Blaenau Gwent Council is finalising arrangements for its summer childcare and activities offer, with the focus on providing support to vulnerable children and their families as outlined by the Welsh Government.
Over the past four months we’re pleased to have provided childcare for over 500 children of key workers critical to the Covid-19 response, either through our repurposed school hubs or funded private childcare. The school hub provision for the children of key workers has now ended. Thanks to the commitment and hard work of school and local authority staff our childcare hubs have been safe, happy and enjoyable places for children to attend.
The Welsh Government has provided funding to Councils through the Local Authority Emergency Hardship Fund to enable them to provide childcare and activities for vulnerable children and young people.
In Blaenau Gwent, over the summer period up until 31st August 2020, this means:
- Registered funded childcare will be available for vulnerable children up to the age of 11 years. The Local Authority will be working with schools and partners to identify those families eligible for this provision and will make contact directly
- For identified vulnerable children over the age of 11 the Council is working with the Aneurin Leisure Trust to offer an activities based programme which will be based outside in varied venues around the county borough. More details on this to follow
- A summer holiday Enrichment and Engagement Programme – called Y Clwb Haf or The Summer Club - will run for two weeks during the summer holidays (weeks commencing 3rd August and 10th August). The summer clubs will be based at selected schools throughout the borough. Y Clwb Haf will be similar to the Summer Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) which has run very successfully in previous years in the borough. Eligible families will be identified by schools working in partnership with the Council and its partners. Further information will be available early next week
- Blaenau Gwent Youth Service has been working hard throughout the Pandemic and has drawn up an extensive summer programme aimed at 11 – 25 year olds. The programme will offer face-to-face engagement, such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, and digital/virtual sessions. Activities will include themed virtual groups such as art, music and cookery; well-being walks and detached youth work. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for further details. The Youth Service will also provide transitional support for Years 6 to 7 and 11 to post-16. They will also offer support with employment, mental health and youth homelessness
- Childcare provision for school aged children of key workers will no longer be available
- Childcare for children aged up to 4 years (and older siblings where identified) will continue where this has already been approved through the C-CAS scheme - https://gov.wales/childcare-under-five-year-olds-providers-guidance-coronavirus. No new applications are being accepted except for those from school based staff or for vulnerable children via Social Services
- Direct payments for families eligible for Free School Meals will also continue to be paid until 31st August. We are currently paying almost 90% of eligible families. You can still apply for the payment here - https://iweb.itouchvision.com/portal/f?p=customer:category_link:::::CUID,LANG:A2B40E379272FB6820B9E9053140A1A8C0CCEBC8,EN&P_LANG=en
Councillor Joanne Collins, the Council’s Executive Member for Education, said:
“This has been a very difficult period for many families and we are working closely with our schools, childcare providers and the Welsh Government to make sure that we support our most vulnerable families over the summer. We have put together a programme which offers childcare where appropriate but will deliver engaging and enriching activities to help our most disadvantaged children and young people to re-engage with education and promote their physical and mental well-being.”