This week's update includes information on:

• Nominate a Provider Portal User
• Local Safeguarding Practice Review
• Resolution and Escalation Protocol Survey on behalf of BSCP
• Smoking Guidance for Expectant Mothers
• New Online HUB of Free Resources for Childcare Providers
• Important Information from Public Health Regarding Measles
• Early Education Entitlement
  • Summer Updated Parental Declaration Form
  • Working Codes Autumn 2025
  • WellComm Data Collection
• Early Talk Boost

Please feel free to share this update with anyone you think would benefit from accessing this content. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact familyinformation@birmingham.gov.uk

Nominate a Provider Portal User

As you may already be aware, the Early Years and Childcare Team has launched a new Information Portal for providers called the Nexus Provider Portal. 

Many providers have already nominated a Nexus Provider Portal user. If you haven’t already done so, please do this today using our online form. You can have accounts for up to four people within your organisation. 

The introduction of this portal will enable us to:

• strengthen the information that we collect from you to support our sufficiency data
• improve the information that we can provide to parents and third parties when they are looking for childcare options
• contact you more efficiently.  

Please note: Completing this form does not immediately create your account. After we verify the nominated user form, we will send you a link to create your Provider Portal account.

If you have any queries about the Nexus Provider Portal, please contact FamilyInformation@birmingham.gov.uk.

Local Safeguarding Practice Review

The Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership is committed to ensuring that the key learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews is cascaded as widely as possible to frontline professionals across all agencies to share good practice to help improve service delivery. 

A Child Safeguarding Practice Review is now available to download on the BSCP website.

On Wednesday 2nd July 2025 (14:00 – 16:00) we will be hosting a free webinar aimed at practitioners in Birmingham to share the learning from the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review. The event will begin with an overview of the case and key learning by the Lead Reviewer. This will be followed by a presentation on safeguarding children whose parents are in mental health crisis. During the session we will share resources and support available for practitioners working with children and families in the city. Following both presentations, there will be a Q&A session to give attendees the opportunity to ask questions to a panel of safeguarding experts.

All practitioners working with children in Birmingham are welcome to join, so sign up via the below link to secure your place.

Resolution and Escalation Protocol Survey on behalf of BSCP

Please find below the link to the Resolution and Escalation Protocol Survey from the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP). The survey is designed to assess how well practitioners understand and apply the Protocol.

BSCP will collate and analyse findings and learning themes from your survey responses. Your feedback will help us assess how well the protocol is being implemented and identify any areas where additional support or clarification may be needed. The findings will be shared at the July Quality, Impact and Outcomes Sub-Group. The survey will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Please do share this email with your colleagues. The deadline for the survey is Tuesday 1st July 2025 - Thank you.

https://forms.office.com/e/kzEQjhXHJh

Smoking Guidance for Expectant Mothers

Please follow the link explaining the impact of smoking during pregnancy to share with staff, parents and carers: https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/baby-safety/being-a-parent-or-caregiver/smoking/

New Online HUB of Free Resources for Childcare Providers

If you’re looking for practical guidance and expert advice to develop or expand your early years and wraparound childcare provision, then the Childcare Works online HUB is for you.  

The expansion of early years entitlements and wraparound childcare is an exciting opportunity to support more families with high-quality childcare and education. On the HUB, you’ll find a bank of good practice guidance, practical resources, business development advice, case studies, templates and training - all in one open access, free to use online HUB. Available to all providers, whether you are a childminder, nursery, play scheme, club or school, the Childcare Works online HUB is designed for you. The resources are created by experts and backed by the Department for Education. Explore the HUB today: Childcareworks.org.uk

Make sure you sign up to receive updates from Childcare Works to hear about any future events and new resources. 

Important Information from Public Health Regarding Measles

What is measles?

Measles cases have been increasing across Birmingham. Measles is a very infectious disease that spreads easily and can lead to serious health complications, particularly for vulnerable individuals, including those who are immunocompromised or pregnant. Outbreaks can happen when not enough people have been immunised. 

To protect your education setting and community from measles, please share this flyer with children and parents so that they know how to stay safe from measles: How to protect yourself and your family from measles.

Also, with large gatherings approaching, including upcoming Eid celebrations, please remind parents and children to speak to their GP if they experience any symptoms, as measles spreads easily in group settings. If they do attend a large gathering, please remind them to stay vigilant for symptoms, as most people experience symptoms 10-12 days after contact with the virus.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms. The first symptoms of measles include:

• a high temperature
• a runny or blocked nose
• sneezing
• a cough
• red, sore, watery eyes

A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms. The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth, particularly inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips. To learn more about symptoms, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/.

What should you do if you or someone in your education setting has suspected measles? 

If a pupil develops symptoms in your education setting, urgently ask their parents to contact their GP. Parents must contact the surgery by telephone before visiting and tell the reception staff that they think that their child may have measles. They cannot attend the surgery unless they are asked to. The doctor will make special arrangements to see the child so that if they have measles, they won’t pass it on to others.

