Management Information (MI) has had numerous queries from parents and providers this term with regards to the discretionary period assigned to 30 Hour codes. MI has since been in contact with the Department for Education (DfE) who has clarified the situation.

Prior to September 2018, local authorities (LAs) were informed that they could apply a discretion to 30 Hour codes where parents could prove they made the application before the cut-off date. The evidence MI could accept were screenshots from the parents’ secure messages section in their childcare choices account showing an application was submitted before the deadline date (i.e. before 31 August, 31 December and 31 March).

This was incredibly time consuming for LAs and providers, so in response to MI feedback the DfE developed the Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) to automatically amend parents’ start dates where an application was made and confirmed by the deadline but the confirmation was delayed. This would then automatically allow parents to be confirmed without the need for evidence.

Due to this development of ECS, MI can no longer accept screenshots from parents’ accounts as evidence that they submitted an application by the deadline. If the automatic discretion has not been applied, this means their application was not received and confirmed by the deadline and is therefore not eligible for the discretion. Ultimately the family is not eligible for the term’s funding.

If parents feel they did submit in time but their code has a start date after the deadline, they must dispute this with HMRC on 0300 123 4097 and go through their appeals process. There is no need to send a screenshot to MI as they are unable to confirm funding from this. When speaking to HMRC the parent must argue the start date of their code, not their eligibility. HMRC will tell the family they are eligible, which they are; however, their code is not valid for funding for the current term in accordance with DfE statutory guidance. It is this difference which is causing the most conflict between LAs, providers and parents, so it is vital parents understand the situation to be able to appeal their case correctly.

We continue to be concerned by the number of settings and childminders who fail to submit headcount information. In a previous Bulletin we explained that failure to submit would result in funding being withdrawn. We have recently become aware of several issues including providers who believe they have successfully submitted information or others who have submitted only half their information perhaps by inputting data for their two year olds but forgetting to repeat the process for their three and four year olds. We appreciate how busy you are and that a withdrawal of funding could cause serious sustainability issues so over the course of this year we will be monitoring the reasons why data is missing. In the meantime, MI will be updating their guide to submitting headcount data to ensure that every step of the process is followed. Please contact MI if you are having difficulty submitting your headcount.

Estimate data collection period for three and four year olds for the spring term is Friday 16 November to Tuesday 27 November.
The final payment date for funded two year olds this term is 17 December. Claims must be submitted by 7 December.

The midterm 30 Hour Audit was sent out to providers on Friday 26 October. This audit will only include children on the headcount submissions that have been paid. If there has been an overallocation on a child’s extended hours, or a KELSI check was missing, or the claim was submitted as an adjustment, these children will not be included. If a child reaches compulsory school age in spring term 2019 they will also not be included as they will no longer be eligible for early years funding.

The midterm 30 Hour Audit will highlight to providers those children who are eligible in spring terms and which children will enter their grace period before the start of term. This is an opportunity for providers to speak to the parents to encourage them to renew their details with HMRC in time for their code to be updated for a spring term claim.

DLD stands for Developmental Language Disorder. Having DLD means that a child or young person has severe, persistent difficulties understanding or using spoken language
DLD was previously known as Specific Language Impairment (SLI).
DLD is diagnosed by a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) only and is used for children over the age of five years.
There is no known cause of DLD which can make it hard to explain. DLD is not caused by emotional difficulties or limited exposure to language.
A child with DLD may also have other difficulties such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia or speech sound difficulties.
DLD is not caused by other medical conditions such as hearing loss, physical impairment, Autism, severe learning difficulties or brain injuries. However, someone with these difficulties may also have a Language Disorder.
‘Language Delay’ is no longer used to describe language skills that fall below the expected level.

For preschool children where the diagnosis and prognosis may be unclear the term Language and Communication Needs (LCN) is being used in Kent.

Early identification and support is really important and although children under five won’t receive a diagnosis of DLD we need to be look out for signs that a child has Language and Communication Needs (LCN) that might indicate DLD…
In preschool settings, look out for the following risk factors that may mean a child is at risk of DLD, where the more risk factors present, the more concerns there may be:
Parental/professional concern
Lack of progress in language or education despite targeted support
Late talkers with poor language comprehension
Poor use of gesture (although this alone may be due to other underlying difficulties)
Family history of language impairment.

