This update provides information regarding COVID-19 – also known as Coronavirus
– and specific information for parents and carers of children at First Steps
Childcare, and Children First Nurseries.
We are following official advice from Government and Public Health
England (PHE) at all times. Their websites are updated on a regular basis and
should always be the first port of call for general and medical advice. The
global situation and advice can change rapidly so you should always refer to
live information on these websites and we have provided links for these.
Please ensure that you read this briefing fully and carefully as it
includes both general updates and specific information regarding First Steps,
and Children First.
Where to find the latest information
On
12th March, the Prime Minister issued additional advice for people
with a new continuous cough and/or a high temperature to self-isolate for 7
days. Further details can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-people-with-confirmed-or-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection
At this point in time,
First Steps/Children First settings are not planning to close. We will
not shut unless we are told to do so by Public Health England and/or if we have
significant issues with staffing. We are drawing up contingency plans for
a number of scenarios which might happen in the future but we hope not to have
to implement these.
Department for Education (DfE) Coronavirus helpline
The
DfE Coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19
relating to education and childcare. Staff, parents/carers can contact this
helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
Latest Department for Education information is also available on social media:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice
As of 10 March, the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated advice about travel to Italy.
The FCO is currently advising:
- against all but essential travel to Italy
- against all travel to Hubei Province, in China
- against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China
- against all travel to the cities of Daegu, Cheongdo and Gyeongsan in South Korea
The Foreign and
Commonwealth Office is not currently advising against travel to any other
country/territory as a result of COVID-19 but this can change so please review this
link for the latest advice https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
Updated advice for travellers returning from Italy
On 10 March, PHE
updated its travel advice for travellers returning from Italy, recommending that anyone returning from Italy should self-isolate,
even if you do not have any symptoms. If you do develop symptoms, call NHS 111.
The advice can be found here:
Self-Isolation
Further information
on what you should do if you are required to self-isolate can be found here:
The importance of hygiene
- Personal hygiene is the most important way to tackle COVID-19,
especially washing hands more; and the catch
it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.
- Wash your hands more often for 20 seconds with soap and hot water.
- In addition to handwashing before eating and after coughing and
sneezing, everyone should also wash hands after using toilets and travelling on
public transport.
- Watch this short NHS film for guidance: https://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU
- We are actively implementing enhanced hand washing
procedures in the nurseries
CCG Updates and Information
We do not know exactly what may happen both in the UK and at our
nurseries as a result of Coronavirus. Our priority is to ensure we have a
robust business continuity plan for all eventualities. We will continue to
follow Government and PHE advice at all times.
Emails, communications at drop off/pick up, our website and social media
will be used to provide further updates.
The nursery cannot provide advice on personal health and individuals
should seek this from their usual medical practitioner and/or from NHS 111 or the 111 online coronavirus service.
Our estates teams have been regularly checking and keeping soap
and hand sanitisers topped up across settings. We are working closely with our
cleaning company to review cleaning requirements across all of our settings.
Absence & Absence Reporting
If your child is sick, please
report their absence in a normal way. If there are concerns around Coronavirus,
you will be asked a series of additional confidential questions regarding individual
circumstances. This will enable us to monitor the level of risk to other children
and staff.
At the
moment, our absence policy and charging remains the same. We will continue to
review this and in any exceptional circumstances, may consider reviewing these.
Parents and Carers should also remain vigilant and alert
to advice and restrictions relating to specific countries and regions. Country-specific
information is available on FCO travel advice pages. With the Easter holidays
fast approaching, we recommend you review this in relation to your own travel
plans as restrictions could be put in place (like Italy) to require
self-isolation when returning from a country.
What would happen if the nursery/nurseries had to close?
First Steps Nurseries and Children First Nursery intend to stay open
and current advice from Government is to do so. To be prudent, however, we have
full business continuity plans in place to manage any required closure. We are
also reviewing how we might manage reduced operations if we were significantly
impacted by staff illness – this could include considering prioritising places
e.g. for parents who were health professionals.
If a full or partial closure is announced, we will communicate to
all parents/carers via existing channels including email, phone, websites and
social media.
Providing continuity of childcare services remains our priority
wherever possible.
Policy for External Visitors
The safety and wellbeing of our children, families and staff remains
our priority and as such, we have put in place additional steps to monitor
visitors to our settings.
First Steps Village & Forest School Holiday Clubs
For parents/carers who use First Steps Village and/or the Forest
School Holiday Clubs, please be advised that as per Government advice, these
continue to operate as normal. We review Government advice daily and will
advise if any changes are required.
Ongoing CommunicationsO
Please continue to use the official Government and PHE links at
the start of this note to obtain the most up to date information regarding
Coronavirus. We will continue to communicate with you as any significant
updates arise.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Sue Carpenter
Senior Childcare Manager
First Steps Childcare Group
