The West Sussex approach puts the child first. We work with children, families, communities, our partners and schools in a restorative, strength based way. Strong relationships are at the heart of what we do.
Broadcast for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex from West Sussex County Council
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Wednesday 20 April 2022
New Training Dates Available for Paediatric First Aid and Child Protection and Safeguarding Training
Paediatric First Aid and Child Protection and Safeguarding Training dates are now available on the Learning and Development Gateway. Please see the Paediatric First and Child Protection and Safeguarding flyers, which include all the available dates, locations and booking codes. To book, search for the course code on the Learning and Development Gateway. If you have any questions, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk
New benefits advice service for parents of children with SEND
Reaching Families' new Benefits Advice Service is open to bookings from parents for one-to-one professional advice on applications for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments and Carers Allowance. They also offer sessions giving editing advice and follow up support to make suggested edits to draft applications. Parents can book sessions online via their website. The demand for the service is already significant so parents may wish to book well in advance of any application deadline they may have.
They have also published a Myth Busting animation on DLA, designed to reach those parents and families who do not apply for the benefit as they think their child is not eligible. Reaching Families are particularly keen to promote the service to practitioners working with younger children or families of children recently identified as having additional needs.
- 22 Apr - Spring term Sufficiency deadline (all providers)
- 27 Apr - Summer term Actuals submissions open (FE providers)
- 12 May - FE Headcount day (FE providers)
- 20 May - Summer term Actuals submissions close (FE providers)
Network meetings ran as online webinars:
Learning and Development Network Meetings
These took place online in January and February. The network focused on reviewing the quality of your provision and ongoing quality improvement planning. View the key presentation slides and the updates shared at the meetings.
INCO SENCO Network
These took place in March and focused on Supported Transitions, SEND Under 5 Outcomes, Deferring or Delaying School Entry, and Action Planning. View the key presentation slides, the presentation from the Virtual School and the FAQ document.
To allow our Early Years and Childcare Advisors to focus their support to where it is most needed, we ask that you check for information online before you contact us.
COVID-19 guidance
Other information and guidance (WSCC)
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Practice support (EYFS, Diversity and Inclusion, health and wellbeing, transitions, legislation, regulation and safeguarding)
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Supporting families in your childcare setting (includes CLaWBA, integrated reviews)
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Tools for schools and settings (supporting the inclusion of all children in early years)
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Business support (Free Entitlement, marketing, finance, recruitment, advertising)
- Training and qualifications
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Network meetings/events (Learning and development, INCO SENCO, business and welfare)
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Online Provider Portal (submission dates, help guides)
For help to access information
To request additional support for your setting
All early years providers must follow a new reformed EYFS framework from September 2021. View the new framework to see how the changes affect you, and access updated Learning Journal materials online.
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 consult the guidance to check when to inform Ofsted.
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.
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#210 (DfE incident support line, post headcount/exceptional payment requests, SEND review, families from Ukraine, childminders and Ukraine family scheme, consultation FE2YO NRPF, education recovery in EY providers)
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#209 (Updated COVID-19 guidance and UKHSA letter, distributing stocks of self-test kits, FE estimates, FE funding rates explained 22/23, attracting and retaining talent, opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child, SEND review - right support, right place, right time, Ofsted's enforcement policy, childminder agencies new policy paper, ministerial letter to EY sector, parental feedback on 'what to expect in the EYFS')
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#208 (Changes re COVID-19 guidance, changes to self-isolation rules, closure of UKHSA advice service, education and skills consultation reminder, SEND and inclusion newsletter, reducing parental conflict)
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#207 (Updated guidance for childminders, Final reminder for Provider Declaration forms and summer estimates, change to SSP and ESA, EY transition events 2022, EY conference 2022, business West Sussex website, inspiring environments - resource for home-based childcare providers, WSSCP safeguarding under 1's podcast)
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#206 (Free Entitlement and Afghan Resettlement Programme, summer term estimates reminder, 30 hour codes deadline, transitions workshops, medical restrictions on attendance, vodcast on Ofsted inspections, support for the Ukraine, SENCO network meeting notes)
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