This week in childcare

Dear Colleagues,

These are the deadlines, information, and announcements for the week of 27^th Nov – 1^st Dec 2023.

DEADLINES / IMPORTANT DATES:

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

Core Funding Financial Reporting / Chart of Accounts

This week you received a letter from DCEDIY to inform you that following consultation with the sector the Core Funding financial reporting requirements are being reviewed and simplified. You will be updated and provided with tools, resources and training material as soon as this has been finalised by DCEDIY. A copy of the DCEDIY letter is attached.

First Aid Responder (FAR) requirement

Due to recent Tusla inspections outcome we would like to remind Providers that:

• At least one person trained in first aid (FAR) is available to the children while the service is in operation.
• At least one person trained in first aid (FAR) is available to the children when on outings.
• A list of people trained in first aid (FAR) is available.
• In-date certification for each trained FAR is available.

The number of people trained in first aid for children (FAR) and available for first aid response is based on the service’s risk assessments, including the size of the service and the hazards identified.

Refresher FAR training – 3 places available – Westmeath CCC training room

Saturday 9th and 16th December Start Time 9:30 am Cost – €150 pp

Current cert must not expire before start of course.  

Contact Shane 0877766462 to book your place.

First 5 Implementation Plan

The DCEDIY published the implementation plan for ‘First 5’, the ten-year whole of government strategy for babies, young children and their families which describes the ambitious steps that will be taken over the period 2023 to 2025 to ensure children get the best start in life.

ECCE programme rules and the CCSP saver programme rules

An updated Version 2 of the ECCE Programme Rules and the CCSP Saver Programme Rules for the 2023/2024 programme year are available on the Hive. The Irish translation will be available in due course. Please note that Version 2 of the rules covers updates in relation to “Critical Incidents”.

Please ensure to review this updated ruleset for ECCE/CCSP Saver Programme. It is the responsibility of the service provider to ensure they are aware of any new changes or updates to any policies, guidelines and/or programme governance protocols and to comply and implement any new policies, guidelines and or programme governance protocols. This document can be accessed on the Hive > Programme documents > ECCE documents/CCSP documents > ECCE/CCSP Programme Rules.

Changes to the Hive Platform

The following changes have been made to the Help & Support section of the Early Years Hive:

• The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages are now listed under the relevant headings on the menu.
• The how-to training videos are now listed under the relevant heading on the menu.
• The heading previously titled ‘Early Years Hive Guides’ has been renamed ‘My Account’ to better reflect the content covered in that section.
• A new ‘Payments and Programme Funding’ heading is now available on the menu (additional guidance will be added shortly here).
• The heading ‘Recorded training webinars’ is now a designated section for webinar materials, e.g. recordings, slides, question-and-answer documents.

These changes have been made based on feedback from service providers.

Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs

The Minister for Special Education and Inclusion asked researchers from the School of Education at University College Dublin to explore people’s experiences of EPSEN. If you are interested in sharing your experience, please see the document attached.

Covid case advice

Please find below links to information from the HPSC in relation to Covid-19 and information from the HSE for ELC and SAC providers on preventing the spread of Covid-19 and children returning to ELC and SAC settings. We would be grateful if you share this information with parents, guardians, and staff. https://www.hpsc.ie/news/title-23357-en.html (updated11thAugust2023) https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/preventing-the-spread/ https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/preventing-the-spread/child-returning-to-school-or-childcare/

In addition, please find link below to the Management of Infectious Diseases in Childcare Facilities guidance resource. https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/lifestages/childcare/File,13444,en.pdf Management of Infectious Disease in Childcare Facilities and Other Childcare Settings (2012)

For general Covid-19 queries you can contact HSE on 1800 700 700 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday or visit the HSE website https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/

Should you have any queries on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0449335454 or info@westmeathchildcare.ie