As a provider of childcare we take health and safety very seriously and in light of the current outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) we have put together some information, all of which is based on Welsh Government advice and taken from https://gov.wales/coronavirus-and-childcare-provision.
We will be monitoring the situation closely and will share with you any news as soon as we have it.
Please be assured that we will endeavor to keep all parents up to date and keep communication lines open at all times, additionally we will be updating this page as often as possible, therefore please bookmark it and check for updates relating to our organisational response to COVID-19.
We are also contactable by telephone, please call the nursery on 01978 290067, or Caia Park Partnership on 01978 310984, or e-mail samantha.hughes@caiapark.org
We are committed to provide as much support to our dedicated staff teams and families through these difficult times as we can.
In light of the Government announcement regarding the closure of all schools and nurseries from Friday (20 March 2020), we are committed to opening for Critical Workers and Vulnerable Children only from Monday the 23rd of March for those who still require childcare in these uncertain times.
Critical Workers
The Government has now released a list of industries with Critical Workers:
Health and Social Care
Education and Childcare
Key Public Services
Local and National Government
Food and other necessary goods
Public Safety and National Security
Transport
Utilities, Communication and /Financial services
For further information on Critical Worker and Vulnerable children definitions, please visit this link:
Other useful links:
Health in Wales http://www.wales.nhs.uk/
NHS 111 online https://111.nhs.uk/
Self isolation advice https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/latest-information-on-novel-coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/
Social distancing advice https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/latest-information-on-novel-coronavirus-covid-19/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults/
Looking out for each other https://gov.wales/first-minister-launches-looking-out-each-other-campaign-wales
EDUCATION MINISTER STATEMENT 22/03/20
The Education Minister has released a written statement
The Statement includes that:
Childcare and other educational establishments are safe places for children. However, to reduce mixing between different groups or settings we need to minimise the number of children making the journey to a childcare setting, and keep to the minimum possible number of children in childcare and play settings. The smaller the numbers, the more we can lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable people across our communities.
Quite simply the fewer people having social contact, the more effective the overall impact of the current measures will be.
This means parents need to keep their children at home, wherever possible and childcare settings should be open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
For childcare settings, including Flying Start settings, this means that, where a child cannot be kept at home in line with the guidance set out in the statement and needs to be in some form of childcare provision, this should be in settings where numbers are kept low.
For all childcare and child minding services (nurseries, creches etc) this means restricting access only to the children of critical workers or vulnerable children; and
we would ask them to work in coordination with local authorities in their areas, to maximise efficiency
In summary from Monday March 23:
If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be,
if a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is critical to the COVID-19 response, then provision in an educational or childcare setting should be available for them, parents should not rely for childcare on anyone who has been advised to be in the stringent social distancing guidance such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
Parents should do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in ways which could contribute to spreading the virus. Children should observe the same social distancing guidance as adults.
Residential special schools and special settings should continue to care for children wherever possible.