15October 2016 Provider update email
What's in this edition:
- Updated training courses
- Improve your IT skillls
- Attachment and self regulation Conference
- Childminding agencies operating in Leicestershire
- Minimum wage rates increase
- New help for employers from HRMC
- Loogabaooga Event
- EYPP update
- Early years VCS grants announced
- Childhood flu immunisation Programme
- Electrical plug socket covers
- Safeguarding children boards procedure manual
- Dangers of choking on jelly cubes
- Emergency planning
- Safeguarding competency framework
- DfE clarification on medicines in early years settings
- The communication Trust
Training
Updated training courses
The following training courses have limited availability. Please book your place at
19/11/2016 / Attachment and Self-Regulation - Implications for Learning and Behaviour / 3858 / Leicester Racecourse, Oadby
09/11/2016 / Essential Safeguarding Awareness: Refresher / 3816 / Harborough Innovation Centre
07/12/2016 / Essential Safeguarding Awareness: Refresher / 3817 / The Samworth Centre, Melton
12/11/2016 / Safeguarding Children -Designated CM - Roles and Responsibilities / 3830 / DBS Managed Offices - Castle Donington
09/12/2016 / Safeguarding Children -Designated CM - Roles and Responsibilities / 3831 / County Scout Headquarters, Oak Spinney Park LFE
Courses to improve your confidence with IT
We have added to our Preferred Trainers area of the website information and courses to support you to improve your confidence and competence with IT equipment and software. Courses are available across the County and are delivered by Leicestershire's Adult Learning Service. The courses include absolute beginners guide to IT, using a tablet, using a digital camera and staying safe online.
To enroll or enquire about any of the courses on offer either click on the Link or call 0800 988 0308.
Special Features
Attachment and Self-regulation Conference
All early years practitioners are invited to a conference on implications for learning and behaviour, with key note speaker Dr Janet Rose. For further information please click here
Childminding Agencies operating in Leicestershire
Although in their infancy, childminding agencies are being created around the country to support childminders in developing their business.
Childminder agencies are organisations that provide childminders with a range of services, including continuous professional development, training, quality assurance checks, brokerage with parents and business support.
Childminders can register with Ofsted or register with an Ofsted registered agency.
There are currently two childminder agencies operating in Leicestershire.
- @Home Childcare is based in Nottingham. You can join the agency, who offer a full start–up support and training service or pre-registration training only, by calling 0115 978 3399, or by visiting
- Rutland Early Years Agency Ltd offers support, training and development for childminders whilst allowing them to be independent businesses.
They do this by offering a support package covering everything from newsletters and training information to your statutory obligations.
You can then add to this support, as and when you need to, choosing from a range of bespoke options.
Contact them on 07908 882120 oremailor visit the website
The minimum wage affecting workers under 25 and apprentices apply from 1 October 2016 - including:
- For 21-24 year olds increase by 3.7 per cent to £6.95 an hour.
- An increase in the Youth Development Rate, affecting 18-20 year olds, of 4.7 per cent to £5.55 an hour.
- An increase in the 16-17 Year Old Rate of 3.4 per cent to £4.00 an hour.
- An increase in the Apprentice Rate of 3 per cent to £3.40 an hour.
For workers aged 25 and over, the Government introduced the £7.20 National Living Wage from 1 April 2016. The Low Pay Commission will make recommendations this Autumn on the rate of the National Living Wage to apply from April 2017.
New help for employers from HMRC
Having employees isn't just about paying them. It's also about understanding responsibilities such as statutory payments and sending regular reports and payments to HMRC.
Their new online e-learning guidance, 'Becoming and Employer', provides all an employer needs to know and it makes a handy guide too.
HMRC also has a new series of five short videos to help and support new employers. They're available now on HMRC's YouTube channel:
New employers – the basics
When and how to pay PAYE
Payroll software and sending reports to HMRC
How to send your final PAYE submission
How to issue P60s
Loogabaooga Event
There are events called Loogabaooga running across Loughborough Library's over the half term break
The events for young and pre-school children being held at Loughborough Library are
Wednesday 19th October Booster Cushion Theatre: Little Red Riding Hood 10-11 am (suitable for pre-school) and 1-2pm. (suitable for 5+). £5 for children, £2.50 adults, per session. Children must bring a grown up.
A fun theatre show for young children with lots of audience participation needed to help the story unfold. Little Red Riding Hood's friend begins to tell the story but there are no pages in the book. So Cinderella, dancing the Conga and Jack's Baked Bean Band is on hand to help.
Note: The Library is only open on Wednesday for ticket holders
Thursday 20th October Wriggly Readers. 10.30-11.15am.
An entertaining session for children 0-4yrs and their parents/carers to come along to and join in with stories, songs and rhymes.
Friday 21st October. Author and illustrator Daisy Hirst recreating her remarkable new book 'Alphonse, that is not ok to do!' 2-3pm. £5 for children, £2.50 adults, per session. Children must bring a grown up and wear old clothes.
A chance to hear Natalie and Alphonse's story and maybe get a bit messy. A fun workshop to encourage children to create their own puppets and monsters.
