mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Visits from essential carers
Any essential carers or visitors who support you with your everyday needs can
continue to visit unless they have any of the symptoms of coronavirus
(COVID-19). Essential carers coming to your home should follow advice on good
hygiene: wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds on
arrival to your house and often while they are there (or use hand sanitiser),
avoid touching their face, catch any coughs or sneezes in a tissue (or their
sleeve), and put used tissues immediately in the bin and wash their hands
afterwards. They should keep 2 metres away where close or personal contact is
not required and where this is possible.
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Living with other people
The rest of your household do not need to start shielding themselves, but they
should do what they can to support you in shielding and to carefully follow
guidance on staying alert and safe (social
distancing).
At home you should:


Minimise the time other people living with you spend in shared spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas, and keep shared spaces well ventilated.


Keep 2 metres (3 steps) away from people you live with and encourage them to sleep in a different bed where possible. If you can, use a separate bathroom from the rest of the household. Use separate towels from the other people in your house, both for drying yourself after bathing or showering and for hand-hygiene purposes.


If you share a toilet and bathroom with others, it’s important that they are cleaned every time after use (for example, wiping surfaces you have come into contact with). Consider drawing up a rota for bathing, with you using the facilities first.


If you share a kitchen with others, avoid using it while they’re present. If you can, take your meals back to your room to eat. If you have one, use a dishwasher to clean and dry used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them using your usual washing-up liquid and water and dry them thoroughly. If you are using your own utensils, remember to use a separate tea towel for drying these.


Everyone in your household should regularly wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, avoid touching their face and clean frequently touched surfaces.


Encourage the rest of your family or household to follow the advice as far as
they are able. There is no need for them to follow the shielding measures
themselves.
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)
The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any
of the following:

a new continuous cough
a high temperature
a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

If you have any of the symptoms above you should self-isolate at
home.
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Register for support
Everyone who has received a letter advising that they are clinically extremely
vulnerable should register online if you need any extra support, for example, essential groceries
delivered to your home.
If you haven’t yet registered, you may receive a call from our call centre on
0333 3050466. The purpose of this call is to see whether you need support and
to help you to register. Please note that this is an outbound call centre
only. To register via a phone call, please dial the number below.
Register even if:

you do not need support now
you’ve received your letter from the NHS

Register for support

register online
call 0800 028 8327

Have your NHS number with you when you register. This will be at the top of
the letter you have received letting you know you are clinically extremely
vulnerable or on any prescriptions.
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Staying connected with family and friends
Use support you might have through your friends, family and other networks
during this time. Try to stay in touch with those around you over the phone,
by post or online.
Let people know how you would like to stay in touch and build that into your
routine. This is also important in looking after your mental wellbeing and you
may find it helpful to talk to them about how you are feeling.
Remember, it is OK to share your concerns with others you trust and in doing
so you may end up providing support to them, too. Alternatively, you might
want to try an NHS recommended
helpline.
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Who is ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’?
Expert doctors in England have identified specific medical conditions that,
based on what we know about the virus so far, place someone at greatest risk
of severe illness from COVID-19.
Clinically extremely vulnerable people may include the following people.
Disease severity, history or treatment levels will also affect who is in this
group.


Solid organ transplant recipients.


People with specific cancers: 

people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs



People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD).


People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell).


People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.


Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.


People in this group should have been contacted to tell them they are
clinically extremely vulnerable.
If you’re still concerned, you should discuss your concerns with your GP or
hospital clinician.
Check this is the right guidance for you
If you are not clinically extremely vulnerable.

you do not have any of the conditions that makes you clinically extremely vulnerable
you have not been told by your GP or specialist that you’re clinically extremely vulnerable or received a letter

