FIS Newsletter September 2012

Family Information Service.

Volume 3, Issue4 September 2012

Professional Qualifications There has never been a better time to achieve a formal childcare and/or playwork qualification?

FAMILY INFORMATION SERVICE NEWSLETTER

CITY & COUNTY OF SWANSEA

Your course options could include; • Children’s Care Learning & Development – Levels 1,2,3 or 5 • Playwork level 2 and 3 Your choice of venue could include; • The City & County of Swansea Employment Training Department http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=32394 •

Gower College Swansea http://www.gowercollegeswansea.ac.uk/

Funding options; If you are currently employed for more than 16 hours per week you might be eligible to receive funding from Employment Training or Skills for Industry funding.

Skills For Industry – your employer would need to apply for this. Skills for Industry would pay for everything except registration and certification which is approximately £110.00 and this cost would have to be met by your employer. It can’t be accessed by public funded organisations but private companies, self employed and charities should be eligible.

For information on Skills for industry Funding please click the link below: http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/news/latest/111013skillsforindustry/?lang=en For further information abouth the funding available from Empolyment Training – please contact 01792 482600

Candidates can also apply to the Family Information Service Workforce Development grant to cover the registration fee.

If you are not in paid employment and would like to complete any of the courses mentioned relating to childcare and playwork you could request a funding application form from the Family Information Service Workforce Development Grant.

For further information please contact: Helen Davies Gower College Swansea 01792 284132 Claire Bevan / Claire Hayes Employment Training 01792 482698 Kelly Wake (Playwork) Children’s Play Team 01792 635156 Claire Wilkins (Childcare) Early Years Team 01792 517222 Christopher Jones (Funding) Family Information Service 01792 1 517222

Catch it, Kill it, Bin it.

How many times this year have you and your family caught colds? We all know that toddlers seem to have constantly streaming noses, but does the cold virus tend to bounce from one family member to the next during the colder months in your house?

It's probably not as high up on your agenda as the current economic crisis or violent crime but unfortunately you can't solve those problems simply by taking better care with your respiratory and hand hygiene.

The Department of Health has launched the CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT campaign to help reduce the spread of cold, flu and other viruses. Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, disposing of the tissue as soon as possible and cleaning your hands as soon you can are important actions that can help prevent the spread of germs.

Research has revealed that people don’t understand what a huge difference using and disposing of tissues correctly and washing hands can make in helping prevent the spread of the common cold and the more serious flu virus. Most adults suffer two to five colds a year and infants and preschool children have seven to ten.

The messages of CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT are simple: • CATCH IT Germs spread easily. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze.

• BIN IT Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of them as soon as possible • KILL IT Hands can transfer germs to any surface you touch. Clean your hands as soon as you can.

Accident Prevention Every year in Wales, around 15,000 children under the age of 5 attend Emergency Departments as the result of an accident.

These accidents often result in serious and disabling injuries and importantly, the majority of them are preventable.

As Autumn and Winter approaches, soon the clocks will be turned back and the hours of darkness will be more prevalent you might like to undertake a project with the children in your care which looks at Road Safety, Cycle Safety, Safety during Bonfire Night, Lantern Parades etc. http://www.capt.org.uk/ Here are some colouring in activities you might like to use with the children in your care. . http://www.capt.org.uk/sites/default/files/activity/Colourful%20road%20safety_0.pdf http://www.capt.org.uk/sites/default/files/activity/Colourful%20cycling_0.pdf http://www.capt.org.uk/sites/default/files/activity/Colour%20me%20safe.pdf 2

Jump Rope for Heart Artie’s Olympics is a fun activity-based scheme designed by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for children aged 3–8 years old. Its aim is to encourage young children to get active and enjoy physical activity whilst raising funds for the nation’s heart charity and their nursery, school or group.

This scheme is suitable for nurseries, Infant schools, Beaver Scouts, Rainbow Guides, as well as any other group that works with young children.

Over a course of days or weeks, you will teach the children new games and activities, which you can pick from a wide selection given in the Artie’s Olympics Organiser’s Guide. All activities are easily adaptable to suit the age and abilities of the children involved.

By organising an Artie’s Olympics event, you and your children can have fun, and help the nation’s heart charity to saves lives. All you have to do is either ring 01892 893913 or email arties@bhf.org.uk

First Year as Manager in Early Years Services The Care Council Wales is developing a complimentary practice resource guide ‘First Year as a Manager in Early Years Services’ It aims to contribute to the professionalisation of the Early Years Workforce by developing and enhancing the knowledge, skills and values of those newly appointed managers.

