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.
Newsletter for Early Years and childcare providers in West Sussex
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Wednesday 4 October 2023
Changes to raising safeguarding concerns for children
A new form and webpage was introduced on 1 October 2023 for raising safeguarding concerns and requesting a service for a child. The form automatically populates the information submitted into an online database, which is then allocated to Early Help or Social Care teams as appropriate. This will help to improve the quality of information received and reduce information processing times.
You are still able to use the Integrated Front Door (IFD) phone number for urgent referrals or if you need to discuss a referral, however you will be advised to complete the online form after the phone call. The form can be located via the new webpage or accessed directly via the IFD portal form.
Warning - Online Provider Portal downtime
Please be advised that the Online Provider Portal will be unavailable Tuesday 10 October 2023 between 6.00pm and 10.00pm, whilst essential maintenance takes place. Please note, parents and carers will not be able to submit 2 year old Free Entitlement applications and our Family Information Service website will also be unavailable to the public during this time.
Keeping us updated with your staff changes
It is important to keep us updated with any staff changes within your setting. This involves letting us know when a member of staff leaves your business or a new person starts. We must hold information for:
- the main contact of your setting,
- the setting manager (if different to the main contact), and
- staff who require portal accounts.
Please complete a Staff Update Form to:
- add, update or remove a member of staff,
- request a new portal account for a staff member, or
- add or remove access for an existing portal account holder.
The Staff Update Form can be located on the Online Provider Portal and a useful help guide is also available.
Early Years Representative for the Schools Forum
Are you passionate about being an advocate for Early Years in West Sussex? Would you like to share the views of the sector and impact on decisions that affect providers?
Representation from Early Years at the West Sussex Schools Forum is vitally important to ensure the views of the sector are taken into account in decision making. We want to make sure that the voice of the Early Years sector is heard loud and clear with the impending changes around the childcare expansion. This will include being involved in discussions around Early Years funding, support for children with SEND and other support available for providers from the Local Authority.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Schools Forum, please read this flyer to find out more and email family.info.service@westsussex.gov.uk by 18 October 2023 to express your interest in becoming a representative. We thank you in advance for your interest.
Starting school applications
The school applications process is now open for families with children born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 who are due to start school in September 2024.
You should have received a pack of Starting School leaflets and a Starting School poster for your setting. Please display the poster within your setting for parents to read and the leaflets should be distributed to the families of children who are due to be starting school in September 2024. If you need additional copies of the poster or leaflet, you can print the PDFs.
You may have some parents who are unsure if they want their child to start school in September. Please talk to these families about the potential benefits and risks of delaying their child’s start to school and make sure that they understand the need to apply for a school place, which can be declined later if no longer needed. It is important that all families with a child in this age group apply for a school place before the deadline of 15 January 2023. You can visit the admission of children outside their normal year group webpage for more guidance, and is also a useful resource to share with parents.
Black History Month 2023
October is Black History Month, which honours the history, traditions, arts and culture of Black people both in the UK and across the globe. It is a great opportunity for staff to involve children and families of all ethnicities in celebrating a range of different cultures in all sorts of ways. You may already have plans for this year’s Black History Month, or perhaps you are looking for some inspiration, so we would like to share some useful resources and informative links to support your settings practice this month.
Physical development in early childhood - a new blog post from Early Education
Clare Devlin, Early Education Associate, explores the importance of physicality for young children in this new blog post for Early Education. They illustrate the ways in which children can be supported to grow and develop, and also provide links to useful resources.
Early Years Training
We offer interactive webinars on each stage of development for children under 5. Each course includes some background theory, as well as an exploration of the main characteristics and key aspects of the particular developmental stage. They are suitable for those who wish to refresh or enhance their child development knowledge. Each course costs £27 per person.
Essential Child Development – Beginning with Babies (0-2 Years) - the key word for this course is "babies".
- Thursday 19 October – 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Essential Child Development – Talking about Toddlers (2-3 Years) - the key word for this course is "toddlers".
- Thursday 23 November – 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Essential Child Development – Playful Pre-Schooler (3-4 years) - the key word for this course is "playful".
- Saturday 2 December – 6.30pm to 9.30pm
To book please log on to the Learning and Development Gateway, search for the relevant course using the corresponding key word. If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Mental health matters in West Sussex
If you are struggling with your own mental health or are worried about someone else there is plenty of support available in West Sussex.
World Mental Health Day takes place on 10 October and we are highlighting some organisations that can help you or someone you know if they need help. For information and tips on maintaining good mental health, advice on what to do if you or someone else is struggling and what to do in a crisis visit NHS Every Mind Matters or West Sussex Mind.
For urgent support you can:
- call Samaritans for free, day or night, 365 days a year on 116 123,
- call NHS 111 and select option 2 for mental health,
- call Sussex Mental Healthline on 0800 0309 500, or
- text the word SUSSEX to 85258.
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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.
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.
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:
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#285 (Safeguarding focus - safe sleep guidance; 10 step guide to sharing information to safeguarding children; autumn term 2023 headcount closes this Friday; final reminder - EYFS assessment support survey; committee run provision registration requirements; National Deaf Children's Society - early years networking groups; early help - supporting families networking event; free theraplay workshops; early years training)
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#284 (Right from the Start - Early Years and Childcare Strategy; children's workforce guide to qualifications and training; listening to unheard children report; early help - support available at family hubs; gypsy, traveller, roma, showmen, boater cultural awareness training; ICON week 25 to 29 September; early years training)
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#283 (Inclusive practice in early years settings; Department for Education Covid-19 Recovery Programme; starting school applications; Transition Events 2024; Early Years Foundation Stage Assessment Support survey; final reminder - changes to Ofsted’s post-inspection arrangements; new fire safety legislation; reminder - submit your Termly Provider Update form and Sufficiency information; early years training)
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#282 (Free Entitlement Autumn term actuals - now open: introducing the Setting Support Phone line; new Targeted Setting Support form; Setting Review Meetings; fully-funded level 3 early years SENCO training; EYFS leaders networks; talking clearly - webinar)
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#281 (Advanced notice of planned downtime; final reminder - submission of sufficiency information; cash flow management; Tiny Happy People Champion training; childhood immunisations campaign - back to nursery resources; new Foundation Years vodcast - EYFS changes from September; early years training)
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