COVID-19 Reopening: Information for Providers, Practitioners and Parents

updated 5 June 2020

The well-being, health and safety of children, their families and those working in the sector is a priority. This web-page provides guidance for parents and service providers on the reopening of early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services. Click on each item below for information:

https://first5.gov.ie/practitioners/reopening

Guidance is based on the latest public health advice available from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in the HSE, which has been approved by the Expert Advisory Group of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). The public health advice is subject to ongoing review / updating by the HPSC. If the public health advice changes, the guidance documents on this web-page may change accordingly. Every ELC and SAC setting is different and service providers will need to use their professional judgement in determining how best to comply with the public health advice while ensuring high quality practice to support children’s well-being, learning and development.

Reopening FAQs on Reopening Funding v1

COVID-19 Setting Re-opening Health & Setting Checklist

FAQ for Practitioners

FAQ for Providers

HR Information

Infection Prevention & Control Guidance for setting providing childcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Preparing to reopen guide

Return to work safely protocol

Tusla Early Years Services Self Assessment Checklist

Tusla Guidance Document for Early Years Services COVID 19

Working Together Agreement with Parents during the COVID-19 Emergency

More resources and practice examples will be added to this web-page over the coming weeks. You are therefore advised to check for updates. Irish-language resources will be available in the coming days.

Measures and contact information for DLRCCC during the COVID-19 crisis

Date Released: Thursday, April 23, 2020

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Childcare Committee is following all the public health advice from Government in relation to Covid-19 and has put in place a range of measures to protect staff and help prevent the spread of the virus. 

Our work is continuing. We continue to provide advice, information and support to providers and parents.

As the Covid-19 measures continue in the coming weeks, we will keep operational activities, and advice to our staff and the public, under review in the light of any new public health advice from Government

Staff team

Our staff are now working remotely. Staff can be contacted by email: info@dlrchildcare.ie   We recommend contact is made in the first instance by email. If you need to speak with a Development Officer please ring the landline 01 2896600. The office phone diverts to staff mobiles who will respond to your call.

Office

Our office is temporarily closed to visitors. Please do not call to our office location at this time.

 Written correspondence can be sent to our office but response times may be necessarily delayed. We ask, where at all possible, that queries or correspondence be sent to us electronically at present.

Contacting us

• General queries should be sent to info@dlrchildcare.ie
• AIM queries should be sent to emily@dlrchildcare.ie

Coronavirus Covid – 19 Information updated 4 June 2020

As we prepare for the next Phase of the Governments’ Road Map and the easing of Restrictions see the most recent information below issued from DCYA:

2020 06 03 Covid Phased reopening report 3 june

200527 Principles of Practice for Reopening ELC SAC (002)

Letter to providers SecGen 27052020

Ltr to Providers re Covid-19 Measures 27

TWSCS:

See the links below for the most up to date information:

How-To Guide TWSCS Final (002)

Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme Factsheet – 22.04.2020

FAQ Version 2 15.4.2020 Final’

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Practitioners CPD web-page

https://first5.gov.ie/practitioners/continuing-professional-development

The DCYA has launched a new web-page where you will find free, online CPD resources, developed and made available through the cooperation of a number of agencies. The resources are designed to support service planning and practitioners’ professional development. Further free, online CPD resources will be added to the web-page over the coming days and weeks.

The web-page includes templates for recording CPD activities carried out, to support services to demonstrate compliance with the requirement of the DCYA Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme that services should engage, where possible, in training and CPD during the closure period

. See link above.

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What COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is

a payment will be available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to a downturn in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The payment has a simple one–page application form and will be paid for a period of 6 weeks at a flat rate payment of €203 per week for jobseekers. It is designed to quickly deliver a social welfare payment to the unemployed and provide income security during this 6-week period.

Individuals applying for the payment will be required to apply for the normal jobseeker’s payments within this 6-week period. Once this normal jobseeker claim is subsequently received, the department will process these claims and reconcile payments at that time. This will involve backdating increased payments for certain customers.

Gov.ie – COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment