COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with, our arrangements are continually reviewed in line with guidance from the Government and Public Health England (PHE).
Any changes and or adaptations to our plans will be published on this website.
Health, safety and risk assessments
From Friday 1 April 2022, the next steps for living with COVID-19 came into effect.
Residential Children’s social care settings are no longer required to have a separate COVID-19 risk assessment. However we will continue with many of our existing control measures including:
- Ensuring good hygiene for everyone
- Maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes
- Keeping occupied areas of the home’s well ventilated
- Following public health and UKHSA advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19.
More information can be found here: reducing the spread of respiratory infections in the workplace.
We will continue to have a role in working with our health protection team in the case of a local outbreak. If there is a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in our homes, or if central government offers the area an enhanced response package, a director of public health might advise a setting to temporarily reintroduce some control measures.
Testing
Free testing for the general public ends on Friday 1 April 2022 as part of the next steps for living with COVID-19.
Regular asymptomatic testing is no longer recommended in Children’s residential social care settings, Therefore, Residential children’s homes are no longer able to order or provide test kits to staff or young people
Close contacts
Public health advice for people with COVID-19 and their contacts changed from 24 February 2022. Contacts are no longer legally required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests, and contact tracing has ended.
Isolation
There is no longer a legal requirement for people with coronavirus (COVID-19) infection to self-isolate. However staff and visitors who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can return to work when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend.
For occasions where an individual has taken a test
Young People with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days, which is when they are most infectious.
Staff with a positive COVID-19 test result should refrain from work and try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days.
Vulnerability
For staff and young people with a higher risk of becoming significantly ill should they contract COVID-19, for example a diagnosis of an autoimmune illness, an individual risk assessment will be undertaken. Please notify your manager if you feel you are highly vulnerable. Guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk.
Please be aware that if we have a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in our services, a director of public health might advise us to implement measures such as mass testing and face coverings.