#41/2026 - Wednesday 21 October 2026
This week's newsletter includes:
- Safeguarding Focus: New legal duty to share information from 30 September 2026; Pan Sussex Safeguarding Month; West Sussex Neglect Strategy 2024 to 2029
- Childcare Expansion Capital Grant funding – applications now open
- October SEND and Inclusion newsletter
- New Learners from Birth website
- Last call for applications: National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leaders
- Reminder: Free online Level 2 Early Years Practitioner diploma - enrol before 30 October 2026
- Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years course returns
- Early Years Training: Autumn £10 expansion courses
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
Latest Ofsted news and updates here.
From 30 September 2026, sharing information to safeguard and promote children's welfare is a legal duty, not just good practice.
The duty is in section 16LA of the Children Act 2004, inserted by the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.
The government's new statutory guidance ('Information Sharing Duty: Statutory guidance for safeguarding organisations and their practitioners September 2026) replaces the Department for Education's 2024 'Information sharing advice for safeguarding practitioners'.
Read the updated guidance on the government web page here: Information sharing to safeguard children and young people.
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Throughout November, the 3 Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnerships (West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, and East Sussex) are coming together to offer a programme of free learning events designed to support everyone who works with children and families.
This year's theme is 'Safeguarding is Everybody's Responsibility' because keeping children safe is something we all play a part in, regardless of our role or organisation.
The programme brings together speakers and practitioners from across health, education, social care, policing, the voluntary sector, and many other partner agencies. Together, they will share knowledge, highlight effective practice, and explore some of the key safeguarding issues affecting children and families today. With a wide range of sessions on offer, there is something for everyone. Whether you want to strengthen your knowledge, learn more about a specific safeguarding topic, or stay up to date with emerging issues, Safeguarding Month 2026 provides an opportunity to learn, reflect and connect with colleagues from across Sussex.
Click here to view the programme and book.
Protecting children from abuse and neglect is everyone's responsibility. The West Sussex Neglect Strategy 2024 to 2029 sets out how partner agencies across West Sussex will work together to identify and respond to neglect at the earliest opportunity.
Its aim is to ensure that children and young people living in neglectful circumstances receive timely support, experience no unnecessary delay in intervention, and receive a consistent response from services when action is needed to keep them safe.
By working together and applying a shared approach, we can improve the early identification of neglect, reduce its impact, and help ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. For more information, please click here to read the full strategy.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is reopening applications for its Childcare Expansion Capital Grant funding.
Following previous rounds of funding, up to £130,000 remains available to support capital projects that create additional early education and childcare places. Applications for up to £50,000 will be considered.
Funding is available for projects that:
- increase the physical capacity of early years and wraparound childcare provision
- support delivery of the childcare expansion programme
- adapt or improve facilities to increase usage or make places available for a wider range of needs, including children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- address sufficiency needs in areas where demand is expected to exceed supply.
For applications to be considered, providers must contact their local Setting Support team before applying to discuss their proposal and develop their application with an Early Years and Childcare Advisor. Contact information for your local Setting Support team can be found on the web page linked below.
Where childcare provision operates from a school site, the application must be submitted by the school. Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) providers operating on school sites should work closely with the school to develop the project proposal and application. The school will be the lead applicant, receive any grant funding awarded (retrospectively), and be responsible for meeting applicable grant conditions.
For full eligibility criteria, guidance, panel dates and application information, please visit the Childcare Expansion Capital Funding web page.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis and considered by the capital grant funding panel, subject to eligibility, available funding and panel approval.
There is no deadline to apply. However, only fully completed applications received in advance of the set panel dates will be considered at that panel. Where possible, WSCC may assess applications outside of panel dates.
Due to the limited funding available, applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis. Please note, submission of an application does not guarantee funding. WSCC reserves the right to close applications where demand is high.
For further enquiries during this process please contact childcareexpansiongrants@westsussex.gov.uk.
The October SEND and Inclusion newsletter is available now.
Many of you will already be familiar with, and may be using, the Starting Reception website and resources to support families. These include the 'Starting Reception Definition and Support Guide, The Toothbrushing Guide and The Potty Training Guide'.
The website has recently been refreshed and renamed Learners from Birth. All of the existing resources remain available, and a series of new guides for families with children aged 0-2 years will be launching soon:
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0-3 months: The Fourth Trimester
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3-9 months: Discovering My World
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9-24 months: Wobbles, Words and Wonders
The new website includes a section for the early childhood sector, including Nurseries and Early Years Settings and a section for parents and carers.
