EY Census, informing Ofsted of significant events, new single route for families and professionals to access support, attachment and trauma in early years)
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#122 (Settings not currently open to all children, Local Offer revised link, stories and songs in libraries, Compass card, a look at treasure baskets for babies)
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 22 Feb - Spring term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
- 23 Feb - Online Provider Portal closed today. Reopens on 24 Feb
- 28 Feb - Contain Outbreak Management Fund application deadline (FE providers)
- 10 Mar - Summer term Estimate submissions open (FE providers)
- 26 Mar - Summer term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- 31 Mar - deadline for completing termly Sufficiency data (all providers)
- w/c 5 Apr - Summer term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
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