Changes to the Test and Trace support payment for parents
Parents and carers of children who have been advised to self-isolate by their education setting or by NHS Test and Trace are now able to apply for a Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment of £500, if they meet the eligibility criteria. The extension of the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, which is administered by district and unitary local authorities in England, ensures that parents receive the financial support they need if they are unable to attend work due to childcare responsibilities.
Parents and carers should apply to their local authority to receive a payment. Applications for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme are made via the local authority in which the parent or carer resides, not the local authority where the setting is situated, if these are different.
To be eligible applicants must meet all of the criteria that:
- they are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate. This is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period
- they are employed or self-employed
- they cannot work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result
- they meet all the other means-tested eligibility criteria for a Test and Trace Support Payment or locally determined criteria for a discretionary payment
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That their child or young person:
- is aged 15 or under (or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC)) and normally attends an education or childcare setting
- has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)
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Self Isolation Timeline
For the latest government advice on the reopening of schools in the Autumn term, please follow the link below.
June 2020 - Partial Reopening of School
NCC PRESS RELEASE 11th May 2020: Planning underway in Northumberland for safe return to school
Following last night’s announcement by the Prime Minister, planning is underway in Northumberland to consider the safe re-opening of Primary schools, beginning with children in the Reception classes, Year 1 and Year 6.
Further clarity is awaited from the Government; however, it is expected that schools could start to re-open after half term, subject to satisfying the five tests as set out by Government.
Keeping pupils and staff safe in schools remains our top priority. We are reviewing the information provided by the Government and will be working with head teachers in schools across the county to determine what this might look like in Northumberland. We await further guidance and information as to how this will be progressed.
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Northumbria Police - Online Safety
In the current climate, with children spending increasing amounts of time online during home schooling, Northumbria Police would like to highlight this programme which parents might find useful to help protect their children.
There are resources on the website targeted at different age groups.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
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Save the Children have put together some resources to support your child’s mental health. They say, “Our coronavirus hub is designed to help kids and adults alike navigate through these difficult times... From how to talk to your kids about coronavirus, useful resources on creative play ideas and helping children to stay connected to their friends and grandparents.”
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Hand Washing Workshops 18.3.20
A huge thank you to Robyn Sykes and Chloe Sim for coming in to school to put on informative (and fun!) hand washing talks and demonstrations for all the pupils. It was especially interesting to see our hands under the UV light; before washing there were large areas of green germs, but after a thorough hand wash the green had disappeared!
Update received 11.3.20
From Liz Morgan – Director of Public Health at Northumberland County Council:
Parents will be aware of national and international concerns about COVID-19, an illness caused by a novel coronavirus.
Children should attend school as normal, unless they are contacted by Public Health England and advised otherwise. Anybody who is identified as a contact of a case in the UK and who needs to take action will be contacted directly by Public Health England and given individual advice.
Remember – prevention is always better than cure so, as with the flu virus, the most effective way to protect yourself from Covid-19 is to adopt good respiratory and hand hygiene to prevent the risk of infection and a ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach to coughs and sneezes.
Hand washing is the most important lesson a child can learn and acquiring it is an essential lifelong skill. Children can be taught from as early as 2 years of age about handwashing so now is a really good time to reinforce that learning. Fun ways and activities to teach children how to wash hands effectively are available at http://mrsaactionuk.net/kidshandwashing.html
It’s important that we all keep up to date with the latest government advice which can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
Covid 19 - Return to school resources for parents and carers:
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