It’s important to note that many ‘late talkers’ go on to catch up with peers so this alone is not an indicator. Key clinical indicators include:
History of literacy difficulties in family
Late to produce words AND word combinations, (by 24 months)
Late words + late word combinations + family history of literacy difficulties = significant risk
Verbs are particularly important – lead to word combinations and set the stage for grammatical development. Limited verbs a key marker. Generic verbs
Prognosis also lower for children with lower comprehension, limited gesture skills and/or limited imitation of body movements
Lack of expected progress in response to targeted intervention.

Language difficulties may also underlie behavioural difficulties such as low self-esteem, anxiety or misbehaving in class.
DLD looks different for each individual. The child’s specific difficulties can also change as they get older and need to develop more complex skills.

http://www.kelsi.org.uk/news-and-events/news/primary/international-dld-day-19-october-2018
A 5 minute film on the process of Terminology change https://www.afasic.org.uk/about-talking/types-of-slcn/what-is-sli/
RADLD: DLD 1-2-3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ-s02HWLb0
www.kentcht.nhs.uk/service/childrens-speech-and-languagetherapy/
www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/cypts
www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/childrens-services/childrenstherapy/

The Commission will be asking you to check that the details for your trustees remain up to date. This includes adding any new trustees and their contact details. You must make sure that each person named is not disqualified from acting as a trustee.
You will need to remove the details of any trustees who are no longer involved with your charity.
When you update trustee details, if they are linked to other charities the changes will take effect across all other charity entries too. This will help to keep the register accurate and reduce duplicate entries.
Trustees will also need to provide their home address and telephone number. This helps with validating the identity of trustees. No trustee contact details or home addresses will be shown to the public.

All trustees will be asked to provide their email address or confirm that they do not have one.
This email address will be used to contact trustees about their charity and applied to all their entries on the register.
Trustees will only be contacted by email if the Commission is handling a case about your charity, or to provide regulatory alerts/updates to help you to run your charity effectively.

You will be asked to provide details of all your UK bank/building society accounts. This information will not be available to the public.
This information will be used to make sure that charities are protecting and managing their funds appropriately., Trustees have a duty to act responsibly, reasonably and honestly and protect charity funds and assets so that they are only used to support or carry out its purposes.

Sherann Hillman MBE
Sherann is Head of Family Services for Seashell Trust which is a National charity supporting children and families in Stockport. Sherann was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year's Honours list for her Services to Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Phil Armstrong, Early Excellence Head of Regional Development South & London
Phil is the Early Excellence Head of Regional Development for London and the South, having previously worked as Head of Centre in London since 2016. Over the last 16 years he has worked across the early years and primary sector, including headship positions. His most recent role was as head of an integrated early years centre.

Delegates attended a range of workshops presented by Portage, Coram Family Trust, ASD Ashford, More than Words and 21Together. The market place provided delegates with the opportunity to find out additional information to support families in their early years settings.

‘Amazing guest speakers’!!

‘Really empowering talk which makes me remember why I work in early years and to focus on the joy of childhood’.

‘Experienced speakers in both conference and workshops, very inspiring in all aspects of early years education. I took away lots of positives which will impact on our setting’.

‘Excellent reinforcement of co-production, families need to feel empowered in decision making and clear practical advice on how to achieve this’.

‘Content rich event which allowed time for delegates to share experiences and ideas.

‘This has been the best conference by far’!

Quality Advisers are now beginning to contact ECMs to organise Early Education and Childcare Compliance Visits which form part of the Provider Agreement.  If you claimed funding last term or are claiming this term you may be contacted shortly.

It is a requirement for the designated person in schools to attend safeguarding training every two years and update their knowledge at least annually. Although there is no specified requirement for childminders it has always been a recommendation that childminders attend an update every two to three years.
There is no requirement to attend a particular type of course. Any course childminders attend must help them to meet the requirements of the EYFS. Childminders should also keep themselves up to date with the local Kent procedures. This can be done by attending local training and also by signing up to updates on the Kent Safeguarding Children Board website.
The Education People have developed an e-learning package for childminders which will be available shortly and will meet their requirements for update training. We will let you know when it becomes available.

A closed Facebook group has been set up to support Kent childminders. Registered childminders can request to join the group here. You will need to provide your Ofsted EY number and the name on your Ofsted registration certificate when making the request. Before joining the group we would encourage all childminders to check the privacy status of their own Facebook profile.

To contact any of the teams below, click on the links and an email will open automatically.

Threads of Success

Thread of Success Recruitment Hub

Sufficiency and Sustainability

Education for Sustainable Development

Improvement and Standards

Equality and Inclusion

Collaborations

Childminding

Emporium Plus

Workforce Development

Kent Children and Families Information Service

Management Information

Free for 2 (FF2) Team

KELSI

Schools e-bulletin