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 6 April 2021
DfE data capture
Please note, there is no Department for Education data capture for the numbers of children currently accessing early years provision this week.
SEND Under 5s Support Process
From April 2021, a new process for supporting children with SEND in early years is being introduced to replace EYPARM. As outlined in the SEND consultation, the purpose of the new process is to identify children with SEND at an earlier point in order to provide appropriate support through their early years and into school as well as reducing the administration involved in accessing support. Settings will no longer need to refer children for assessment prior to starting school, but will be involved in gathering evidence to support formal assessments.
West Sussex pre-school settings that are supporting children with SEND can speak to their Early Years and Childcare Advisor (EYCA) to discuss support that can be provided and the processes for assessment.
Children with SEND who are likely to go on to need additional support in school should be referred to the local authority in which they live. For information on referral processes in a neighbouring local authority, please visit their websites - Surrey; Hampshire; East Sussex; Brighton and Hove; Kent.
Now taking applications - Contain Outbreak Management Fund - Round 2 (Out of school provision and childminders who do not offer Free Entitlement)
Further to our special broadcast dated 31/03/2021, we are taking applications from Breakfast Clubs, Out of School Clubs, Holiday Playschemes and Childminders who do not offer Free Entitlement places to access
This is a temporary package of financial support in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, taken from the West Sussex Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF). Please read this additional information carefully before applying.
Successful applicants will clearly demonstrate how the grant can be used to offset the logistical costs of running their provision during the pandemic and any funding awarded will be proportionate to the time the provision was open throughout the different restrictions.
Applicants must be a currently Ofsted-registered private, voluntary or independent early years and childcare provider, who does not offer Free Entitlement places and is based in West Sussex. Applications will close at midnight on Wednesday 21 April 2021. Once you have read the additional information, you can apply online.
Although this funding will not be able to cover every aspect of the impact of the pandemic on your business, this grant will be a contribution towards covering some of those additional costs you have faced. If you have any queries relating to this grant, please speak to your Early Years and Childcare Advisor.
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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#141 (DfE data capture, Updated Covid-19 Guidance, FE Estimate Payments, Recovery & Renewal Survey, Virtual Childminder Conference)
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#140 (Asymptomatic testing letter for parents, Ofsted inspections, Contain Outbreak Management Fund round 2, Talking Heads with our LADOs)
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#139 (FE - Provider Declarations, Asymptomatic Testing Guidance, Qualifications Pathway, Public Health Webinar, SEND Survey, Reporting COVID-19 cases over the holidays)
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#138 (Asymptomatic Testing for Childminders and Parents of Under 5s, Shielding Update, Free Entitlement deadlines, provider declaration and indicative budgets, Cyber-attack warning)
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#137 (Reporting COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 resource packs, revised OOS guidance, household and bubbles get rapid lateral flow tests, PACEY survey)
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 5 Apr - Summer term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
- 14 Apr - Deadline for Sufficiency submission
- 21 Apr - Summer term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 15 May - Childminder Virtual Conference (save the date, event details to follow)
- 21 May - Summer term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 21 Jun - Summer term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
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