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 31 May 2023
Updated Safeguarding Letter for Parents
We have made some updates to the safeguarding letter that is to be shared with parents/carers at your setting. The letter:
- outlines the importance of Ofsted regulations,
- explains how Ofsted ensure that the services you offer meet statutory requirements, and
- informs parents about your role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children whilst in your care.
We ask that you share this document with all parents/carers in your setting so that they are aware of the safeguarding processes in place and who to contact should they have any concerns.
Adverse Childhood Experiences - Free online learning from The Home Office
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur before a child reaches the age of 18 and can have a long-term impact into adulthood. ACEs include all types of abuse and neglect but can also include more common life experiences. Examples of ACEs:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Emotional Abuse
- Neglect
- Living with someone who abused drugs
- Living with someone who abused alcohol
- Exposure to domestic violence
- Living with someone who has gone to prison
- Living with someone with a serious mental illness
- Losing a parent through divorce, death or abandonment
Toxic stress from ACEs can change brain development and affect how the body responds to stress. ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. ACEs can be prevented, therefore helping children and adults to thrive and potentially:
- lower the risk for conditions like depression, asthma, cancer, and diabetes in adulthood,
- reduce the likelihood of smoking, drug taking and heavy drinking,
- improve education and employment potential, and
- stop ACEs from being passed from one generation to the next.
Some children will join settings having suffered ACEs, or experience ACEs during their time in the setting. Adults working with children should have an understanding of ACEs and the long-term impact they can have. This understanding helps educators better support children and families, whilst considering the influence of the environment, practice and provision.
The Home Office have funded the development of a free online course that will support learners to understand:
- what ACEs are and raise their awareness of how to recognise them,
- how ACEs can damage health across the life course,
- the roles that different agencies can play in preventing ACEs, and
- how to support those affected by ACEs.
This is a course you could share with your teams as part of a safeguarding refresher, continual professional development and to support best practice. You can access the course here: www.acesonlinelearning.com.
Learning and Development Gateway Help Guides
The new Learning and Development Gateway went live in March, and it is where you can find training courses, e-learning and learning resources.
To help you make the most out of the Learning and Development Gateway a range of user guides have been developed. You can find these in the help section of the website. If you require any support with the Learning and Development Gateway you can contact the following teams:
A Better Start – national evaluation update webinar
Working with local parents, the A Better Start (ABS) partnerships are developing and testing ways to improve children’s:
- diet and nutrition,
- social and emotional development, and
- speech, language, and communication.
The work of the programme is grounded in scientific evidence and research. More information about the evaluation can be found here.
ABS will be holding regular events in relation to the national evaluation with the first webinar going live in June 2023. This webinar will present the findings from the national evaluation of ABS so far. At this event, there will be an opportunity for attendees to hear from the research teams and engage with the findings from the national evaluation of ABS so far. Practitioners, policy-makers and others working in the Early Years sector may find this session of interest. The session may support professionals to understand the outcomes of the ABS programme and how the ways of working across ABS can influence outcomes.
- Tuesday 6 June - 10.00 am to 11.00 am
You can register for the webinar and find out more here.
National Week of Play
The Early Years Alliance will be running its third annual National Week of Play from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 June. This year's event will focus on how we can ensure that play in the early years fosters and supports a sense of positivity and inclusivity, regardless of age, gender or background.
The National Week of Play will celebrate play through a range of activities, including:
- free virtual events exploring the importance of connecting through play,
- a range of tips, ideas and activities for early years professionals to try throughout the week, and
- ideas and resources to encourage parents and carers to get involved.
Parents, carers and early years professionals can register to take part and receive a free resource pack here.
New Free Training Module Available - supporting physical development in the early years
The Department for Education have added a new module to their free child development online training. The focus of this new module is on supporting physical development in the early years and covers:
- the typical stages of physical development in the early years,
- potential factors that can affect physical development,
- how physical skills impact on learning, development and behaviour, and
- the importance of curriculum, environment and relationships for promoting physical development.
If you are already signed up to this training series, you can access the new module from your my modules page. To sign up and see all of the available modules, please visit their website.
Food Safety and Sensory Food Education Webinar
Foundation Years hosted an online event on Thursday 11 May. This webinar focused on food safety and sensory food education, includes a session with the charity TastEd. You can watch a recording of the webinar and download the slides on the Foundation Years website.
- w/c 5 June - Actuals payments due
- 31 Aug - Summer term Sufficiency deadline (all providers)
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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#267 (Ofsted blog - child ratios; updated government guidance; immunisations campaign; EYFS networks; West Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership professional zone; NSPCC - infant case reviews)
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#266 (Spring budget announcements and future planning; reducing parental conflict - new resources; Education and Learning strategy 2023 to 2025; safeguarding training - domestic abuse; SEND and inclusion newsletter; National Numeracy Day)
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#265 (Reminder - new post headcount/exceptional payment form; FE administration fees and deposits; childminder grants scheme update; transition events; A Better Start research and articles; new Booktrust resource; National Week of Play 2023; infant mental health webinars)
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#264 (Reminder and guidance - summer term FE actuals; FE ethnicity information; pre-school vaccinations; early years development programme - registration open; A Better Start child development research; Foundation Years online event; supporting grandparents webinar; Early Education festival; safeguarding training - domestic abuse)
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#263 (Safeguarding focus: inadequate Ofsted gradings; possible business opportunity Poynings; claiming Disability Access Fund (DAF); toolkit to support mental health; professional development guide; sharing your coronation experience; paediatric first aid courses available to book)
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