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 18 March 2021
Advance notice - next week's DfE data capture
Next week's Department for Education 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.
Reporting COVID-19 Cases
For all confirmed cases of COVID-19 within your setting, please continue to refer to the Managing Suspected and Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Early Years and Childcare settings document. This includes reporting to FIS and Ofsted all confirmed cases although you do not need to contact the Department for Education for each case. You should also make contact with the South East Health Protection Team in cases where:
- 10% or more of staff or children within a bubble have tested positive within 14 days
- three or more of your bubbles have cases
- there have been any hospitalisations as a result of COVID-19, or
- there is media interest in these cases.
If you are unsure, or concerned about cases within your setting, please contact the South East Health Protection Team to get some support, using the following contact details:
- Email - ICC.SurreySussex@phe.gov.uk
- Telephone 0344 225 3861
- Out of hours urgent enquiries 0844 967 0069.
COVID-19 Resource Packs
The COVID-19 Resource Pack for Education Settings has been updated and should be used in conjunction with the Appendices. This pack includes a slight tweak to the contact definition, in line with the latest government guidance, and added clarification of contact tracing on buses. Please continue to refer to the flowchart linked at the bottom of our broadcast emails rather than the one contained in these resources as it includes information specific to West Sussex.
Public Health England has also published some back to school resources including posters and leaflets with information for parents about rapid testing. Although mostly related to school testing, you may find some resources helpful to use within your setting.
Out of school setting guidance revised
The Protective measures for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak guidance was updated on 12 March 2021, removing old guidance for before 8 March 2021. This also includes guidance for providers running during the school holidays.
As of 8 March, out of school and wrap around settings can now offer face to face and outdoor provision to vulnerable children and those who require this to allow them to work, study, attend to medical needs or to attend support groups.
The Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out-of-school settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has also been updated, again removing old guidance for before 8 March 2021 and adding a new section on Asymptomatic testing.
Household and bubbles of pupils, students and staff of schools, nurseries and colleges: get rapid lateral flow tests
The Households and bubbles of pupils, students and staff of schools, nurseries and colleges: get rapid lateral flow tests guidance has been updated so it applies to nursery staff, and anyone in the household or support bubble of nursery children and nursery staff.
Teaching and non-teaching staff working in schools, nurseries and colleges should take twice-weekly tests using a home test kit provided by their school, nursery or college. This includes permanent, temporary and voluntary staff.
Members of a household, childcare or support bubble of a primary or secondary-age pupil or college student, can get a twice-weekly tests:
It is important to remember that lateral flow device testing kits must only be used if you do not have any symptoms. For anyone already experiencing symptoms, you must not use a lateral flow device but access a PCR test instead.
PACEY survey for childminders
At the start of the pandemic last year, PACEY conducted surveys to identify the immediate issues affecting childminders and direct support where needed at that time. Now, one year on, they are looking at how the sector stands as we ease out of lockdown restrictions and what effects the pandemic may have caused on childminding sustainability.
As part of this they are inviting childminders in England and Wales to take part in their survey on the financial impact of Covid-19 and their provision ‘one year on’. This survey will take about 20 minutes to complete and answers will be kept entirely confidential. If you have any questions relating to this survey please contact policy@pacey.org.uk.
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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#136 (Asymptomatic testing guidance and delivery schedule, face coverings, 30 hours deadline)
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#135 (Lateral flow device/home testing kits, childminder networks)
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#134 (DfE Data capture, Asymptomatic testing, guidance to contain the spread of COVID-19, Contain Outbreak Management Fund, Free Entitlement Provider Declaration 2021/2022, FE summer term estimate, Online Provider Portal account changes, new workshop added to virtual conference)
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#133 (Updated guidance for out of school settings, early years virtual conference, save the date - childminder conference)
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#132 (Vaccine prioritisation, Ofsted inspections, summer term extended FE, mapping the wellbeing landscape, getting to grips with EYFS changes webinar for childminders)
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:
- 26 Mar - Summer term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- 26 Mar - FE Provider Declaration 2021/2 closes (Mandatory for all FE providers)
- 31 Mar - deadline for completing termly Sufficiency data (all providers)
- w/c 5 Apr - Summer term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
- 15 May - Childminder Virtual Conference (save the date, event details to follow)
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