Early Support Development Journal Early Support have released a Development Journal for children and young people with multiple needs.  It is based on a series of ‘Can Do’ cards which help parents and practitioners to observe, record and celebrate children’s and young people’s abilities, and to develop and strengthen these abilities.  The Journal supports key [...]

Childminder Agencies As set out in More Great Childcare, the Government is legislating for the creation of childminder agencies. The Government wants agencies to: •       act as a lever to improve the quality of provision •        increase the number of childminders in the market, through removing barriers to entry and offering an alternative to working completely independently [...]

  4Children and the National Children’s Bureau have been chosen as the Department for Education’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) strategic partner for the next two years.   This collaboration will form The Children’s Partnership, which will work with a consortium of organisations including Barnardos, the Family and Childcare Trust, National Council for Voluntary [...]

New Sure Start children’s centre statutory guidance   New statutory guidance for Children’s Centres was published by the Department for Education on 15 April.   This guidance replaces existing Sure Start children’s centres statutory guidance. It:   clarifies what local authorities and statutory partners must do because it is required by legislation, and what local authorities [...]

4Children Children’s Centres – Reach Out! will look at new and innovative ways that children’s centres can provide and maintain high quality services and reach out to all children and families in all communities at a time of economic tension. The seminars will bring together experts from across the children’s centre workforce to discuss and [...]

Consultation on proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare Today the Government launches a six week consultation exercise setting out proposals for a changed role for local authorities in the delivery of funded early education for two, three and four-year-olds.  We are asking for views on proposals to [...]