You should follow the guidance on staying alert and safe (social
distancing)
[COPD]: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  [SCID]: Severe combined immunodeficiency
  *[GP]: general practitioner (family doctor)
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
Hospital and GP appointments if you’re shielding
Everyone should access medical assistance online or by phone wherever
possible.
However, if you have a scheduled hospital or other medical appointment during
this period, talk to your GP or specialist to ensure you continue to receive
the care you need and determine which of these appointments are absolutely
essential.
Your hospital may need to cancel or postpone some clinics and appointments.
You should contact your hospital or clinic to confirm appointments.
*[GP]: general practitioner (family doctor)
Guidance Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
If your main carer becomes unwell
Speak to your carers about back-up plans for your care in case your main carer
is unwell and/or needs to self-isolate.
You should have an alternative list of people who can help you with your care
if your main carer becomes unwell. You can also contact your local council for
advice on how to access care.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Specific advice for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
EHC plans – temporary legislative changes
Coronavirus (COVID-19) may make it more difficult for a local authority or
health commissioning body to secure or arrange all the elements of the
specified special educational and health provision in an EHC plan as required
by section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Due to the unprecedented
circumstances presented by coronavirus (COVID-19), the section 42 duty has
been temporarily modified, so that local authorities and health commissioning
bodies can discharge this duty by using their ‘reasonable endeavours’. We have
published detailed guidance on these temporary legislative
changes.
The duty on education settings – including colleges and other providers – to
co-operate with the local authority in the performance of its SEND duties
remains in place. Close working and communication between all parties is a
central element in ensuring that young people do receive appropriate
provision.
[EHC]: education, health and care
  [SEND]: special educational needs and disabilities
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Working together to safeguard young people
Colleges, other providers, social workers, local authorities and other
professionals will want to work together to ensure adequate and appropriate
arrangements are in place to keep in touch with vulnerable young people
(whether they are attending provision, or not attending for an agreed or non-
agreed reason).
Local authorities have the key day-to-day responsibility for delivery of
children and young people’s social care. Social workers and Virtual School
Heads (VSH) will continue to work with vulnerable young people in this
difficult period.
Where vulnerable young people with a social worker do not take up their place
in educational settings or discontinue attendance, the provider should notify
their social worker.
If there are challenges contacting and engaging looked after children,
providers should discuss concerns with their local virtual school heads (VSH)
in the first instance.
Colleges and other providers are encouraged to share their lists of vulnerable
young people who should be attending provision with their local authority.
It is particularly important for college and provider staff to work with and
support children’s social workers and the local authority VSH for looked-after
and previously looked-after children.
Colleges and other providers should continue to have regard to statutory
safeguarding guidance on inter-agency working, set out in Working Together to
Safeguard Children. Providers should also refer to Keeping
Children Safe in Education
2019
and Coronavirus (Covid-19): safeguarding in schools, colleges and other
providers.
*[VSH]: virtual school head
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Funding
19 funding arrangements (grant-funded providers)
As we will use data from the 2019/20 academic year to calculate 16 to 19
allocations for 2021/22, the ESFA may need to apply a different approach to a
number of elements within 16 to 19 funding. Where appropriate we will
therefore use alternative data sources to calculate allocations for 2021/22 to
ensure as far as possible that there is not a disproportionate impact on
funding.
*[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Regulation, accountability and audit
We have suspended routine Ofsted inspections and FE Commissioner Intervention
visits and non-critical ESFA intervention. The Secretary of State for
Education has allowed Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector to do
this.
Guidance from Ofsted has confirmed that urgent inspections where specific
concerns have been raised can still go ahead. This will allow Ofsted to
prioritise the immediate safety of young people where necessary.
[FE]: further education
  [ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Mental health
Many learners will be feeling uncertain and anxious and it is vital that they
can still access the mental health support they need. Providers will need to
consider their learners’ mental health and wellbeing and identify learners who
may need additional support.
All NHS mental health trusts are setting up 24/7 helplines and seeking to use
digital and virtual channels to continue delivering support during the
pandemic.
Social connections, alongside exercise, sleep, a healthy diet and routine, are
important protective factors for mental health. Resources to promote and
support mental wellbeing are included in the list of online
resources we have published to help children
and young people to learn at home.
Public Health England have also published more extensive
guidance on
supporting children and young people’s mental health and the Department of
Health and Social Care (DHSC) is providing £5m of additional funding for
mental health charities (to support adults and children).
Digital support includes:

an educational resource for adults about children and young people’s mental health, which is relevant for teachers, other professionals working with children, volunteers, parents and carers
The Every Mind Matters platform from Public Health England has specific advice on maintaining good mental wellbeing during the outbreak
The Association of Colleges has produced a coronavirus resource hub

Mental health is also covered in the interim safeguarding
guidance, and the principles in Keeping children
safe in
education
(KCSIE) continue to apply. Below are some suggestions as to how providers have
supported their learners with their mental health:

Making effective use of remote one-to-one counselling.
Encouraging young people to identify their own self-care strategies during this uncertain time; online resources can help with this. Some providers are running live mindfulness classes to improve learner wellbeing.
Completing welfare checks at the start of each session to ensure that all learners are engaged and supported.
PHSE lessons have been delivered remotely and focused on topics relevant to learners being at home, including mental health awareness, healthy living and online safety.
There are many studies which have shown that doing physical activity can improve mental health. Sport England has enlisted 450 School Games Organisers to help deliver a programme of free daily digital content to help keep young people active.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
Impact on benefit claimants for extended programmes
People receiving benefits do not have to attend Jobcentre appointments for 3
months, starting from Thursday 19 March 2020. People will continue to receive
their benefits as normal, but all requirements to attend the Jobcentre in
person are suspended. People can still make applications for benefits online
if they are eligible. Trainees in receipt of benefits should not attend the
Jobcentre unless directed to do so for an exceptional purpose.
Benefit claimants therefore are eligible to participate in longer spells of
learning in accordance with extending traineeship duration as part of this
guidance - where the learning forms part of their traineeship, and where there
are clear advantages in doing so, in relation to a claimant’s future job
goals.
For more information see employment and benefits
support.
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Adult education budget (AEB) and advanced learner loans bursary contract for services
Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), adult education budget (AEB) funding (grant funded providers) and advanced learner loans bursary fund
Year-end reconciliation
For 2019 to 2020 only, the ESFA will not carry out the final reconciliation
for grant funded providers in receipt of ESFA funded AEB (adult skills,
community learning, learner and learning support and 19 to 24 traineeships)
and the advanced learner loans bursary fund. These providers will be funded in
line with the current agreement schedule with no clawback.
Providers must:

continue to deliver learning online wherever possible including for ESFA funded AEB via existing subcontracting arrangements to support existing learners to successfully complete their courses/qualifications or retain evidence where this is not possible
support furloughed workers to enhance existing or develop new skills

