An opportunity for childminders and foster carers

As part of the Department of Education’s Early Years Recovery Programme, certain Stronger Practice Hubs (SPHs) and the EEF are working together to fund childminders' access to Elklan’s Communication Friendly Home-Based Settings programme.

If you are affiliated with one of the following STRONGER PRACTICE HUBS:

• Bright Futures (North West)
• The Great North (North East)
• Kent (South East)
• Thames Valley (South East)

please click here

Elklan’s Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting (CFHBS) award examines all aspects of the Home-Based Setting, including the physical environment (inside and out), interaction styles, how language is modelled and the opportunities and resources that are provided to support the development of language, communication and learning.

The process aims to enable those caring for children in their own home to consider the opportunities, resources and personal interactions provided and to reflect on areas for development, with guidance from an Elklan tutor. The childminder or foster carer is given a manual full of ideas and strategies to promote language, communication and learning in the home and help to gain the award.

• 1

  The childminder/foster carer needs to have completed one of the following within the last two years:

  • Speech and Language Support for 0-3s; or
  • Speech and Language Support 3-5s; or
  • Language and Learning for 2-4s; or
  • Let’s Talk with Under 5s

  OR complete CFHBS whilst attending the course Speech and Language Support 3-5s.

• 2

  The childminder/foster carer completes a CFHBS checklist. This explores:

  1. The physical environment, inside and out
  2. How they interact with the children to encourage communication
  3. How you are modelling language to encourage the development of their talking
  4. The resources and opportunities they provide
  5. How they share books with the children

  An online CFHBS e-log makes the collation of evidence to support the checklist easy. Most evidence involves photographs.

• 3

  An Elklan tutor, will support the childminder/foster carer through the process and will visit, either in-person or virtually.

  • The tutor will look at the completed CFHBS checklist and evidence
  • The tutor will observe the childminder interacting with a child under 5 years of age, this can be their own child
  • Feedback will be provided and recommendations made
  • If changes are required, a second home visit (virtual or in-person) will be arranged.
  • A CFHBS rating scale is used to decide whether to award an 'Inadequate’, ‘Requires Improvement', 'Good' or 'Outstanding' rating.
  • To gain Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting status, an overall rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ is needed for each of the 5 sections of the Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting checklist.

We'd welcome an opportunity to talk with you about Communication Friendly Home-Based Settings.

Q&A sessions for those interested in gaining Communication Friendly Home-Based Setting status (CFHBS) are held via webinar. Click on one of the dates below to book your free place.

The cost for CFHBS is £250 per childminder/foster carer, in addition to the course fee for e.g. Speech and Language Support for 0-3s.

Before starting CFHBS, one of the following courses needs to be completed. For information and costs, please see:

• Speech and Language Support for 0-3s
• Speech and Language Support for 3-5s
• Language and Learning for 2-4s
• Let’s Talk with Under 5s

Alternatively, Speech and Language Support for 3-5s and CFHBS can be completed simultaneously (see below).

For multiple applications for CFHBS, please contact us for detailed information and we will provide a bespoke quote.

To see the next courses delivered by Elklan, click on the course below:

CFHBS (for those who have already completed Speech and Language Support for 0-3s, or 3-5s or Language and Learning for 2-4s or Let’s Talk with Under 5s)

Combined Speech and Language Support for 3-5s and CFHBS

If you would prefer a face-to-face course, please contact your local speech and language therapy service to see if there is one available.

An award of CFHBS status is valid for 3 years.

To renew:

• Step 1: Apply below. The fee is £40 plus VAT where you have your own Elklan Tutor, or £85 plus VAT where Elklan provides a tutor, payable after step 2.
• Step 2: Complete the checklist providing updated examples of photos and evidence of changes implmemented since the last award.
• Step 3: The tutor will arrange a visit (either virtual or in person) as before.

Have you been sent a CFHBS renewal reminder?

Please click on one of the following: