Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#27/2024 - Wednesday 10 July 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Recruitment and support - advertise your job vacancies
- Early Years Training moving to a new platform - final reminder
- Reminder to have your say on Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) payments
- Childcare Expansion Forum - opportunity to join
- Early Years Training
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
In May 2024 we announced that that all early years and childcare and out of school providers could advertise their job vacancies on the West Sussex County Council (WSCC) partnership job page. We have a dedicated web page which explains how to advertise your vacancies via the:
- WSCC partnership job page,
- Department for Work and Pensions platform,
- and Jobcentre Plus (JCP).
It also contains useful guidance that outlines how JCP can support you.
We are currently developing social media posts to share via our Family Information Service and Family Hub Facebook pages to advertise a career in early years and childcare. Some of the posts will be signposting members of the public to search for vacancies via our WSCC partnership job page. The more vacancies that are uploaded, the more choice potential candidates will have and this may support you to recruit.
Visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/AdvertiseEYCJobs to get support with your recruitment needs and advertise your vacancies today.
In the special newsletter, shared with you on 27 June 2024, we let you know the early years and childcare training and support programme will be moving platforms. The programme is currently hosted on the Learning and Development Gateway but will be moving to West Sussex Services for Education. All accounts must be reviewed by today, 10 July 2024 . This will ensure you maintain access to relevant accounts and can continue to access the early years and childcare training and support programme.
In our special newsletter, dated 21 June 2024, we invited you to share your views on the three possible payment options for receiving EYFE funding. So, far, we have had responses from 8% of EYFE providers in West Sussex. Whilst participation is not mandatory, it is vital that we hear back from as many of you as possible.
As part of the consultation we would like to hear your views on the advantages and challenges associated with each proposed option. There is:
- a briefing document outlining the proposed options,
- a Payment Schedules Modelling Tool, which allows you to input your typical EYFE claims to see how this would be paid via each proposed option,
- and a link to the survey.
The consultation is now open and closes 11.55pm on Friday 2 August 2024. Visit the YourVoice page to have your say.
In 2023 we set up the first Childcare Expansion Provider Forum. We have been working with a group of eight Early Years providers to share and discuss the challenges and opportunities around the expansion to help us to provide the support the sector needs during this time of change.
Ensuring that Early Years providers are involved and informed is a top priority for us. As a result of the success of the forum so far, we are extending our Childcare Expansion Provider Forum and are looking for new members to join some of our founder members. This forum will continue throughout the 2024/25 academic year.
You can read the Childcare Expansion Provider Forum Invitation to find out more and email an Expression of Interest form to free.entitlement@westsussex.gov.uk. Applications will be closing at 11.59pm on 9 August 2024.
This is our last course available to be booked on before the Summer break. It is still bookable on the Learning and Development Gateway and can be found by searching key words relevant to the course title or clicking the link on the title below.
Please remember that you are required to book a space first on Learning and Development Gateway and then pay via the payment steps and link, which are shown on the course page. Your space is not confirmed until both booking and payment are completed. If you experience any issues when booking your course, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- w/c 15 July - Autumn term estimate payments due
- 30 Aug - Sufficiency deadline for summer term
- 02 Sep - Portal scheduled to open for autumn term actuals
- 19 Sept - Autumn term headcount day
- 27 Sept - Portal closes for autumn term actuals
- w/c 21 Oct - Autumn term actuals payments due
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:
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 EYCA team using the following email addresses:
Where there are not clearly evidenced reasons why the setting had no option but to close, there could be implications for funding received as per the government guidance.
-
#27/2024 (Updated safeguarding letter for parents/carers; Early Years Funded Entitlements - parental leave; Early Years Funded Entitlements for working families temporary codes; Action required - checking codes for Early Years Funded Entitlements for working families; Childcare Expansion Forum updates; Spring term network presentations; Early Years Training moving to a new platform; Early Years Training)
-
#26/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Water safety - always supervise children around water; Heat Health Alerts - Yellow; Consultation open - Early Years Funded Entitlement payments; Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showman terminology; Dingley's Promise - Fostering Meaningful Inclusion in Early Years Settings; Early Years Training)
-
#25/2024 (Early Years Funded Entitlement autumn 2024 term Estimates now open; New Early Years Funded Entitlement leaflet; Business opportunity in Shoreham-by-Sea; Childcare Expansion Capital Funding - expressions of interest; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller month - June 2024; Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service resource; Early Years Training)
-
#24/2024 (Business focus - Changes to holiday entitlement; Sign up arrangements regarding Early Years Funded Entitlement for 9 month olds; Post Headcount Exceptional payment request for children starting between 6 May - 14 June; Early Years Funded Entitlements for 9 month olds - key messages for parents/carers; Childcare Expansion Capital Funding - expression of interest; Early Years Foundation Stage Leaders Network slides; Masters in Early Years Education with Early Years Teacher Status; Early Years Training)
-
#23/2024 (Online Provider Portal downtime, Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for 2, 3 and 4 year olds – Summer Term Payments, Business Opportunity for Early Years Provision in Horsham, Starting School, Get ready for summer – Encourage families to check vaccinations are up to date, Oral Health Support in Early Years, Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
|
