Early Education and Childcare Flexible Framework
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Children’s Services
Schedule 2 - Service Specification
Early Education and Childcare Flexible Framework
1.Statutory Provisions Included In This Specification
1.1The Council has a statutory duty to provide secure early years provision free of charge.
1.2The following Legislation and Council policies / strategies shall be adhered to in the delivery of this service:
-The Childcare Act 2006, section 6, 7, 7A, 9a, 12 and 13
-The Childcare Act 2016, section 1 & 2
-Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five
2.Context
2.1Local authorities have a legislative duty to secure free childcare places for eligible two, three and four year olds.
2.2Every child is eligible for up to 570 hours (1140 for families eligible for 30 hours free childcare per academic year over no fewer than 38 weeks and up to 52 weeks of the year.
2.3Local Authorities have a duty to ensure that each child is able to access their free entitlement no later than the beginning of the term following the meeting of the eligibility criteria
2.4Cumbria County Council is commissioning this countywide Flexible Purchasing System in order that they meet statutory requirements outlined above.
Service Users
2.5For details upon eligibility for Early Education and childcare for two, three and four year olds, please refer to the Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance for local authorities on the gov.uk website or Cumbria County Council web pages.
2.6Please note Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance for local authorities is updated from time to time and should be referred to in case of change in eligibility.
Description of the Service to be provided
2.7Provision of free early years education and childcare for Children throughout the Service period, as more defined in Statutory Guidance.
2.8To enable The Provider to deliver the service, they shall meet one of the following criteria :-
2.8.1For early Years Providers other than childminders, registration on the OFSTED Early Years Register
2.8.2For a Childminder employed by an agency, that the agency is registered on the Ofsted Early Years register
2.8.3For a self-employed Childminder, that they are registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register
2.8.4Schools taking two years and over are exempt from registration with Ofsted as Early Years Providers.
2.9In addition providers of free 3 and 4 year old provision should be judged by Ofsted as being Satisfactory/Requires Improvement, Good or Outstanding.
Providers offering free 2 year old provision should be judged by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding.
3.Organisational Support and Partnerships
Staff Delivering the Service
3.1The provider shall ensure that staff delivering the service are checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to an enhanced level for children.
3.2The provider shall ensure staff meet the qualifications identified in the EYFS to meet adult:child staffing ratios.
3.3The provider shall ensure staff who are delivering the service are in receipt of regular supervision from a suitably qualified supervisor.
3.4Providers must ensure that practitioners have access to continued professional development arising from identified staff need.
Partnership working arrangements
3.5The Provider shall work in partnership with, but not be limited to, Cumbria County Council, other partnership agencies and relevant commissioned services. This may include:-
3.5.1Sharing information with other childcare providers to ensure that a child’s needs are met as they move between settings
3.5.2Considering how to share curriculum planning when a child is accessing more than one setting
3.5.3Helping new children settle by having an effective policy and by planning for each family’s individual needs.
3.5.4Having clear arrangements for transition to ensure children move seamlessly
-to the free entitlement for 3-4 year olds
-to school
3.6 The Provider shall initiate and developing partnerships with parents in a way that is effective and encourage all families to get involved in their child’s learning using a range of strategies.Some of these strategies may include:
3.6.1 An effective settling in period during which information is gathered from the parents about the child
3.6.2On-going dialogue with parents about what their child does at home, this could be recorded in a variety of ways for example writing, photographs, video or recording the voice of the child using an MP3 recorder
3.6.3Photographs or videos of the children at the setting could be used to initiate conversations with parents about their child’s learning
3.6.4Information provided by parents could be included in a child’s records and inform the planning for that child
3.6.5Children’s learning records could be easily available for parents to share and discuss with practitioners either informally or at organised meetings
3.6.6Parent notice boards
4.Quality Assurance
4.1The Provider shall ensure that good practice is learnt, developed, practised and shared.
4.2The Provider shall ensure a high standard of service delivery in respect of planning and recording processes and procedures; as well as evaluating the service provided and obtaining service user feedback. This includes monitoring the number of children supported through the service and providing this information to the Council.
4.3The Provider shall demonstrate quality assurance in relation to the service including standards of work and procedures in place.
4.4The provider shall adhere to Cumbria County Council’s Marketing and Communications guidelines.
5.Safeguarding
5.1The Provider shall ensure the Safeguarding requirements described In the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children’s Board are complied with.
5.2In the event of safeguarding concerns the provider shall follow Cumbria LSCB Safeguarding Procedures.
5.3The provider shall also have their own safeguarding procedures in place, including safe recruitment and monitoring of staff activity to ensure quality in provision.
6.Performance Management
Targets
6.1Providers must meet deadlines set by Cumbria County Council with regard to estimates and headcount returns. If deadlines are not met, payments cannot be guaranteed.
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Outcomes
6.2As a result of delivering this service to the desired Service Users the following outcomes shall be achieved:
Children are able to access free early years entitlement free of charge.
7.Contract Monitoring and Reporting
Reporting
7.1The work and achievements of this contract shall be reported to, at least, the following governance and regulatory bodies:
- Children’s Services – Learning Improvement Service.
- Ofsted – through regular inspections of Early Years Settings
Monitoring Process
7.2 An annual review may be undertaken with the owner or a representative of the voluntary management committee and the manager/leader of the early years setting on an annual basis in order to allocate a level of support for the setting.
7.3The Council are required to conduct financial audits to ensure funding granted to them is spent in the manner it was intended. Cumbria Children’s Services therefore shall randomly select and audit a number of childcare providers across the county on an annual basis to ensure the terms of the agreement and suitable financial recording systems are in place. The Council are also subject to external audits, so there is the possibility that a childcare provider could be asked to take part in an external audit.
Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Information Sharing requirements
7.4The Provider may be required to use ICT software provided by Cumbria County Council for the recording and storage of information relating to the contract. If required and when necessary appropriate training shall be provided. Council policies and protocols regarding its usage shall apply.
7.5The Provider shall ensure that all the necessary permissions are in place for sharing information and data with partners and service users including receiving consent from the Service User to collect, store and share all data related to the provision of the service with the County Council and other relevant partners.
When data that includes confidential data, such as a child’s names, is transferred to the Council the data is to be protected by a pre-agreed password of adequate strength that is not included in the communication.
All ICT hardware including: but not limited to servers; memory storage; routers; computers and mobile devices that are used for the communication and/or recording of data related to the administration, provision and monitoring of the service are to be protected with appropriate and adequate encryption, antispyware and antivirus software.
Access to all ICT hardware is to be controlled by appropriate physical and log in security measures that prevent unrestricted access to the device and/or its operating system.
Service Specification1