mteb/FeedbackQARetrieval huggingface dataset:
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
What specific steps should be taken to care for children with complex medical needs, such as tracheostomies?
There are a small number of medical procedures which increase the risk of
transmission through aerosols (tiny droplets) being transferred from the
patient to the care giver. These are known as aerosol generating procedures
(AGPs). Within education and children’s social care settings these are only
undertaken for a very small number of children with complex medical needs,
such as those receiving tracheostomy care.
Staff performing AGPs in these settings should follow Public Health England’s
personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance on aerosol generating
procedures, and wear the correct PPE
which is:

a FFP2/3 respirator
gloves
a long-sleeved fluid repellent gown
eye protection

The respirator required for AGPs must be fitted correctly (known as ‘fit
testing’) by an individual trained to do this. Staff in education and
children’s social care settings that need support with fit testing should
contact the appropriate health lead for the child/young person. This could be
either via the Designated Clinical Officer for SEND for support from the local
Clinical Commissioning Group, or via the lead nursing team in the health
provider.
[AGPs]: aerosol generating procedures
  [PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
How should I care for children who regularly spit?
If non-symptomatic children present behaviours which may increase the risk of
droplet transmission (such as spitting), they should continue to receive care
in the same way, including any existing routine use of PPE.
To reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, no additional PPE is
necessary, but additional space and frequent cleaning of surfaces, objects and
toys will be required. Cleaning arrangements should be increased in all
settings, with a specific focus on surfaces which are touched a lot. Read
guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare
settings.
*[PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
In non-residential settings, what should be done if a child, young person or other learner becomes unwell with symptoms of coronavirus and needs to be cared for until they can return home?
If anyone in an education, childcare or non-residential children social care
setting becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or
has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste of smell, they must
be sent home and advised to follow the guidance for households with possible
coronavirus
infection.
If a child is awaiting collection, they should be moved, if possible, to a
room where they can be isolated behind a closed door, with appropriate adult
supervision if required depending on the age of the child. Ideally, a window
should be opened for ventilation. If it is not possible to isolate them, move
them to an area which is at least 2 metres away from other people.
If they need to go to the bathroom while waiting to be collected, they should
use a separate bathroom if possible. The bathroom should be cleaned and
disinfected using standard cleaning products before being used by anyone else.
PPE should be worn by staff caring for the child while they await collection
if direct personal care is needed and a distance of 2 metres cannot be
maintained (such as for a very young child or a child with complex needs).
In an emergency, call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life
is at risk. Do not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.
If a member of staff has helped someone with symptoms they do not need to go
home unless they develop symptoms themselves. They should wash their hands
thoroughly for 20 seconds after any contact with someone who is unwell.
Cleaning the affected area with normal household disinfectant after someone
with symptoms has left will reduce the risk of passing the infection on to
other people. Read guidance about cleaning non-healthcare
settings.
*[PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
How to work safely in specific situations, including where PPE may be required
Reference to PPE in the following situations means:

fluid-resistant surgical face masks
disposable gloves
disposable plastic aprons
eye protection (for example a face visor or goggles)

Where PPE is recommended, this means that:

a facemask should be worn if a distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained from someone with symptoms of coronavirus
if contact is necessary, then gloves, an apron and a facemask should be worn
if a risk assessment determines that there is a risk of fluids entering the eye from, for example, coughing, spitting or vomiting, then eye protection should also be worn

When PPE is used, it is essential that it is used properly. This includes
scrupulous hand hygiene and following guidance on how to put PPE on and take
it off safely in order to
reduce self-contamination.
Face masks must:

cover both nose and mouth
not be allowed to dangle around the neck
not be touched once put on, except when carefully removed before disposal
be changed when they become moist or damaged
be worn once and then discarded - hands must be cleaned after disposal

*[PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
What care should be taken in early years settings?
Because it is challenging to reduce contact between young children in early
years settings, regular cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, objects and
toys, as well as handwashing, are particularly important. The use of soft toys
and toys with intricate parts or that are otherwise hard to clean should be
avoided. Read guidance on cleaning for non-healthcare
settings.
Settings should manage risks by keeping children in small groups and trying,
as far as possible, to keep the same children and staff members together from
day to day. Settings should consider staggering mealtimes and should
discourage parents and carers from gathering at setting entrances. As far as
possible, parents and carers should not enter early years premises.
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
What care should staff visiting families in their own homes take?
Social workers, other children’s social care staff and anyone else considering
the need for a home visit should follow the children’s social care services
guidance and make a judgement
about visiting which balances considerations of the:

risks to children and young people
risks to families
risks to the workforce
national guidance on social distancing and hygiene
statutory responsibilities, including safeguarding

