Providers - Making sure we offer equality of opportunity
The concept of human rights is based on the principle that all human beings should have equal dignity and the opportunity to lead satisfying lives. Childcare settings and providers play an important part in the lives of children and their families and have a responsibility to promote equality of opportunity. This includes : - Inclusion in the setting for both children and adults
- Valuing diversity
- Anti-discriminatory practice
Settings and childcare providers need to ensure that everyone has an equal chance through: - Policies and procedures
- Behaviour
- Images
- Attitudes
- Practice
- Language.
The National Day Care Standards requires all registered early years and childcare providers caring for children aged 0 - 8 to have policies and practice to support equal opportunities, special needs and behaviour. All Early Years settings receiving the Nursery Education Funding have to follow the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and have to have a setting based Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo). This co-ordinator has to take at least one days training a year on special needs and has to ensure that any special needs are met. Settings also have to have a person responsible for ensuring that all children have equality of opportunity.
Although there is not a requirement on settings and providers caring for children in out of school clubs to have a SENCo, all staff need to ensure that any additional needs are met so that there is equality of opportunity for all children. The Early Years Development & Childcare Partnership has developed its Equal Opportunity Statement to support this. Click here to see a copy of the Equal Opportunities statement. Development workers in the Early Years Development and Childcare and Pre School Alliance teams provide advice and guidance. In addition, Early Years Support Teachers act as area SENCos working with Early Years settings to raise quality and support inclusion. There is a range of Partnership services to support inclusion: Full training programme
For further information please contact Kay Watling or Sue Saunders on 023 8083 4615 Opening Doors Service - Support workers and Inclusion Grants
For further information, please contact the Opening Doors Co-ordinator at Southampton Mencap 023 8058 4088 Access to Communication
The Partnership will pay for translation and interpretation support for families whose main language is not English using the Access to Communication Service.
For further information, please contact your Development Worker or Lin Clark on 023 8083 3016 Click here to see the Opening Communications Toolkit - this provides welcome information in various languages that you can use with parents in your setting. It also has 'key words' translated in to various languages, and sample letters for use in settings. Inter Cultural Resources
There are a range of resources based at the Inter Cultural Resource Centre that settings can borrow to get ideas on how to resource their setting.
For further information, please contact your Development Worker or Sarah Davey 023 8083 2084 The Partnership also has an Equal Opportunities Working Group and a Special Needs Working Group.
These groups plan how childcare settings can be supported so that they are offering equality of opportunity. If you wish to find out more about these groups, please contact the Early Years Team on 023 8083 2045. Early Support Programme
There is a range of information and materials to support families with disabled children aged 0 - 3. These are free and can be obtained from www.earlysupport.org.uk
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