Newsletter for Early Years and Childcare providers in West Sussex
#51/2024 - Wednesday 18 December 2024
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding focus: Making a referral to WORTH services; Photographing and filming children
- West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conference 2025: Champions of Childhood – Celebrating Early Years Heroes
- Starting school applications - one month to go
- The Virtual School support groups
- The Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme - the benefits of yoga
- Fire safety training for early years and childcare providers
- Mental health first aid (adult) training
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Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
As 2024 comes to an end and we move into 2025, we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your dedication and hard work. It has been a year of further change, but a year where the importance of the early years and childcare sector has not gone unnoticed.
The support you will have shown to children and families throughout the year will have made such a difference to their lives. As well as the day to day running of your settings, you have helped us navigate the expansion of the Early Years Funded Entitlements and wraparound childcare offers. We could not have helped families to access these new offers without you and we appreciate all your commitment and support.
Wishing you all a restful and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Making a referral to WORTH services
If you have concerns about a family in your setting experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact the West Sussex County Council WORTH Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse services. WORTH services work alongside victim-survivors to make them and their family as safe as possible.
You can make a professional referral to WORTH services, or you can contact them for advice. When a referral is made, you will be contacted by the domestic abuse team based in the Integrated Front Door. The team will work with you to understand your concerns, offer advice and plan further steps. If you need help completing the referral form, you can call the team at 0330 222 8181 or email them at DomesticAbuseServicesCentral@westsussex.gov.uk.
Photographing and filming children
In the recent safeguarding practices special newsletter, we shared advice against photographing children’s injuries to include in safeguarding records. Please remind yourself of this guidance and also familiarise yourself with NSPCC’s guidance around photographing and filming children.
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We are pleased to announce we will be running two West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Conferences. The first will take place in the south of the county, and the second in the north.
The conferences are for all early years and childcare providers to connect, to be celebrated and be inspired. We have a range of interesting and innovative speakers and workshops to energise you and your team.
Tickets include lunch and refreshments. To book, either click on the booking link for your preferred date below or alternatively, visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and search ‘conference’.
If you experience any issues when booking your place, please email early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
The deadline for applying for a school place is Wednesday 15 January 2025. Please make sure that the families who should be applying for a school place for their child, are aware of the deadline and submit their application on time.
To apply for a school place and for more information on the application process, please signpost parents/carers to www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions. They can also read the Starting School Leaflet and the application checklist.
The Virtual School is pleased to offer support groups again for staff who work intensively with children who display distressed behaviours caused by trauma.
The groups provide an excellent opportunity for attendees to meet others facing the same challenges in their settings. The supportive and open environment enables practitioners to share best practice.
Each of the four sessions will cover different topics through the eyes of trauma informed knowledge and strategies. The first session is face to face and the rest are online. For further information and booking details for these free support groups please visit the Virtual School website.
The WEPP team offers a variety of exercise videos on their website, including yoga. Yoga has numerous benefits during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Please share the WEPP team's information on the benefits of yoga and how families can access these valuable videos and resources.
The West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is offering the Fire Safety – Early Years course to fire wardens working in early years and childcare settings.
The three hour course has been designed for nurseries, out of school providers, and home-based childminders working with young children. Using real-life case studies, the course will equip you with essential knowledge and practical skills to ensure the safety of children in your care.
The course will take place on:
- Tuesday 4 February 2025 - 09.30am to 12.30pm - Worthing Fire Station, BN14 7RN - £145 per person.
For more information and to book a place on the fire safety training courses offered by the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service:
Recent data from the Health and Safety Executive highlights that stress, depression and anxiety rates in the education sector are higher compared to other industries.
West Sussex MIND is offering a two day course for staff who want to become Adult Mental Health First Aiders. This course is available at a discounted rate of £250 per person (normally £325). Staff must attend both days to pass the course. Please note that you will need to renew your qualification every three years to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. This will be subject to a fee.
Once trained, staff will:
- have the knowledge and skills to give initial support to adults experiencing mental health challenges,
- be able to promote a positive mental health culture in the workplace,
- gain access to exclusive resources and learning opportunities, and
- join England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders®.
For more information, please click on your preferred date below.
To book your place, please email: healthandsafety@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
- 6 Jan 2025 - Portal opens for spring term actuals
- 6-31 Jan 2025 - Portal open for early years annual census
- 16 Jan 2025 - Spring term headcount day
- 21 Jan 2025 - Portal closes for spring term actuals
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.
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We’re committed to providing excellent support to all providers we engage with. Please take a moment to complete our Early Years and Childcare Provider Feedback Survey and let us know about your experiences. Your feedback will help us improve our service and better support settings like yours. You can visit the web page or scan the QR code. |
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#50/2024 (Online Provider Portal downtime; Early Years Funded Entitlement spring term estimate payments; Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - spring term code deadline; Advance notice - mandatory Early Years Census 2025; Final reminder - checking working families eligibility codes webinar; Inclusion Funding - online information updated and availability for 9 months plus; Childcare Expansion Capital Grant Funding - applications open for further projects; Presentations from INCO/SENCO Networks; Bookstart packs - deliveries starting early 2025)
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#49/2024 (Changes to information gathering for SEND Under 5's and Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment, Advanced warning - Online Provider Portal downtime, Emergency closure planning and response for settings, Wraparound childcare funding - last week to apply, Final reminder - Have your say in the Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) Payment Consultation – Stage Two mandatory survey for EYFE providers, Norovirus symptoms and how to prevent the spread of infection, SEND and Inclusion Newsletter - November 2024, Safer sleep for babies and coping with a crying baby, Early Years Training)
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#48/2024 (Business focus - Management and leadership courses; Offering Early Years Funded Entitlement from January 2025; Early Years Funded Entitlement - checking Working Families codes workshop; Wraparound Childcare Funding Programme - 2024 deadline; Starting school applications; Creating accessible spaces for children with cerebral palsy; Infection prevention; Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme social media launch; Early Years Training)
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#47/2024 (Safeguarding focus - Why language matters - criminal child exploitation, Safeguarding special newsletter, Early Years Funded Entitlement spring term 2025 estimates now open, Early Years Funded Entitlement for Working Families - spring term code deadline, Early Years and Childcare expansion - funding timeline of events, Autumn Budget 2024, Kent Early Years Stronger Practice Hub November newsletter, Early Years Training)
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#46/2024 (Working families eligibility codes - Online Provider Portal webinars; Post Headcount Exceptional Payment requests for eligible working families of children aged 9 months to 2 years - final reminder; Early Years Funded Entitlement Payment consultation - Stage Two mandatory survey; New childminder category - childminders without domestic premises; Updated Ofsted poster for parents; Do you love working in early years and childcare? We need your help; Oral health support; Early Years Training)
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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