Evaluación de la fiabilidad

• At the start of the 3 funding periods send providers a pre-populated form, listing all the children eligible for the Early Years Entitlement.

• Notify all providers of how many hours funding has been allocated to individual children and when the actual payment will be made. Providers are responsible for checking that the amounts are correct.

• Treat all providers equally.

• Work co-operatively with providers and parents to ensure agreement, mutual support and transparency regarding the provision and funding of Early Years Entitlement places.

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SECTION 5 – WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

Objective: Somerset County Council and providers work effectively together to ensure

children can access the Early Years Entitlement in a variety of settings that meet the needs of their family.

5.1

Parents

Securing the best possible outcomes for children means delivering an entitlement which is high quality, flexible and accessible and gives parents choices about what is best for their children.

Somerset County Council provides information and guidance about childcare and related issues through Somerset Family Information Direct which helps parents make informed choices. Information is available on-line at www.somersetfid.co.uk. There is also a local rate helpline 0300 123 2224.

Somerset Direct also offers a Childcare Finder (brokerage) service who help parents find local solutions to their childcare needs.

Providers must take steps to make parents aware that they are eligible for funded places. Somerset County Council has leaflets available giving information concerning the Early Years Entitlement. These are available from the Entitlements Team, Somerset County Council, County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY, Email [email protected]. The leaflets maybe provided in a range of languages on request.

Welcome to Somerset’ is a resource for parents of children with English as an additional language.

A new film clip has been produced which gives brief information about childcare options in Somerset, in English and 10 other languages. There is also a pack of information that early years providers can share with parents and carers whose first language is not English. Please visit: www.pre-school.org.uk/somerset/eal-advisory-service to download the information.

5.2

Complaints Procedure

Parents/carers who are not satisfied that their child has been able to access their full Early Years Entitlement should discuss their concerns with their provider in the first instance to see if a resolution can be found. The complaints procedure set out in the provider’s prospectus should be followed. Parents/carers may contact the Entitlements team to clarify their child’s eligibility and entitlement hours.

Our expectation is that most complaints can be managed locally as they arise and parents/carers are welcome to contact the Somerset County Council Entitlements Team if they would like advice about the complaints procedure.

5.3

Provider Agreements

The Local Authority has provider agreements with all providers delivering the Early Years Entitlement and encourages collaborative working between provisions.

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Partnership working underpins the successful delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The EYFS Guidance states: “Providers must enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and/or carers, and between providers, if a child is attending more than one setting”

Providers sharing delivery need to maintain regular communication channels and the expectation is that they will arrange opportunities to meet together to share and discuss relevant information particularly around times of transition. They should attend cluster meetings whenever possible.

We strongly encourage providers to adopt collaborative agreements with their local getset services to facilitate working together and the sharing of information. This is particularly important if the provider is offering funded places for two years olds. Where providers are operating on school sites, they need to be working in close partnership with the school. The Local Authority would expect to see a written partnership agreement as evidence of this relationship.

5.4

Unexplained Absences

In the event of unexplained and unplanned absences, for example, if there is a break in the child’s normal attendance pattern with no explanation, it is recommended that the provider makes every effort to contact the family and ascertain the reason for non- attendance and share any concerns. A contact log should be kept, recording all attempts to make contact. Providers should make sure that their safeguarding policies include this procedure and that any concerns are reported immediately to Somerset Direct on 0845 345 9122.

5.5 Transitions between Settings

Providers need to plan for and successfully manage the transition process between home and setting, between different settings, and between setting and school. The EYFS states that “each child must be assigned a key person”. The role of this person is to help the child become familiar with the setting and build a relationship with their parents. Providers need to develop strategies to ensure continuity of experience for children. This includes making sure that information about children’s progress is passed on to the next setting. Providers must be aware of their responsibilities to share information and understand the need to protect the privacy of the children in their care.