Staff and their managers are best placed to make professional judgements of
risk in each case and decide what form of contact they need.
There are many ways to keep in touch with a child, young person or family
without physical face-to-face contact. It is expected that these will be
utilised appropriately and proportionately, including in response to any risk
assessment undertaken for the child on a case by case basis.
Prior to undertaking a visit, an attempt should be made to ascertain whether
any member of the household is suffering from symptoms of coronavirus. An
initial risk assessment, where possible, should take place by
telephone.
Where households report no coronavirus symptoms, no PPE is required, but a
distance of 2 metres should be maintained where possible. Where this is not
possible, you should undertake a risk
assessment. Good basic hygiene should be followed, such as
handwashing or use of sanitiser before and after the visit, and not touching
your face during the visit.
Where households are reporting coronavirus symptoms, PPE should be worn if a
distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained.
Where it is not possible to ascertain whether any member of the household is
suffering from symptoms of coronavirus prior to face to face contact, steps
should be taken where practical, to mitigate risk. These steps include but are
not restricted to:

knocking on the front door or ringing the doorbell and then stepping back to a distance of 2 metres in adherence to social distancing guidelines
taking PPE as a precautionary measure

*[PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Safe working in education, childcare and children’s social care settings, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
What protection is needed when transporting children?
If the children or young people being transported do not have symptoms of
coronavirus, there is no need for a driver to use PPE.
In non-residential settings, any child, young person or other learner who
starts displaying coronavirus symptoms while at their setting should wherever
possible be collected by a member of their family or household. In exceptional
circumstances, where this is not possible, and the setting needs to take
responsibility for transporting them home, or where a symptomatic child or
young person needs to be transported between residential settings, you should
do one of the following:

use a vehicle with a bulkhead
the driver and passenger should maintain a distance of 2 metres from each other
the driver should use PPE, and the passenger should wear a face mask if they are old enough and able to do so

*[PPE]: personal protective equipment
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Are all children and young people with EHC plans expected to attend?
Vulnerable children and young people are expected to attend, if it is
appropriate for them (for example where there are no shielding concerns for
the child or young person or their household, and/or following a risk
assessment for children or young people with an EHC plan). This is so they can
access the educational and wellbeing benefits of attending. Vulnerable
children and young people – regardless of year group – who have not been
attending in the recent period are expected to return to nursery, early years,
school or college provision if it is now appropriate for them to do so.
There is further information on attendance outlined in the guidance on
actions for educational and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening
from 1 June 2020.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Does school or college provision have to be delivered as it usually is for children and young people with EHC plans?
Due to the unprecedented circumstances presented by coronavirus, the section
42 Children and Families Act 2014 duty to secure the provision within an EHC
plan has been temporarily modified so that local authorities and health
commissioning bodies must use their ‘reasonable endeavors’ to discharge this
duty. This means that local authorities and health bodies must consider what
they need to provide for each individual child or young person with an EHC
plan during the period that the modified section 42 duty is in force. For some
children and young people, the provision specified in their plan will continue
to be delivered, but for others, the provision may need temporarily to be
different to that which is set out in their EHC plan.
More information is available in the guidance on changes to the law on
education, health and care needs assessments and plans due to
coronavirus.
As per the actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider
opening from 1 June 2020
guidance, no school will be penalised if it is unable to offer a
broad and balanced curriculum to its pupils during this period.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Who might be involved in supporting learning for those children and young people who remain at home, on a full or part time basis?
Educational settings should ensure that pupils and students who are not
attending settings full time in person continue to engage in learning as far
as is possible (for example through remote education), and that an increasing
focus is put on preparing the way for their return. Providers should engage
proactively with parents and carers to explain the support that their children
are receiving, to discuss the plans for returning and to consider how parents
can support this and any additional help they might need.
We have an experienced, expert workforce of special educational needs
coordinators (SENCos), education psychologists, speech and language
therapists, qualified teachers of sensory impairments, other therapists, and
teaching assistants often with specialist knowledge.
Designing at-home learning and support for children and young people with EHC
plans could involve any or all of these professionals, to design or adapt
interventions or learning materials. For example, this might involve designing
a speech and language intervention that parents can deliver at home, or
adapting or selecting online learning materials.
For those children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream schools and
colleges, SENCos will typically lead on ensuring that they have access to
materials they can use to learn, often drawing on other professionals to
source or adapt online learning that addresses a child or young person’s
special educational needs. Similarly, education psychologists may play a key
role in recommending the essential provision for a child or young person to
receive at home.
In addition to a suite of online lessons and materials available from the Oak
National Academy’s specialist
curriculum for
children and young people with profound needs, we are helping parents to
support learning at home, including by publishing a list of online learning
resources for children with
SEND.
[EHC]: education, health and care plan
  [SEND]: special educational needs and disability
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
What does it mean for attendance to be ‘appropriate’ or ‘expected’ for particular children and young people?
The guidance on vulnerable children and young
people refers to pupils
and students attending if it is ‘appropriate’. For children and young people
with an EHC plan, when a child or young person’s needs can be met as safely or
more safely in the educational environment, attendance is deemed ‘appropriate’
and these children and young people should be strongly encouraged to attend.
If their needs cannot be met as safely or more safely in the educational
environment, attendance is ‘not appropriate’ at this time and these children
and young people should remain at home and be supported through remote
education and other services, where possible. Local authorities and
educational providers should keep risk assessments under review, in case
circumstances change and a different decision is needed.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Can dual-registered children and young people attend both settings?
Moving between settings will increase the risk of viral spread, however there
are circumstances where this may be required, such as where a child or young
person’s needs cannot be met without provision in two settings. This means
that provision in two settings is possible, but will be subject to the child
or young person’s individual risk assessment, and on the ability of both
settings to accommodate the child or young person. These risk assessments are
likely to be complex, and the two settings may need to liaise with one
another. It may be best for a child or young person to return to only one
setting, or to return to one setting first before returning to both, so that
their opportunity to receive on-site education is not delayed due to those
complexities.
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Who needs to be involved in making/updating the risk assessment?
The key risk assessors should be local authorities and educational settings,
taking into account the needs and views of the child/young person, their
parents/carers and social workers and virtual school heads where appropriate.
Where an educational setting makes a decision without being able to involve
the local authority, for instance where circumstances are changing too
rapidly, they should inform the local authority of that decision immediately.
Where a child or young person is not initially returning to their educational
setting, local authorities and educational settings need to ensure that the
family understands the support plan that is in place for them.
If a child or young person has a diagnosis of a learning disability (such as
profound and multiple learning difficulties, or a severe learning difficulty),
autism or both, and behaviours that challenge or a mental health condition,
the risk assessors should ensure, with the agreement of the family, that the
child is identified on the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group dynamic support
register (see the nasen guide improving health care: learning disabilities
and
autism
for further information).
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
What about the risk to staff working hands-on with pupils and students who cannot adhere to strict hygiene practices?
We recognise that some children and young people with special educational
needs present behaviours that are challenging to manage in the current
context, such as spitting uncontrollably. It will be impossible to provide the
care that some children and young people need without close hands-on contact.
In these circumstances, staff should minimise close contact wherever possible,
increase hand-washing and other hygiene measures, and clean surfaces more
regularly and maintain existing routine use of personal protective equipment.
We recommend that educational settings follow the Public Health England
guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare
settings and the guidance on safe working in education, childcare and
children’s social care
settings.
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
Has the responsibility for special educational provision changed?
Responsibility for commissioning any at-home special educational provision
lies with the local authority responsible for maintaining the EHC plan,
although it may be possible for some of the provision to be provided by the
school or college or even in a home setting. The local authority should work
with the educational setting to ensure that parents and carers are aware of
the education, health and care services available to them at home.
Under the temporarily modified section 42 duty, local authorities and health
commissioning bodies must use their ‘reasonable endeavours’ to discharge the
duty to secure or arrange the provision specified in a child or young person’s
EHC plan. We have published detailed guidance on the changes to the law on
education, health and care needs assessments and
plans due
to coronavirus. It includes some illustrative examples of the type of
arrangements that might be reasonable for local authorities and health
commissioning bodies to put in place.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
How does this guidance impact children and young people who have an EHC plan and a social worker?
There are a significant number of children and young people with an EHC plan
and a social worker.
Decisions about whether these children and young people should attend or
return to an educational setting should be made collaboratively on an
individual basis. Local authorities and educational settings should work with
parents or carers, the child or young person and social workers to undertake
or update a risk assessment to determine where the child or young person’s
needs and best interests can be best met.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan
Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
Questions and answers
What should be considered when updating risk assessments?
For children and young people for whom a risk assessment continues to be
recommended, up to and/or after 1 June, their risk assessment will need to
balance a number of different risks, including:

