Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Planning that can be happening now:

Registered Provider holds virtual meeting (or face to face if appropriate) and agrees opening date or phased return strategy in accordance with

government guidance.

Contact landlord where required to discuss reopening of premises.

Arrange site visit with setting manager if setting has been closed..

Agree how you will implement strategies to support physical distancing such as ‘cohorting’ (i.e. keeping teams of workers working together with

small groups of children), or staggering working hours in accordance with ratio requirements? Risk assess, considering the need for staff

breaks and sickness cover.

If your premises have been closed for a period of time, you should consider carrying out a deep-clean before you reopen and complete a re-

view of ongoing cleaning arrangements. Risk assess.

If the building has been empty for a period of time consider if legionella checks, gas safety checks or other checks are required. Discuss with

landlord if applicable.

Read through links regarding staff returning to work after furlough leave—see references at the end of the document

Review key protection and hygiene measures that apply to minimise the spread of infection, such as reminding staff about regular and effec-

tive handwashing, and providing hand sanitiser gel. Create a contingency plan if your usual supplier runs low. Risk assess.

Consider what PPE you will need including gloves masks and hand sanitiser. Risk assess.

Brief staff about correct usage of PPE, ensuring there are trained in putting on, taking off and disposing of PPE.

Agree who will contact parents / carers to inform about re-opening date. Will this be in writing by phone call ? How will you monitor this ?

Ensure DBS, EY2 are all in place or in process where necessary or if changes to Registered Body.

Review finances, update cash flow and forecasts and budgets.

Seek support from CCC Business and Governance team if needed.

.

Immediately prior to the setting reopening:

Nominated person contacts OFSTED via email if temporarily closed to let them know re-opening date and any changes to registered body or

times/days of opening

Contact insurance company to review your cover

Ensure that all PPE is in setting prior to opening and review this on an ongoing basis

It will be vital to have a re-orientation or re-induction process for returning staff.

Arrange full staff meeting to agree return to work induction where needed and any support staff may need .

Encourage and support your manager to have one to one return meetings with each employee, with a focus on health, safety and wellbeing

As a registered provider you need to have sensitive and open discussions with the staff team and discuss any adjustments or any ongoing

support they may need.

Consider phased return to work for some staff

Issue letters to end furlough for relevant staff and agree return to work date . Seek legal advice where necessary .

Ensure that the organisation culture is inclusive, and that every employee feels they are returning to a supportive and caring environment, taking

into account that the pandemic has had an unequal impact across the workforce in many ways, as different groups of employees, and individu-

als, will have been affected in diverse ways according to their job role and individual circumstances

Be mindful that the uneven nature of people’s work and personal experiences and the challenging nature of the lockdown and ongoing situation,

means there could be potential for some negative feelings creeping into the employment relations climate

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

During the first week:

Arrange full supervision with setting manager and agree supervision timetable for the staff team .

Write to parents to welcome back informing them of the plans for the coming month to ensure that the children and families will be supported with

settling back in and social distancing protocols where relevant .

Ensure that parents have updated contact details for the Registered Provider .

Arrange an end of first week review with setting manager to feedback to Registered Provider .

Monitor cleaning, PPE and social distancing procedures - Review risk assessments

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

During the first month:

Full Registered Provider meeting and financial/budget review & review impact of Covid-19 on occupancy and review marketing strategy.

Ensure that all claims for government financial support have been submitted .

Monitor Supervision for all staff to include performance management, CPD and well-being.

Review and update risk assessments and safeguarding procedures in light of current government guidance and ensure relevant procedures are

published.

Review phased return

Monitor cleaning, PPE and social distancing procedures - Review risk assessments

By the end of the third month:

Review finances/budgets, year end planning where relevant .

Seek support from CCC Business and Governance team where needed .

Monitor cleaning, PPE and social distancing procedures - Review risk assessments

Legal Considerations:

There will be a number of employment law and administrative issues that need to be covered.

Advice throughout has been that you should seek written agreement with staff to be furloughed. Even if you put in a clause allowing for an immedi-ate recall, you should still give staff a reasonable period of notice of requiring them to return to the workplace. This is particularly important given that many people will have additional childcare or other responsibilities, which they may need to make arrangements to manage.

You’ll need to ensure that your payroll staff or provider are aware that furlough has ended for these staff and they should return to full pay (taking into account the national minimum and living wage rates increases from April for any staff employed on those rates).

Are you confident you can protect people’s health (some of which were covered above), is it sensible to want all staff to return to work at your premises? Have a clear rationale as to why you need particular staff or roles to return physically, would it be possible for some staff to work from home on non-contact staff such as planning and policy updates etc.? Everyone’s lives will have been severely disrupted by the pandemic. People’s expectations around work, and how they fulfil their role, and reconcile work and domestic responsibilities, could have changed dramatically. This is an ideal time for employers to think more creatively about effective ways of working, and harness more agile and flexible working practices, where appropriate, to meet individuals’ changing expectations.

What criteria will you use to recall staff? Will it be simply business need? Will you consider individual personal circumstances? Remember not to use discriminatory criteria; be fair and inclusive and keep in mind your organisational values and any diversity and inclusion aims.

Providers can seek individual advice from their membership group employment law helpline.

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Dealing with other groups of staff

Since not all restrictions will be lifted at the same time, there are some other issues that you will need to consider:

Staff who are extremely clinically vulnerable Staff who have suffered a bereavement Managing holidays after the return.

