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 29 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.
Contain Outbreak Management Fund - Round 2 Update
We had 134 applications for the latest round of funding, and we are working hard to assess these and inform you of the outcomes. We had hoped to inform you this week but unfortunately there has been a slight delay. It is our intention to get back to you with the outcome of your application early next week. We are hopeful that this will not delay any payment schedules.
COVID-19 Testing Update
The Department for Education have asked us to share this letter with all of our early years providers in case there are errors in the contact details they hold and this has not reached you.
Reporting Positive cases of COVID-19
It is really encouraging to see that the rates of positive cases are currently low. Thank you for all that you are doing in your settings to reduce any spread of infection. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that the Family Information Service and Ofsted should be informed of all positive cases within early years and childcare settings. For more information about what to do if there is a positive case of COVID-19 within your setting, please refer to the 'Managing Suspected and Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Early Years and Childcare settings' flowchart. The link for this can be found towards the end of every broadcast email.
Get a PCR test if symptomatic
The guidance What to do if a child or adult is displaying symptoms or is a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in an early years setting, outlines the needs for PCR testing for everyone who is symptomatic including children. It states:
- The child should start isolating and get a test. The child and their household should follow the “stay at home guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19).”
- The stay at home guidance states: If you have symptoms of COVID-19, arrange to have a PCR test, if you have not already had one, and not a Lateral Flow Device test.
Ventilation
Adequate ventilation helps reduce the risk from aerosol transmission, so settings should consider ventilation alongside other control measures needed to reduce risks of transmission as part of making your workplace COVID-secure, such as social distancing, keeping your workplace clean and frequent handwashing.
The Health and Safety Executive have produced guidance in relation to ventilation and includes details on the factors to consider when deciding on the ventilation needed in your work areas.
Disability Access Fund – Summer term claims
You can claim the Disability Access Fund (DAF) for 3 and 4 year old children who are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), if they are receiving Free Entitlement funding. The DAF is a one off payment of £615 per year for each eligible child. Please note, providers can claim for a second DAF payment three terms after the initial DAF payment was received.
For further information please visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement and refer to the document entitled ‘Disability Access Fund (DAF)’.
You must e-mail a copy of the DLA award letter and signed Parent Declaration form to free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk and follow the FE actuals guidance which covers how to submit a DAF claim.
Early Years Pupil Premium Summer term claims
A reminder that Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) claims must be submitted at the same time as your Free Entitlement actuals data via the Online Provider Portal. As communicated in setting update 138, all children in receipt of EYPP will automatically have the £0.47 Deprivation supplement applied, resulting in a combined rate of £1.00 per hour (EYPP + Dep).
In order for a child’s EYPP eligibility to be checked, you must submit the following information as part of your actuals claim:
- Enter Parent/Carer details, and
- tick the consent box under the ‘Parent/Carer details’ section of the funding claim.
Please refer to the ‘Provider portal help and guidance’ document and view the Actuals help guide, step 10, for detailed guidance. For further information regarding EYPP and identifying eligible children go to www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsfreeentitlement and refer to the document entitled ‘Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) pdf’. If you have any queries please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Working with pregnant people and/or families with a child under the age of 1
Childcare providers this applies to are invited to take part in a survey to understand awareness and use of a service that addresses alcohol use in pregnancy and among parents/carers of young children (aged under 1).
The West Sussex Public Health and Social Research unit are conducting this survey as part of a wider evaluation of a new referral pathway and service to support people who use alcohol in pregnancy and/or during the first year of parenthood. Findings from this survey will be used to inform further work to help professionals support families with alcohol related issues.
The survey can be accessed here and is open until Monday 17 May 2021. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback is important so please take a few minutes to complete the survey. All information provided is kept confidential and no identifiable information will be used in our report. Thank you for your time.
Childminder Virtual Conference - Workshop focus
The West Sussex Virtual Childminder Conference 2021 is on Saturday 15 May 2021, 9.30am to 2.00pm and is free. This week, our workshop focus is ‘Enabling environments: Thinking with space and place in childminder homes and gardens’ by Dr Nikki Fairchild from University of Portsmouth. Enabling environments are a key aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This workshop will explore how space/place impacts practitioners and children, consider how enabling environments are set up and what they ‘do’ for practitioners and children. Interested? To find out more and book your place, go to Eventbrite and search for Childminder Conference 2021 - ‘Putting Children First’.
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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#148 (DfE data capture, data retention period for testing log, Makaton)
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#147 (updating your Local Offer information, EYFS update, Ofsted update, Foundation Stage Forum subscription and Tapestry discount, Tools for Schools and Settings, Paediatric First Aid)
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#146 (final chance to apply for COMF, COVID-19 last public health webinar, FE summer term actuals, extended FE claims, school transitions Sept'21, CM conference - superhero play)
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#145 (COMF, updated EY guidance, updated OOS guidance, new Parent Declaration form, paediatric first aid)
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#144 (twice-weekly rapid testing, childminder virtual conference)
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:
- 6 May - Free Entitlement Summer term 'headcount day'
- 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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