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 15 April 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.
Time is running out to apply - Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF)
As announced on 31 March, and updated in our broadcast dated 8 April West Sussex County Council have secured £100,000 for Breakfast Clubs, Out of School Clubs, Holiday Playschemes and Childminders who do not offer Free Entitlement 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.
To ensure your setting does not miss out, please refer to the special broadcast for more details and how to apply. The closing date is midnight on 21 April 2021.
Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
This guidance was updated on 13 April to reflect step 2 of the roadmap out of lockdown. The following sections have been updated:
Protective measures for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
This guidance was updated on 7 April with advice on the use of:
- face coverings
- Lateral Flow Device and polymerase chain reaction testing
- self-isolation.
There is also information to reflect the commencement of step 2 of the roadmap out of lockdown.
Updated Parent Declaration Form Now Available
To accompany the new Free Entitlement Provider Declaration April 2021 - March 2022, the Parent Declaration has also been updated. Please ensure that any blank copies you may have of older versions are disposed of and only the current version is used. We will accept forms (April 2020 version) that were already signed prior to today's broadcast for summer term claims.
As a reminder, parents must update their provider and complete a new copy of the Free Entitlement Parent Declaration Form whenever the arrangements or their details change, including a change of address. The forms must be retained by the provider, for the current financial year (April to March), plus two years from completion date and made available at the request of West Sussex County Council officers or Ofsted inspectors.
The form is available to download from www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement, under the 'Additional Scheme Documents' section.
Paediatric First Aid Blended Learning
We have new dates available for Paediatric First Aid Blended Learning on the Learning and Development Gateway. Dates are being added as venues open up. Each course is £60 and includes a full day of online learning and a full day of face to face day learning in a venue. For more details and to book, search for Paediatric First Aid Blended Learning on the Learning and Development Gateway.
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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#144 (DfE data capture, twice-weekly rapid testing, childminder virtual conference)
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#143 (COMF reminder, final EYFS published, recovery and renewal survey reminder, summer term childminder network, online learning)
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#142 (SEND under 5's support process, contain outbreak management fund - round 2)
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#141 (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)
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 Apr - Summer term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 21 Apr - Contain Outbreak Management Fund 2 (COMF) application deadline
- 15 May - Childminder Virtual Conference
- 21 May - Summer term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
- 16 Jun - Autumn term Estimate submissions open (FE providers)
- w/c 21 Jun - Summer term Actuals payments expected (FE providers)
- 2 Jul - Autumn term Estimate submissions close (FE providers)
- w/c 12 Jul - Autumn term Estimate payments expected (FE providers)
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