Some of your staff may still be ‘Clinically extremely vulnerable’ and at particular risk from COVID-19 infection. Others may be very concerned

because they live or care for someone who is classed as high risk. You may need to consider whether you need to

allow them to continue to work from home if this is not possible, look at other options to retain them such as a further furlough period. More information about protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable can be found on the government website.

Staff who develop symptoms of COVID-19 - or who live with someone who does – will still need to self-isolate for 14 days. The rules around

this have not changed and information can be found on the government website. Staff notified by the Test and Trace service that they have

been in close contact with a case of coronavirus (see definition at end of document) will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

Staff are allowed to carry forward some of their statutory holidays if they are unable to take them in the current leave year.

Encourage staff to take previously agreed holiday dates – even if working from home, people still need time away from work. Have a clear policy to allow as many people as possible to take leave this year while still maintaining key business services – perhaps

relaxing normal rules around maximum numbers allowed off at once.

Refer to current government guidance on the use of the furlough scheme.

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Useful Resources :

CambsLearnTogether Coronavirus Updates

Planning guide for Early Years and Childcare settings

Actions for early years and childcare providers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings

Early years foundation stage: coronavirus disapplications—please note these will be rescinded from 25th September 2020

Implementing Social Distancing in Education and Childcare settings

Workplace Guide returning after Coronavirus

ACAS Coronavirus support

ACAS Furlough and Closing Workplaces

ACAS Taking Time off Work to Look After Someone

CIPD Flexible working

ACAS Returning to the workplace

CIPD Workplace Guide—returning after Coronavirus

Government Coronavirus Risk Assessment Guidance

Guidance on shielding and Protecting extremely vulnerable persons from Covid 19

Financial Support for education, early years and children’s social care

Supporting vulnerable young children and families during the Coronavirus outbreak

Managing school premises during the Coronavirus Outbreak

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Prompt How can I achieve this?

Review your workplace and consider – can staff maintain a 2m physical distance between each

other?

How will you manage meetings, interviews and other interactions? What about communal areas

such as canteens or kitchen areas?

How can you implement resourcing strategies to support physical distancing such as

‘cohorting’ (i.e. keeping teams of workers working together and as small as possible), or stag-

gering working hours so that not all staff are in at the same time?

All of the key protection and hygiene measures will continue to apply to minimise the spread of

infection, such as reminding staff about regular and effective handwashing, and providing hand

sanitiser. If your premises have been closed for a period of time, you should carry out a deep-

clean before you reopen. You should therefore review your cleaning arrangements, for example

ensuring all phones/keyboards etc are wiped daily with anti-viral cleaner.

Depending on your working environment, you may need to consider providing additional PPE,

including gloves, masks or anti-viral hand gel. If you want people to wear gloves/masks, then

you will also need to think about training/briefing staff on their correct usage.

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting

Prompt How can I achieve this?

It will be vital to have a re-orientation or re-induction process for returning staff. Encourage and support every

manager to have a one to one return meetings with every employee, where a key focus is on health, safety and

well-being. Managers need to have a sensitive and open discussion with every individual and discuss any ad-

justments and/or ongoing support they may need to facilitate an effective return to the workplace. This is espe-

cially important for those who have been furloughed, and should cover topics such as changes in company ser-

vices or procedures, how specific customer queries or issues are being addressed, or changes in supply ar-

rangements, as well as any changes to their work duties or tasks. It could be that some staff require a phased

return to their full role, or want to discuss a new working arrangement, especially if their domestic situation has

changed because of the pandemic.

Finally, it will be important for every employer to ensure that the organisation culture is inclusive, and that every

employee feels they are returning to a supportive and caring environment. The pandemic has had an unequal

impact across the workforce in many ways, as different groups of employees, and individuals, will have been

affected in diverse ways according to their job role and individual circumstances. Some organisations will have

people who have been furloughed on 80% or 100% pay, for example, while others may have continued to work

or even had increased workloads. The uneven nature of people’s work and personal experiences and the chal-

lenging nature of the lockdown and ongoing situation, means there could be potential for some negative feelings

creeping into the employment relations climate.

General staff and pupil advice on limiting the spread of coronavirus in the childcare setting

Government advice is clear that PPE, including facemasks should be taken into account where employees could be put at risk. The use of such

PPE does not replace or reduce the need to follow the government guidance in relation to hygiene practices

Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your recommended cleaning products.

Wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds.

Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.

Staff and Pupils should wash their hands as soon as they get to school and when they arrive home, after they blow their nose, cough or

sneeze, before they eat or handle food.

Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or a sleeve (not hands) when you cough or sneeze.

Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards.

Public Health Definition of “close contact”

The definition of close contact which will be used in the Test and Trace process to support decisions making by Public Health England around the

closure of bubbles is people who:

had face-to-face contact of any duration (less than 1 metre away) with the case or

were coughed or sneezed on by the case or

had unprotected physical contact (skin to skin) with case or

Spent more than 1 minute within 1 metre of the case or

spent more than 15 minutes within 2 metres of the case or

Toolkit for Early Years Registered Providers Returning Post COVID-19 This document has been produced as guidance to support you when opening your setting after COVID 19. It has been developed

for you to adapt and use in a way that is fit for purpose at your setting