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 21 December 2022
From all within the Family Information Service and Early Years and Childcare teams, we wish you a restful and relaxing Christmas and thank all the early years and childcare providers for the significant work you have been doing over the last year. For those who are able, we hope that you can spend time with your own families and friends and take a break. It is not always easy to do this, however your health and wellbeing is important, as is the time you need to spend with your own families.
With the cost of living crisis, we appreciate how incredibly tough this year has been on children, families, staff and managers. We also know that winter, Christmas and the festive holidays can be a really difficult time for some and you can find lots of information, support and links to further help online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/YourMindMatters.
This will be our last planned weekly broadcast for 2022 and will recommence in the new year on Wednesday 4 January 2023.
Staff Supervision
Providing supervision for staff is a requirement of the EYFS Statutory Framework:
3.22. Providers must put appropriate arrangements in place for the supervision of staff who have contact with children and families. Effective supervision provides support, coaching and training for the practitioner and promotes the interests of children. Supervision should foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement, which encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues.
3.23. Supervision should provide opportunities for staff to:
- discuss any issues – particularly concerning children’s development or well-being, including child protection concerns
- identify solutions to address issues as they arise
- receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness
If you do not have robust supervision arrangements in place currently, including effective recording of these meetings, then this must be a priority for you to put this in place. Childminders with assistants must also provide supervision for their staff team.
Setting managers should also have supervision in place. Depending on the set up of your provision, this could be provided by the setting owner, the committee or area supervisor. Managers who also own their own business may also benefit from supervision to provide them with support and mentoring in their role and may wish to link with another manager in a similar position to provide mutual support.
Settings can develop their own templates for recording supervision notes - these serve as both prompts to structure the conversations as well as records of discussion and agreed actions to refer back to. You may wish to use this template to support you.
LADO E-Learning Module
We are pleased to announce a recently launched Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Introduction e-learning module.
This online learning module is for everyone in West Sussex who has contact with adults who work or volunteer with children and/or young people in the county. It will help you to know what to do when you have concerns about an adult's behaviour towards children and young people.
By the end of the module, you should:
- be able to recognise inappropriate adult behaviour when working, volunteering with or caring for children and young people;
- feel confident in sharing your concerns in the right way;
- understand the role of the LADO;
- feel confident about what you should refer to the LADO;
- understand how we manage allegations and safeguarding concerns; and
- be able to plan your next steps in better protecting the children and young people in West Sussex.
You can access this training by using this link. For any access queries please email learninganddevelopment@westsussex.gov.uk.
Important: Early Years Census 2023 - advance notice (FE providers only)
As you may know, every year we carry out the Early Years Census for the Department for Education (DfE). The Early Years Census is crucial because it is used to calculate the amount of funding West Sussex County Council receives for free early education. The Early Years Census is mandatory for all Free Entitlement (FE) providers claiming funding for at least one child in Spring Term 2023.
Providers will need to do the following tasks via the Online Provider Portal between 4-27 January 2023:
- Submit your Spring Term FE actuals claim.
- Complete your annual Early Years Census form.
For your information: Headcount day is Thursday 19 January 2023.
Please note, if you are registered to provide FE but are not claiming for any children in Spring Term, you do not need to complete the Early Years Census.
Further information will be communicated via the weekly broadcast emails in January 2023.
Early Years Training Update - courses running throughout January 2023 are booking up fast
Makaton Foundation Level 1 (Webinar) is a full day course for all early years and childcare settings. The aim of this course is to provide you with a detailed introduction to Makaton Foundation Level. It combines a practical approach with theory and technical information, as well as an experiential introduction to communication disability. The cost of this course is £75 per place and includes a high quality booklet to accompany the course, and for future use, and certificate on completion.
