Provider News and Information

Education Psychology Drop-in Sessions

Have you got any concerns relating to a child or children in your pre-school setting? If you do, come to a free and confidential session with an early years educational psychologist at Cwmbran ICC. To book an appointment please contact Torfaen FIS on 0800 0196 330 or email fis@torfaen.gov.uk.

Change 4 Life

Torfaen supports change 4 life with programmes designed to help people to make changes to their lifestyles and encourage healthy behaviours from the start for babies and early years children living in Torfaen. For further details please contact Lorraine Childs on 01633 647420.

Torfaen FIS has been supplied with Change 4 Life Early Years toolkits for all childcare settings from the Welsh Assembly Government. Each toolkit contains a number of useful resources for use within your childcare setting including:

An A4 booklet guide for local supporters for use by group leaders and staff;
A poster to display in your setting;
A ‘Let’s Play’ worksheet to give ideas for group activities and games;
5 A4 ‘Ready Steady Go’ leaflets for staff to discuss with parents;
5 A4 colouring worksheets for children.

If you would like to collect a toolkit please visit Cwmbran ICC, Ton Road (behind Nant Celyn Primary School). Alternatively, please contact Torfaen FIS via email to fis@torfaen.gov.uk or on 01633 647401 to arrange delivery of a toolkit. To download the resources please click on the following images.

Updated Food and Health Guidelines For Childcare Settings
The Welsh Assembly Government has released food and health guidelines for childcare staff and carers as part of the WAG Food and Fitness 5 Year Implementation Plan.

Download the guideline document for your setting by clicking on the image of either the English or the Welsh version below:

(April 2010)

Swine Flu Contingency Planning for Childcare Providers

This September, The Welsh Assembly Government has released swine flu Q & A advice for schools and early years and childcare settings to help inform contingency planning.

The advice includes draft letters for settings to send to parents to remind them of the latest swine flu guidance, in the event of cases of swine flu and also in the event of a setting closing due to swine flu.

Copies of the Q and A advice document are being circulated to childcare settings in Torfaen via the Family Information Service. Alternatively, you can download the advice by clicking here.

Up to date information and advice on contingency planning for swine flu is published regularly on the Welsh Assembly's website.
(September 2009)

Torfaen People's Panel - calling all Torfaen residents

Would you like to give your views about things that are happening in Torfaen? If your answer is yes then joining Torfaen People's Panel is your chance. It could mean responding to a survey a few times a year or, if you want to be more involved, you could take part in community workshops or work with Public Service Officers on specific projects. For more information read the poster below and call Julia Rooney on 01495 766159.

Child Protection Resources Online

Download here for copies of Safeguarding Children: Working Together under the Children Act 2004:

For information on child protection and to download a copy of the All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008 please visit www.awcpp.org.uk or click on the image below:

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Club

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Club is pleased to announce a successful application for the Big Lottery's Way of Life Programme.

The ' Play Learn and Grow Healthy ' £425,797 project is a 3-year Lottery funded project under the 'Healthy Friends' theme. The aim is to work primarily with children aged 7/8 and 10/11 through a 'buddying' project, extending to reach younger children and their families from 2 upwards.

It's focus will be to raise awareness of the value of physical activity / healthy eating and introduce ideas for 'buddying' in a traditionally non-educational environment. The activity will predominately focus on 'buddying' with junior aged children attending out of school childcare clubs and childminders. Evidence suggests that the most effective learning outcomes are achieved between children (healthy pals) aged 7/8 years and 10/11 years. We want to extend this learning / 'buddying' to children aged between 8 and 10 years, as they will be the 'buddies' of future years and will be able to provide a link between both the 'buddy' and the recipient. Training and Support will be given to all children volunteering to become 'buddies' on an intial and ongoing basis.

Materials/resources/games produced to support the activities, will be developed in phases and continually piloted at each stage with the children to ensure that the children 'grow' alongside the materials prior to these being made avaliable to a wider audience. The end resource/pack or guide will be Child / Parent / Playworker friendly and complement an existing Obesity Toolkit produced in 2006 in Carmarthenshire.

For more information please visit www.clybiauplantcymru.org