The guidance will: • Produce ‘easy read’ guidance to assist new managers with their managerial roles that does not duplicate but complements the other Early Years Guidance currently available; • Produce guidance that is linked to and underpins the ACT level 5 ‘Caring for children and learning and Development’; • Produce guidance that is linked to relevant National Occupational standards; • Be a source of information and reference for new Early Years Managers; • Develop confident and competent managers; and Develop knowledge of management skills.

All CSSIW registered and unregistered provision across Wales are being invited to complete a survey on the following link to obtain essential information for the resource. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FirstYearasaManagerinEarlyYearsServices_PracticeGuidance

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No outdoor play “hurts children�

Children's health is suffering because they are losing the chance to play outside, a group of experts has warned.

The decline in "unstructured, loosely supervised" play is adversely affecting children's mental health, it also threatens young people's long-term development, A recent Unicef finding stated that British children were among the unhappiest in a league table of 21 industrialised countries due to their lack of outdoor play opportunities.

'Real play' - socially interactive, first-hand, loosely supervised - has always been a vital part of children's development, and its loss could have serious implications.

Experts state "Just as the epidemic of childhood obesity recently took the developed world by surprise, too much 'junk play' could (like too much junk food) have alarming implications for the next generation."

Every child has the right to daily outdoor learning and as much value should be placed on the outdoor environment as inside. The same amount of resources, planning, time and money should go into providing the outdoor space as the indoor one and it should not be viewed as an optional extra. Do you provide ample outdoor play opportunities for the children in your care?

The City & County of Swansea will soon be undertaking a Play Sufficiency Assessment which will consider measures used to promote access to play, the play workforce, space where children can play, including open space, supervised play provision etc, etc.

For further information please contact the City & County of Swansea Play Development Team on 01792 535154

Early Support

Is the Welsh Government mechanism to improve services for disabled children and children with additional needs and their families.

Early Support has developed a range of resources and training that are aimed at bringing service providers together to work in partnership with the family to ensure the child and family's requirements are met. The aim is to put parents at the centre of the planning process. The development of the Early Support resources and the training began in England 4 and have been updated them, made improvements where necessary and adapted them to fit the Welsh context. To find out more information and order your free materials please log onto www.earlysupportwales.org.uk

Youth & Childcare Focus Grant 2012-13

Early Years Development Team – Youth & Childcare Focus Grant 2012-13 2nd ROUND We are now inviting applications to the second round of Youth & Childcare Focus Grants.

We are looking for applications from new and existing establishments that support children, young people and/or families and can demonstrate an integrated approach to child and/or youth care via the provision of quality, affordable and accessible services which help families address their work/ life balance.

The closing date for applications is Friday 28 September 2012.

Documents can be downloaded from www.swansea.gov.uk/fis or for further information please contact the Family Information Service Team on 01792 517222.

Childcare Event

Swansea Family Information Service delivered a multi agency networking event at Swansea Children Centre, Penlan, Swansea on the 4th July 2012 as part of National Childcare Week .

The event was attended by many different organisations including Work Ways, Design to Smile, Foster Swansea, Language & Play, Mobile Toy Library, Genesis2, Flying Start who all promoted the work they undertake.

Childcare Providers Forum The Family Information Service is always exploring new ways to improve communication with providers and is keen to find out what you think about the development of a web based Childcare Providers Forum. If you would find this an useful way of communicating, networking and sharing good practice then please let us know by contacting us on 01792 51722 or e-mail fis@swansea.gov.uk

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Working with Businesses in the Local Authority

As a Family Information Service we are constantly looking at methods to help families that live in Swansea find suitable childcare. Many parents need to source childcare to enable them to work.

As a childcare provider, do you currently “contract” with any businesses in Swansea in order to provide a family friendly service for their employees? This might be in the form of allocating a small number of childcare places or reduced rates for parents working for particular companies.

If so we would like to find out more. If your business offers any of the services below, or maybe something else we haven’t thought about then please complete the attached, returning to us either by email - fis@swansea.gov.uk or to FIS, 5th Floor, Oldway, 36 Orchard Street, Swansea. SA1 5LD.

•

Do you offer any reduced rates for businesses? Yes

No

If yes please list which businesses:_____________________________________________ •

Do you offer any reserved spaces for children of parents that work for any businesses?

Yes No. If yes please identify which businesses and how many spaces are reserved: ______________________________________________________________

•

Do you offer any other incentives for parents from specific businesses? if so, please tell us.

__________________________________________________________________________ •

Would you be interested in offering any of the above, if there was a demand from specific businesses? Yes No

•

If you have answered Yes to the above question, what type of incentive could you offer e.g 10% discount, specific number of childcare places etc._____________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Early Years Development Team 5th Floor – Oldway Centre 36 Orchard Street Swansea SA1 5LD 01792 635400 / 01792 517222 E-mail: fis@swansea.gov.uk Website: www.swansea.gov.uk/fis Keep updated on all the latest news by subscribing to our free service!

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