If you suspect that someone in your education setting has measles, please contact your UKHSA Health Protection team (HPT). The HPT will do a risk assessment and determine what actions are needed. You can find your UKHSA HPT by visiting https://www.gov.uk/health-protection-team.  

How can you protect yourself and others from measles?

The MMR immunisation is the best way to protect yourself and others against measles because it is:

• effective 
• safe
• free of charge

2 doses of the MMR immunisation are needed to give the best protection against measles. The first dose of the MMR immunisation is normally given soon after the first birthday, and a second dose before starting school, but you can catch-up with missed MMR doses at any age.

Research has shown there is no link between the MMR immunisation and autism.

The MMR immunisation is safe for all faiths and cultures. A pork-free version is available for those who avoid pork products. This immunisation is available at every GP practice, and it is free.

Further information on the MMR immunisation can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/mmr-vaccine/.

Early Education Entitlements

Summer Updated Parental Declaration Form

The Parental Declaration form is currently being reviewed and updated ready for Autumn 2025. This will be shared with providers as soon as possible so that it can be completed by any new or existing parents.

The new version will be emailed out to providers in due course and a copy will be available on the Birmingham City Council Document Website.

All children accessing EEE funding must have a signed parental declaration form which is updated and signed by the parent and provider each term.

Working Codes Autumn 2025

Please ensure you have checked codes ready for Autumn term, before children start. Working entitlement for children aged 9 months to 3 years will be eligible for 30 working hours, provided they have an eligible code.

Your parent will need to apply or reconfirm now before and receive their code before 31st August 2025.

Working Entitlement codes for 9 months, 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds.

(501******** / 400******** / 114********)

Please check your parents’ Working Entitlement codes before confirming places. Do you have parents that may be entitled? They need to apply now.

For existing parents is good practice to encourage them to remain within their validity dates, parents can do this by reconfirming their code every 12 weeks. Remind parents towards the end of term to do this.

Whilst parents are responsible for maintaining their codes on their childcare accounts with HMRC, we would expect providers to be informing parents and reminding them to apply or reconfirm within the deadlines. You will need to check your parents’ codes on Portal. For Autumn term, you are looking for a validity start date on or before 31st August 2025. For parents who have reconfirmed late and fallen out of grace period or parents who have made late applications after 31st August 2025, this will result in codes not being eligible for Autumn term 2025. 

Children from 9 months old affected by this will not be funded for the Working entitlement 30 hours.  Any 3-and 4-year-olds will only then be entitled to the Universal 15 hours only.

There may be a very small number of families eligible for 2 year funding under the current disadvantaged eligibility criteria who may also be eligible for the working entitlement. These parents should be encouraged to claim both elements – a total of 30 hours (claiming 15 hours of each).

Please refer parents to Childcare Choices for further information on Working Entitlement.

WellComm Data Collection

The WellComm Data Spreadsheet is intended to assist in collating your WellComm screening results. The spreadsheet includes instructions for its use, a page for entering all of your children's screening results, and an automated analysis page. This analysis page offers a comprehensive summary of the data required for completing the WellComm Data Collection form. Using the spreadsheet is optional, as you may have already developed your own, and it is for your use only and not to be returned to us. We ask that you share your screening data through the online data collection form.

Thank you to the day nurseries, childminders and preschool playgroups that have shared their WellComm screenings on their EEE portal headcount submission in May. You will not be required to fill out the online WellComm data collection form as we already have your screening data.

If you are a school, maintained nursery school or PVI setting that has not shared your screening results on the EEE portal please complete the summer term WellComm data collection form.

The deadline for the form to be submitted is Thursday 31st August 2025.

To complete the survey, please click here.

Early Talk Boost

This training is FREE and funded by Birmingham City Council, suitable for Birmingham EEE Funding Registered Day Nurseries, Nursery Schools, and School Nursery Classes.

Early Talk Boost is a targeted intervention aimed at 3-4-year-old children who need help with talking and understanding words, helping to boost their language skills to narrow the gap between them and their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 6 months, after a nine-week intervention. 

Children selected to take part in the intervention will attend three sessions per week during circle/story time, each lasting 15-20 minutes, delivered by an early year’s practitioner. The sessions activities include the foundation skills in speech, language, and communication that children need for learning and understanding new words, as well as having conversations. The training is delivered face to face and each setting will receive two boxes of Early Talk Boost resources.

The sessions take place at 9.30am – 3.00pm with a 20-person capacity:

4 NEW DATES:

• Tuesday 1st July, Anthony Road Children's Centre, 80 Anthony Road, Alum Rock, B8 3AA
• Tuesday 8th July 2025, Hodge Hill Family Hub (Dyson Garden's Children's Centre), Highfield Road, Saltley, B8 3QF
• Wednesday 13th August 2025, Edgbaston Family Hub (Doddington Children's Centre), 28 Doddington Grove, B32 4EL
• Monday 18th August 2025, Erdington Family Hub (Lakeside Children's Centre), 22 Lakes Road, B23 7UH

Settings to fill out a Microsoft form and choose their preferred date https://forms.office.com/e/znJaMgzt9C