Dear Service Provider,
We are writing to you regards the Service Profile and the May Core Funding Review and Confirm.
Service Profile
The updated Service Profile is now available on the Early Years Hive.
As communicated on 24 April, the below outlines the changes that have been made:
Facility Details section:
- Two new mandatory questions about wheelchair accessibility were added. These questions were previously part of the Annual Early Years Sector Profile and will now be blank and are mandatory to complete.
Staff Members section:
- New mandatory questions were added for each staff type.
- Two job titles were removed from the 'Out of Ratio' staff type: AIM Level 7 (Assigned to specific children) and Equal Start Resource Allocation. Existing 'Out of Ratio' staff with these job titles were updated to 'In Ratio Staff.' These need to be reviewed, and all mandatory fields updated.
All new questions are mandatory, you must review and update information for all existing staff members. Partner Services are responsible for ensuring their Service Profile is accurate and up to date.
A detailed Service Profile guidance document and training videos are available on the Early Years Hive to help services update their Service Profile.
Your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) also remain available to assist you in completing your Service Profile.
May Core Funding Review and Confirm
The May Core Funding Review and Confirm is now open until 14 May 2025.
This process ensures Core Funding payments continue by allowing Partner Services to check their most recent application information. Partner Servies can then choose to:
- Review and Confirm with Changes
- Review and Confirm without Changes
Partner Services with an approved May Review and Confirm record can auto-populate their original Core Funding Application Module for the 2025/2026 programme year to help reduce administration. More information will be provided soon.
Before completing the Review and Confirm, Partner Services should:
- Make sure data captured in the Service Profile is accurate and up to date for the 2024/2025 programme year, including hourly rates of pay for staff members.
- Make sure your most recent Core Funding application status is 'Approved.' If it is 'Referred back,' fix the issue and complete the May Review and Confirm process once its status is 'Approved.'
- If your most recently 'Approved' Core Funding application record has an Update Due Date on or before 2 May 2025, this will need to be actioned when completing your Review and Confirm. Use the 'Review and Confirm with Changes' option to either replace the departed staff member or reduce your capacity.
After the Review and Confirm window closes, Core Funding payments will continue as per the schedule on the Early Years Hive, as long as your May Review and Confirm status is at 'Approved.
You can find Core Funding support and training materials in the Help and Support section of the Early Years Hive.
Regards,
The Early Years Team