Love4Life

Covid-19 Guidance and Safety Measures

Update February 2022

1. Introduction 

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Love4Life  have ensured the safety of our young people and staff is paramount. We continue to keep up to date with the National Youth Agency’s latest guidelines on youth work and follow these strictly during our service delivery.

With the increased need to provide some of our services through virtual platforms, our charity has updated our Safeguarding Policy and developed a specific Social Media and Online Procedures Policy. The summary below demonstrates the areas in which our charity has worked to ensure we are delivering in the safest way possible during these times. We will regularly review and update this document with the latest version available to view on our website at www.twentytwenty.org.uk/Covid19Safety

If you would like any further advice or to receive a copy of our Safeguarding Policy and Social Media and Online Procedures please do not hesitate to speak to a member of our team or contact us at love4life@twentytwenty.org.uk

2. Self - Isolation and Track & Trace 

In keeping with Government guidance any staff will self-isolate and complete a PCR test if they have any of the following:

-        Continuous cough

-        Temperature – above 37.9°

-        Loss of taste and/or smell

Guidance suggests that anyone deemed a close contact to a symptomatic individual should take a lateral flow test but do not need to self-isolate unless they also have symptoms or have a positive test result. If a staff member is a close contact to someone they must complete lateral flows daily for 5 days.

Close contacts are:

-        Face-to-face contact with someone less than a metre away

-        Standing within two metres of someone for more than 15 minutes

-        Being within one metre of someone for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact

Our team keep a record of every young person they see for 121s and group work. This register is kept on the work portal and can be accessed in the case of Covid-19 tracking. To further protect both staff and young people we may check temperatures of young people on arrival to any group or 121 session if we feel it is necessary. If anyone has a temperature above 37.9^° they will be advised to return home and have a PCR test.

If staff believe a young person has developed symptoms of Covid-19 during a Love4Life session they are advised to ask the young person to return home immediately. If a young person develops symptoms of Covid-19, or tests positive for Covid-19 up to 48 hours after having contact with our staff, the register will be accessed to let all young people know who have had contact with this young person.

While working in schools, our team will inform their school contact or receptionist, within 48 hours of delivering in the school, if they have had a positive Covid-19 test. This is to allow the school to contact parents/guardians of the pupils in the school session, with whom staff have been in contact with, to begin self-isolating. Schools are expected to notify our staff urgently if it is believed that they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. If a pupil becomes unwell during a Love4Life session within a school, once our staff member has notified an appropriate school contact, it is the school’s responsibility to follow their own procedures.

3. Lateral Flow Testing

All Love4Life delivery staff are completing lateral flow tests up to 24 hours prior to any Love4Life session taking place. Evidence of a negative test will be recorded by the staff and shared with the specific venue prior to a session if required. There may be instances where staff are requested to take additional lateral flow tests during the week. It will be our staff member’s responsibility to ensure these tests are taken. The diagram below outlines the current lateral flow testing process for our team.

If a staff member receives a positive result from their lateral flow test, they must begin self-isolation immediately and inform the Programme Manager. Under new government guidance, they will only take a PCR test if symptomatic.

If a staff member receives an inconclusive or void result from a lateral flow test, they should take another.  If the result is still unclear or there is any doubt as to whether that staff member may have tested positive, they will self-isolate in line with government advice. 

If a staff member displays Covid-19 symptoms but has had a negative PCR test they will be required to continue daily lateral flow tests for 5 days or until symptoms have cleared. 

**Note that the self-isolation period of 5 days is reliant on two negative lateral flow tests taken on consecutive days.  The self-isolation period remains 10 days for those without two negative lateral flow results taken a day apart**

4. PPE

All staff and volunteers will adhere to government guidelines regarding wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing measures. Staff will encourage all young people to follow these rules unless there are legitimate reasons for why these cannot be followed e.g. medical reasons for not wearing a facemask.

Where possible our team will aim to set up external settings to follow safe social distancing procedures as well as ensuring the room is well ventilated. Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of our work it may not be possible to leave doors open.

When preparing resources for delivery work, where possible staff will avoid using the same resources across different groups. Refreshments provided are always individually wrapped to eliminate the risk. Young people will be asked to dispose of their own rubbish where applicable to avoid cross-contamination. Where bins are not provided in a setting where a session is being delivered, staff will provide a bin bag for rubbish to be disposed. Furthermore, our team will liaise with staff in each environment we work in, to ensure we are following specific cleaning protocols. For example, leaving chairs out in designated areas within a community centre so centre staff know which have been used and need cleaning.

5. Risk Assessments 

In order to mitigate the risk of Covid-19, our charity have developed specific risk assessments for all delivery work. If you would like a copy of this risk assessment, please contact a staff member or email love4life@twentytwenty.org.uk. When the nature of the work carried out by our team includes the use of external settings, such as community centres and/or school premises, there must be an external risk assessment provided by the specific location. Without this, it is not possible for Love4Life to deliver at this site. We safely store all risk assessments on our internal system and these are shared with all staff members should cover be required.

The charity office in Loughborough is now open but staff have the option to work from home where preferred.  Love4Life staff understand and follow the government guidelines around self-isolation and if a member of staff does experience symptoms of Covid-19, the office will close until a thorough deep clean is able to take place.