Support & resources for childcare & early years providers

We offer ongoing support and information to current and aspiring early years and childcare providers in Northumberland, including childminders.

About the Northumberland Early Years Team

Northumberland has a highly skilled early years team. Our role is to develop the capacity of the early years workforce.

We do this by mentoring providers, offering our support, advice and guidance, and providing training to suppport the delivery of high quality provision.

 

Our early years team - what do we do?

The team are responsible for:

• supporting prospective providers entering the market
• supporting the development of new childcare places to meet projected demand
• supporting the development of a highly skilled and knowledgeable early years and childcare workforce
• promoting the quality and sustainability of early years and childcare provision and services

Meet the early years team

• Early Years Advisor - Katie Waston
• Early Years Consultants - Kay Summers, Claire Johnson, Rosy Dickson
• Childcare Development Workers - Diane Williamson, Jill Prescott, Julie Murray
• Early Years Inclusion Consultants - Joce Kitt, Amy Cowan, Julie Beattie
• Early Years and Childcare Sustainability and Workforce Manager - Theresa Iley
• Early Years Development Project Manager - Eve Sinclair
• Early Years Digital Development Administrative Assistant - Sophie Downing
• Early Years Administrative Assistant - Lesley Kelly

Contact us

For further information, contact the Family Information Service on 0800 023 4440 or email earlyyearsteam@northumberland.gov.uk

Here you can find helpful information and documents about local early years education and childcare provision. Current or aspiring early years and childcare providers in Northumberland may find these documents useful. Please explore the links below to find out more.

Early years training and professional development
Please click here for more information on becoming a childcare provider.

Statutory guidance for early education and childcare

• Please click here to download the statutory guidance for early education and childcare provision, from the Department for Education (DfE).
• Please click here to download the Early Years Entitlements: Operational Guidance.

Information for free entitlement providers
Below are useful documents for early years care and education providers who are on our list of approved free entitlement providers. 

• Northumberland local code of practice - early years funded free education entitlement for two, three, and four year olds: Please click here for the Northumberland local code of practice Sept 2017 (pdf)
• Northumberland local of code of practice FAQs - frequently asked questions for childcare and early years education providers, plus parents/carers: Please click here for Northumberland local code of practice FAQs (pdf)
• Please contact your Locality Childcare Development Worker for more information about becoming a free entitlement provider.
• Please click here to view the information we provide parents/carers,  including using and finding out about their free entitlement, and a list of approved childcare providers.

Funding documents for early years providers
The Northumberland local code of practice document provides information on funding and finance:

• Please click here for the Northumberland local code of practice Sept 2017 (pdf)

Also, here is the bank details form, useful for early years providers:

• Please click here for the early years providers bank details form (doc)

Childcare sufficiency assessment (CSA)
Below is the latest childcare sufficiency statement.

• Childcare Sufficency Assessment - Annual Report 2019-2020
• Please click here to visit the Families Information Service page to find out more about the CSA and our obligations. 

Local offer for children with SEND
Northumberland County Council provides a local offer for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). If you are a parent or carer of a child with SEND, please click here to find out more about our SEND local offer.

Information on safeguarding children
We all have a statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Northumberland County Council provides a range of information, policies, procedures, and guidance documents dedicated to safeguarding children and young people.

• Please click here to visit our pages on safeguarding children.
• Please click here for the Working together to safeguard children (2013) document.

If you are worried about a child, or you suspect a child is suffering/likely to suffer significant harm - including any form of mistreatment or abuse - you should report your concerns immediately. 
Please click here if you are worried about a child and wish to report your concerns.