Booking is essential. Online only through the website
EYPP update
The EYPP webpagehas been updated to include:
- Some case studies highlighting some ways Leicestershire settings have chosen to spend their EYPP.
- A poster to support providers in allocating the EYPP
- Two communication and language case studies 'Matilda and the Chatterbox' and 'Jake and the Story Sack' which have been developed to demonstrate just some of the ways early years providers might use children's EYPP to support Communication and Language Development.
Also available is Practical tips on allocating Early Years Pupil Premium Funding – a brief guide to making best use of EYPP, based on the outcomes of the project.
Early Years VCS grants announced
The Early Years VCS grants2017-18 are now live and can be found here.
There isa maximum of £5.2 million available in early years grant funding to VCS organisations for a 15-month period (January 2017- March 2018) to help deliver on four early years priorities:
- Supporting Disadvantaged Children
- EYSEND – Early Years Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- Workforce DevelopmentQuality
- Implementation Support
Safeguarding
Childhood flu immunisation programme - letter from CMO
The Chief Medical Officer has written a letter to early year's practitioners about the childhood flu immunisation programme seeking their help in raising awareness of the programme to staff working in the early years. We would encourage all practitioners to share the message with all of their colleagues.
A note from the Department for Education on the use of electrical plug socket covers/inserts in early years provision in England
In June, the Department of Health published an estate and facilities alert on the dangers of socket safety covers, which states that 13A electrical socket inserts should not be used in health or social care premises, nor supplied for use in a home or residence.
Childcare providers have a duty to keep children safe. Although it is not illegal to use electrical safety socket covers, the Department for Education recommends that providers should take into account the advice included in this alert when carrying out their own risk assessment.
Updated Local Safeguarding children boards procedures manual
TheLeicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Safeguarding Children BoardsProcedures Manualhas been updated.
It can be accessed at:(If the link does not work please copy and paste it into the address bar of your web-browser).
Please inform colleagues that they can register to be alerted for updates.
Should you have any queries, please contact trixon
T: 024 7667 8053
W:
Trix Policy briefings that are issued every month and can be accessed at:
Please cascade this message to staff within you agency/service/teams
Dangers of choking on raw jelly cubes
Ofsted would like to reiterate the dangers of choking from raw jelly cubes after observing nurseries in Leicestershire using it in their messy play activities. Last year the Department of Health, Ofsted, the Food Standards Agency and the Local Government Association alerted people who work with nurseries, early years' centres and other childcare settings to the risk of young children choking from cubes of raw jelly.
The call to action comes after the inquiry into the death in 2012 of Tiya Chauhan who choked on a cube of jelly during a 'free-flow' sensory play session.
Emergency Planning for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
'Emergency Planning – it's everybody's business' is an interactive resources pack that has been launched to encourage people to think about how ready they are to react to emergencies and how individuals and local groups can improve their preparedness and that of their community.
The online resource provides advice for residents, communities and local business on getting themselves prepared – prepared for winter and prepared against a range of emergencies including floods, evacuations, power cuts and flu epidemics. is a Local Resilience Forum, which includes emergency services, councils, NHS and other bodies.
Safeguarding Competency Framework
What are other settings doing to embed safeguarding learning in their setting?
Seeing safeguarding training as no longer being just formal training that is attended every three years but seen as an approach that can be more flexible and include informal training also.
All staff taking responsibility for safeguarding within the setting and not just the manager which has led to other aspects of safeguarding learning being used – for instance staff at the setting reviewed the Baby P case that was highlighted in a nursery magazine publication and brought the issues from this to a staff meeting to discuss in more detail.
National news
DfE Clarification on medicines in early years settings
This article seeks to clarify the current guidance on administering medicines in early year's settings. Paragraph 3.45 of the EYFS states that 'medicines must not usually be administered unless they have been prescribed'. This means that it must not be usual practice for an early years provider toadminister medicines without permission to do so and not that all medicines, both prescription and non-prescription have to have been prescribed for a child by a doctor, dentist, nurse of pharmacist.For example, aprovider cannot decide for themselves that a particular child needs to have a pain or fever reliever.
Both prescription and non-prescription medicines can only be administered where written permission has been obtained from the child's parent or carer.
Providers should not expect parents to make unnecessary appointments with their child's doctor to obtain prescriptions for medicines (other than for medicines containing aspirin) that can normally be obtained directly from a chemist.
When the EYFS is next amended the DfE will use the opportunity to clarify the section on medicines so that this is clear. In addition the next EYFS will include a link to guidance published by Public Health England specifically for schools and childcare settings on infection control for various conditions (including conjunctivitis) which sets out when and for how long children need to be excluded, when treatment/medication is required and where to get further advice. This useful guidance can be found here
The Communications Trust
The Communication Trust (TCT) has launched a new web page, 'Developing and Using Evidence', a resource dedicated to helping the speech language and communication sector to take steps - big or small - towards understanding evidence and developing their own evidence base.
It will bring together a number of tools, including TCT's new guide, 'Building an approach to self-evaluation' aimed at small organisations delivering children's speech, language and communication services.
Other key features on the page include, a blog sharing thoughts and approaches on what makes good evidence and a platform to celebrate mini triumphs in developing evidence.