The Childcare Team in
Northumberland responsibilities are to:
- support the development of new childcare
places
- support the development of the early years
and childcare workforce
- promote the quality of services
- ensure key elements of the Sure Start
Programme are delivered.
Childcare Development Team consists of:
- Claire Tait, who covers the Central area
in Northumberland, this includes: Ashington, Bedlington,
Choppington, Lynemouth, Morpeth, Newbiggin and
Pegswood.
- Maureen Doherty, who covers the North of
Northumberland, this includes: Alnwick, Amble, Belford,
Bamburgh, Berwick, Felton, Coquet, Rothbury, Seahouses and
Wooler.
- Jill Prescott, who covers the West of
Northumberland, this includes: Corbridge, Halthwistle,
Hexhan, North Tyne, Ponteland and Prudhoe.
- Diane Williamson, who covers the South East of
Northumberland, this includes: Blyth, Cramlington, Seaton
Deleval and Seaton Sluice.
Role of the development worker is to:
- provide information, advice and training to
all childcare providers
- develop new childcare places in areas of
identified need.
- facilitate engagement by childcare providers
with initiatives such as Children’s Centre’s, Extended
School’s programme and community regeneration.
- make contact with individuals, groups and
networks within communities, in order to bring people together in
planning and providing childcare
- support local communities and providers in
accessing resources from external funding sources
- support and mentor childcare providers to
improve quality of care.
The Childcare Development team can be
contacted on 01670 623563.
Becoming a Childcare Provider
For further information about becoming a registered childminder
or childcare provider please contact the Families Information
Service on Freephone 0800 023 4440 or email fis@northumberland.gov.uk
Childcare Business Support Programmes & Services
Business Planning
Support is available to help plan, with confidence, the future
of your childcare business including financial forecasting, working
out break-even calculations as well as general problem solving.
Whether you are looking to expand your business or
are experiencing difficult trading conditions and need to
understand your finances better, support is available from an
experienced team of childcare professionals.
Financial Systems Support Grant
This programme is aimed at supporting childcare providers to
develop new financial recording and reporting systems, or simply
make better use of existing systems that will give clear financial
information to the management of the setting.
The Financial Systems Support Grant is available to any
Northumberland based childcare setting and can be used to obtain
support in introducing SuperFox to your setting.
Childcare providers from the Private, Voluntary and Independent
sectors are eligible to apply.
Childcare providers in the maintained sector are ineligible.
A copy of your organisation’s most recent accounts must be
submitted as part of the application process.
Sustainability Grant
The key objective of the Sustainability Grant is to ensure
that existing good quality early years and childcare settings
are supported to maintain trading.
The Sustainability Grant will be available to assist those
early years and childcare settings which are of good quality and
which meet the needs of the local community, but are threatened
with probable closure unless a small injection of funding is
made.
Only settings facing likely closure may apply.
In order to access the Sustainability Fund, applicants will
be required to produce a plan to demonstrate why, when and how a
grant will allow them to become financially viable.
This plan should include a 12-month cashflow projection showing
the anticipated results following the receipt of the
Sustainability Grant.
Childcare Business Consultancy Support Programme
This grant programme has been developed to help Northumberland
Childcare businesses who may wish to strengthen management and
operational systems in areas considered important to the future of
their business.
The aim of the programme is to enable Northumberland based
childcare providers to access specialist advice and support locally
through nationally accredited consultants resulting in stronger,
more sustainable businesses.
The types of specialist support typically requested include:
Improving / Developing Financial Management Systems
Developing Marketing Strategies
Childminder Start-up Grant
Childminder Start-Up Grant is available (subject to
sufficient funding) for some eligible registered
childminders in specifically targeted geographic areas of
Northumberland. The grant currently covers you for a Quality Start
Pack from the NCMA.
Childminders must be registered with Ofsted before payment can
be made for the Quality Start pack and must have completed the ICP
course before a start-up grant claim can be paid.
Contact Details
Alex Turner
Business Support Officer
Childrens Services
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF
Tel: 01670 623566
Mob: 07771 943648
E-mail: alexander.turner@northumberland.gov.uk
