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 22 June 2022
Free Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – Summer Term Payments
Please be advised that Summer term payments have been released for:
- Free Entitlement actuals where there are no outstanding queries.
- Disability Access Fund (DAF) for all approved applications where evidence was provided.
Please note, payments should reach your account by the end of this week (week commencing 20.06.22), as they can take three to five working days to show in your account.
The Online Provider Portal is now closed for Summer term submissions, but you can still log back in to view your payment summary. Please refer to the provider portal help and guidance PDF and open the Actuals help guide for step by step guidance at www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal. If you have any queries please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk.
Free Entitlement Autumn Term Estimates – opening tomorrow
The Online Provider Portal (OPP) will be open from Thursday 23 June 2022 for you to submit your Autumn term estimates for Free Entitlement (FE) 2, 3 and 4 Year Olds: www.westsussex.gov.uk/ecsportal
- Headcount Day for Autumn term is 15 September 2022.
- Deadline for estimate submissions is 7 July 2022.
If, after viewing the guidance available on our website you have any questions, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
30 hour codes – deadline reminder
In order for children to access an Extended FE place in the Autumn term, please advise eligible parents to:
- apply in good time to ensure they have their 30 hours code by 31 August 2022 - www.westsussex.gov.uk/freechildcare,
- log in to their childcare account to check their details are up to date, and reconfirm their eligibility by 31 August 2022 - gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account,
- contact the HMRC helpline if they are experiencing issues applying or reconfirming on 0300 1234 097.
Please use the online extended FE eligibility checker (which is always available) to check a child’s 30 hour code is valid ahead of the upcoming term. West Sussex County Council can only fund valid codes. If, after viewing the guidance available on our website you have any questions, please email free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk or phone the Family Information Service on 01243 777807.
Local Area Designated Officers - LADOs
We are the Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs) for West Sussex. We are contacting settings based in West Sussex to network and raise awareness of the allegations management process. If you ever have concerns about an individual who works or volunteers with children then you can contact us for independent advice and guidance. Please disseminate this information within your setting as it is crucial that all staff have an awareness of our role and when to contact us.
We run monthly workshops on "The Role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)" which can be booked on the Learning and Development Gateway. From September, these will be running as face to face sessions, rather than online. You can also contact us to discuss training for your team in your setting.
Sensory Food Education
Sensory food education is a fantastic way of helping children build a positive relationship with food and eating. One of the three prime areas of learning and development in the EYFS is Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED). A key part of this for children in your care is learning how to look after their bodies including through healthy eating. You can read more about this on the government website.
Music in the early years - Foundation Years Blog
Music acts as both a foundation for, and a viewing glass of, children's development. It can support early maths, young children's communication and language skills, and their personal and social development. Find out more about the importance of music in the early years and how you can use it as a practitioner in the latest edition of the Foundation Years blog.
Safeguarding In Early Years Courses
The Early Years Training Team delivers a comprehensive suite of Safeguarding courses, tailored to Early Years Practitioners and Designated Persons. A selection of webinars and face to face sessions are available. These Include:
- Safeguarding and Child Protection for Early Years and Childcare Practitioners - EYT 22/1919
- Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years Refresher - EYT 22/1771
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.
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- 22 Jun - IT downtime
- w/c 20 Jun - Summer term payments expected (FE providers)
- w/c 20 Jun - Summer term Inclusion payments expected
- 23 Jun - Portal opens for Autumn estimates
- 31 Aug - Sufficiency submission deadline
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
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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#219 (Have your say on mental health and wellbeing in the sector; recruitment on Facebook; Advance notice of planned IT upgrade; Early Childhood Hub; infant mental health awareness week; trauma awareness training)
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#218 (Advance notice of planned IT downtime, Beyond COVID-19 infection prevention and control public health webinars; safeguarding reminder; action planning to improve outcomes for children with SEND; infant mental health awareness week)
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#217 (HAF Deadline Reminder, Invitation To Take Part in Research, SEND and Inclusion Newsletter, Launch of the NPQEYL, Staff Ratios Consultation, Learning Language and Loving It, Good Practice Articles)
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#216 (Early years COVID-19 recovery experts and mentors programme; children we care for - designated lead forum; vodcast on outdoor learning; child safety week; speech and language courses this term)
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#215 (Summer term FE actuals - deadline this Friday, consultation on childcare ratio changes before summer, Tax-Free Childcare resources, new guidance on progress check at age 2, Ofsted EIF curriculum roadshows for South East, free SENCO training, speech, language and communications early years summit)
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