- Saturday 14 January - 9.30am to 4.30pm - EYT 23/218
- Monday 20 February - 9.30am to 4.30pm - EYT/23219
Makaton Foundation Level 2 (Webinar) is for all settings and schools with early years provision. Why not complete your certified Makaton Foundation by attending Level 2? You must have completed Level 1 to attend. Level 2 enables you to recognise, support and interact using the signs and symbols for Stages 3, 4 and part B of the additional stage from the core vocabulary. The cost of this course is £75 per place and includes a high quality booklet to accompany the course, and for future use, and certificate on completion.
- Friday 20 January - 9.30am to 4.30pm - EYT 23/220
- Saturday 25 February – 9.30am to 4.30pm - EYT 23/221
A Look at Dynamic Displays (Webinar) is a 90 minute webinar and is suitable for all practitioners working with children aged 3 plus and managers/deputies may wish to cascade to setting staff. You will explore and understand that an effective display, which involves your children, is a creation of the world from the eyes of a child. Learn to involve children in every stage of its creation, continuation, interaction and dismantling. You will establish approaches that celebrate and extend learning both “in the moment” and over several weeks. The cost of this course is £16 per place.
- Tuesday 24 January – 7.00pm to 8.30pm – EYT 23/586
- Tuesday 7 March - 7.00pm to 8.30pm - EYT 22/1870
What's love got to do with it? Developing a loving environment in your setting (Webinar) is suitable for Managers. In this half day course you will gain an awareness and understanding of the concept of a loving pedagogy. Explore and foster the use of different love language and review and evaluate practice in the light of a loving pedagogy, within your setting. The cost of this course is £26 per place.
- Thursday 26 January – 9.30am to 12.30pm – EYT 23/1965
A Look at This Season’s Learning Opportunities – Minimum Cost, Maximum Fun! (Webinar) is a 90 minute webinar and is suitable for the pre-school sector for children aged between 2 and 5. You will explore how to deliver and support child-centred, playful practice which promotes independence and creativity, explore the features of a responsive and evolving child-initiated learning environment, both indoors and outdoors across a range of areas of learning. Managers may wish to cascade this to setting staff. The cost of this course is £26 per place.
- Tuesday 31 January - 7.00pm to 8.30pm - EYT 22/1903
Theraplay Informed Workshops for Settings is a three hour workshop and is suitable for early years practitioners providing an introduction to Theraplay principles and activities. Theraplay is a therapeutic intervention based on the pattern of interaction between a mother and a secure infant. First developed in 1967, it is a structured play experience for a child and their primary care giver. The goal of Theraplay is to enhance attachment, self-esteem and trust in others through joyful engagement.
- Friday 27 January – 9.00am to 12.00pm – EYT 23/499
To book any of the above courses, simply visit the Learning and Development Gateway at www.westsussexcpd.co.uk and search for the course by typing the EYT code.
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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#245 (Scarlet Fever management webinar; Starting School applications - one month to go; checking eligibility for 2 year old FE; DfE childminder mentor programme; early years equality - campaigning for better funding; setting fees; slides from network meetings)
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#244 (Rise in Scarlet Fever, Level 3 cold weather alert; Spring Term FE claims - 30 hour code deadline reminder; sufficiency update deadline approaching; consultation on level 3 early years educator qualification; flu vaccination information for early years providers; proposed changes to Worthing primary school places)
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#243 (Safeguarding focus: safe arrivals and departures; safer sleep in winter; safeguarding training; spring term courses; support for families with English as an additional language; starting school questionnaire; invest4 grant fund; national professional qualification in early years leadership; casting long shadows - new report from the first 1001 days movement; foundation years vodcast on improving the home learning environment; opportunity to help develop support for children with SEND; SEND and inclusion newsletter)
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#242 (Final reminder - FE spring term estimates; post headcount/exceptional payment requests; local offer information; supporting parents with childcare costs; HAF programme; EYPDP - phase three; first early years stronger practice hubs announced; best start in life review; measuring wellbeing in early years settings; five to thrive essentials; a look at dynamic displays)
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#241 (Childcare survey results; termly childcare provider update form; drones and education settings; DfE childminder mentor programme; DfE EY SENCO training; new foundation years blog; intermediate child development)
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