the potential health risks to the individual from coronavirus, bearing in mind any underlying health conditions/ clinical vulnerability. For further information, refer to the guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from coronavirus
the risk to the individual if some or all elements of their EHC plan temporarily cannot be delivered in the normal manner or in the usual setting, and the opportunities to meet needs in a different way temporarily, for example, in the home or online or in a different way at school
the ability of the individual’s parents or carers or home to ensure that their health and care needs can be met safely week-round or for multiple weeks, bearing in mind the family’s access to respite care. (This may be particularly important to consider, from 1 June, for those children and young people who are not in the year groups prioritised for a return to education settings.)
any risk to siblings or family members if the child or young person’s condition prevents or inhibits self-regulation and if their behaviours cannot be supported or managed by parents or carers at home
the potential impact to the individual’s wellbeing of changes to routine or the way in which provision is delivered
any safeguarding risks for children with a social worker if not in school and the need to support care placements for looked-after children (see the vulnerable children and young people guidance for further information on school attendance for children with a social worker)
any other out-of-school/college risk or vulnerability, for example, a child or young person becoming involved in dangerous behaviour or situations (including the risk of exploitation)

If a risk assessment determines that a child or young person’s needs continue
to be more safely met at home, local authorities, educational settings and
parents should consider whether moving either equipment or services into a
child or young person’s home would enable them to be supported there. This may
be a more feasible solution for day settings than residential settings, and
may include:

physiotherapy equipment
sensory equipment
online sessions with different types of therapists
phone support for parents in delivering interventions
in-person services, where necessary

*[EHC]: education, health and care plan