Childcare for children with emerging developmental needs

Registered childcare providers have a duty to provide an inclusive environment for all children.

Many of the childcare providers in the Caerphilly county borough have facilities to care for children with emerging developmental needs or will make reasonable adjustments to their premises. However, not every setting will be able to do this, so if you have a child who has emerging development or medical needs, it is important that you discuss this with any childcare provider you are thinking of using.

Finding a suitable childcare provider

There are many types of childcare available across the county borough, from home-based childminders, community based sessional childcare to large day nurseries, all with a range of skills and experience to support children with emerging development needs.

Visit our finding a childcare provider section to search for providers near you.

If you wish to discuss your options, call our Early Years Hub on 01443 863232. They will be able help you find a suitable childcare provider who can meet your child’s needs.

How we support childcare providers

Our Early Years team support childcare settings to achieve quality, inclusive environments, by providing:

• Training for Additional Learning Needs (ALN) lead officers
• ALN awareness training for childcare workers
• Specific training for understanding autism and social communication needs
• Training on strategies as well as modelling strategies in the setting.
• Observations at the setting to identify appropriate developmental targets for the child and refer to specialist services if needed.

Funded childcare placements are available through Flying Start, Childcare Offer and Families First. Where we fund placements to support the child’s developmental needs, we will consider how we support the child to access the learning environment. There is not a funding scheme to offer additional support for all children to access care provision, which is why we support settings to consider how they best meet the care needs of the children in their setting.

Transitioning from childcare setting to school

Childcare settings will work with families and their school to support the child into school through a Person-Centred Planning (PCP) meeting.

A PCP meeting is when all the people involved in making decisions about your child meet. The needs of the child and what is important to them now and in the future is the focus of the meeting.

We recommend the PCP meetings for all children with emerging development needs and not just those with more complex needs.