We are sprinting towards the deadline for NPQEYL applications for the Autumn 2026 cohort. The final deadline is 5 November, and places are filling up quickly. If you or a colleague is interested in the NPQEYL, you can find information about the programme and apply on the the GLF West Sussex Teaching School Hub website.
The NPQEYL is a fully funded, online programme delivered over 18 months. It is designed for leaders qualified to at least Level 3 who are currently, or aspiring to become, nursery managers, headteachers of school-based or maintained nurseries, or registered childminders with leadership responsibilities.
If you have any questions about NPQEYL or your school or settings eligibility for Autumn 2026, please send an email to Kellie Hall khall1@glfschools.org.
In #newsletter 40/2026, we informed you of the free online Level 2 Early Years Practitioner diploma. The deadline to enrol has now been extended to 30 October 2026.
Following the high level of interest and positive feedback received last year, the council's 'Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years – Recording, Reporting and Referring: Concise and Clear' course is returning to our training programme.
Suitable for all staff working within early years settings, this course focuses on developing key safeguarding skills in recording and reporting concerns. Participants will explore how everyday records contribute to safeguarding chronologies and learn what makes an effective referral report. The course is ideal for anyone looking to strengthen their safeguarding knowledge, skills and confidence.
To book a place, please click on the course title below or log in the West Sussex Services for Education booking portal.
Safeguarding and Child Protection in Early Years – Recording, Reporting and Referring: Concise and Clear – Thursday 26 November – 7.00pm to 8.30pm – Online - £21 per person.
For the past three years, we have been pleased to offer part-funded training to support settings with growth and expansion. Our popular 'Expansion Support' programme provides access to a wide range of courses for just £10 per person, covering topics such as baby room practice, leadership, business development and many other areas of interest.
This year's programme includes 40 course dates, offering a valuable and affordable opportunity for practitioners and leaders to develop their skills and knowledge.
We have highlighted 3 upcoming courses taking place this autumn:
To book a place, click on the course title or log in to the West Sussex Services for Education booking portal.
Any booking queries or questions, please contact early.years.training@westsussex.gov.uk.
Useful information
We share a weekly Jobs in Early Years and Childcare bulletin with members of the public. You can find guidance and a template for submitting your job adverts to this bulletin on our advertise early years and childcare jobs web page. You will also find useful guidance on advertising your job vacancies on other platforms.
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:
It is important you follow the correct steps and notify the relevant teams and professionals if your setting needs to close.
Contact your local setting support team and visit our closing your early years and childcare setting web page for step by step support.
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#40/2026 (Business Focus: Food from home arrangements and Early Years Funding Entitlements, Free online Level 2 Early Years Practitioner diploma: enrol by 15 October 2026, School-age Childcare Networks, Early Years and Childcare Training Programme Survey, SEND Reform Plan approval, Benedict's Law, West Sussex Early Years Education and Childcare Conference 2027: Closing Gaps Before They Grow - open for bookings, Transition events, Early Years Training)
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#39/2026 (Good Level of Development Focus: Emotional health and wellbeing; Early Years Training: literacy and phonics; Early years SEND continuing professional development (CPD) programme - free training opportunity; Starting school applications; Disclosure and Barring Service fee reductions; Nursery World Awards 2026; Missed a vaccine? It is not too late; West Sussex Virtual School autumn updates)
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#38/2026 (Business Focus: Marketing for early years and childcare providers; Online Parent Declaration - available tomorrow; Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) for Working Families eligibility code checking; Free online Level 2 Early Years Practitioner diploma: enrol before 15 October 2026; New Martyn’s Law guidance for education settings; Department for Education Funded Inclusion Training; Early Years Training)
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#37/2026 (Have you submitted your Termly Provider Update?; Palliative and end of life care needs assessment findings webinar; Have your say on the future of early childhood; Encourage timely vaccinations; Early Years Training)
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#36/2026 (Safeguarding focus - Department for Education (DfE) and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) early years safeguarding training; Reminder: Safer recruitment considerations and the disclosure and barring service (DBS); New: Safer Sleep and Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI) prevention training; Reminder: new opportunity for early education leaders, including childminders, to join our early years provider forum; Reminder: regulated activity - removal of the supervision exemption from 1 September 2026; Sepsis Awareness Month; Update from Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub)
Update from Kent and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub
Early Years and Childcare newsletter web page.
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