Where it is not possible to deliver online, for example where learning
requires physical access to specialist equipment or materials, providers
should keep and provide records of where this applies and keep evidence of
efforts made to remain in contact with learners and prepare them for a return
to learning in the future.
However, there will be exceptions for grant funded providers who had already
forecast significant under-delivery in their mid-year returns for ESFA funded
AEB and/or advanced learner loans bursary fund, in advance of the impact of
coronavirus (COVID-19). ESFA will contact affected providers to discuss their
forecasts and potential clawback. We also reserve the right to clawback funds
where it can be demonstrated that a grant funded provider has not sought to
continue delivery wherever possible online or otherwise, either directly or
for ESFA funded AEB through their existing subcontractors.
When planning ESFA funded AEB allocations for 2021 to 2022, we will consider
how we set a fair baseline given our default position would have been to use
funded delivery in 2019 to 2020.
[ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
  [AEB]: adult education budget
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Ongoing learning
Support for young people unable to access remote education
On 19 April, the Secretary of State for Education announced new support for
schools, colleges and young people to access remote education. 16 to 19 year
olds in education without a suitable device and/or connectivity to study
remotely, and whose family cannot afford these costs, will be eligible for
support via the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. Providers should consider supporting
them, for example, by providing a device where necessary to access remote
education.
As set out in 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guidance, decisions on support should
continue to be made on the basis of an individual assessment, in line with
bursary fund rules that all support must be based on individual circumstances
and needs.
Providers should use their existing 16 to 19 Bursary Fund (and any spare
resources from their FE free meals grant) to pay for this support. Where
providers need additional resources to support young people to access
education remotely, they should submit a business case to the
ESFA setting out:

the amount of bursary fund and/or free meals funding carried forward from previous years
the amount of funding already spent in the 2019 to 2020 academic year
the amount of funding already irrevocably committed but not yet spent
the amount of funding the provider has available to support disadvantaged students, in line with the criteria above
the number of students assessed as requiring additional support
the support and funding the provider has assessed is required to support the needs of individual students, in line with the criteria set out in the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund guidance

Local authorities will receive devices for children and young people who have
a social worker or are care leavers. 16 to 19 education providers should work
with local authorities to ensure that any students in these categories can
access education and to ensure that support for them from the local authority
and education institution is co-ordinated.
[FE]: further education
  [ESFA]: Education Skills Funding Agency
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Traineeship flexibilities
Reduced work experience duration
The unprecedented impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) has meant that it is
currently extremely difficult for providers to continue to organise and
deliver work placements within traineeships. We are therefore relaxing the
required work placement duration.
If the trainee has completed more than 70 work experience hours AND the
provider is satisfied that the learner has gained sufficient work skills, then
providers can record the work experience learning aim as complete within the
ILR and census returns during this temporary period of coronavirus (COVID-19)
social distancing measures. This should be evidenced in the learner file. The
trainee should continue with other traineeship learning aims via alternative
methods such as online learning in order to complete these elements of their
traineeship.
If the trainee has completed less than 70 work experience hours, or the
provider is not satisfied with their progression, given these exceptional and
unprecedented circumstances, providers will not be penalised for not
delivering the required 100 hours for this academic year.
Providers should demonstrate how they have continued to support trainees to
develop their work experience skills in the absence of a work placement in the
learner file and we may ask for this evidence through monitoring processes.
Activities we would expect to continue to go ahead:

preparing students for work and/or work placements through alternative distance and online training that develops their skills for work
continuing to build relationships with employers and developing engagement strategies for different industries for apprenticeships and other employment
developing traineeship content that aligns with apprenticeship provision to facilitate smooth transitions from traineeship to apprenticeship
developing matching processes for when students can go on placements again

These are temporary flexible measures that apply while learners are unable to
undertake work placement activity due to social distancing measures.
*[ILR]: individualised learner record
Guidance Maintaining education and skills training provision: further education providers
Dependants of critical workers
Parents whose work is critical to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response include
those who work in health and social care, in the education and children sector
(including further education) and in other key sectors outlined in the
critical worker list.
We recommend you ask for simple evidence that the parent in question is a
critical worker, such as their work ID badge or pay slip. It would be overly
burdensome on key sectors at this critical time to ask employers to write a
letter on behalf of their employees.