Guidance

COVID-19: guidance for children's social care services

Updated 25 February 2022

This guidance was withdrawn on

Guidance on emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings is available.

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services

Following the government’s announcement on the next steps for Living with COVID-19, this guidance will remain in place until 23:59 on Thursday 31 March, at which point it will be withdrawn.

If you provide non-residential respite services, such as holiday clubs and out of school provision, read:

If you provide transport to respite services read transport to schools and other places of education.

Latest updates

Updated guidance on:

Summary

This guidance explains the actions children’s social care settings should take to manage coronavirus (COVID-19) in their setting. This includes public health advice, endorsed by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

It is for:

  • managers and staff in open and secure children’s residential homes
  • social workers
  • foster carers
  • local authorities

Separate guidance is available for:

Additional operational guidance is also available for special schools, special post-16 providers and alternative provision.

We use the terms “must” and “should” throughout the guidance. We use the term “must” when the person in question is legally required to do something and “should” when the advice set out should be followed unless there is good reason not to.

Overview

On 21 February the Prime Minister set out the next phase of the government’s COVID-19 response. This guidance has been updated to reflect how these changes impact children’s social care.

COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s care and education remains. Our priority is to support you to deliver face-to-face, high-quality care and access to education to all children. We have worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UKHSA to revise this guidance.

Risk assessment

All those working within children’s social care settings must comply with health and safety law and put in place proportionate control measures. You must regularly review and update your risk assessments - treating them as ‘living documents’ - as the circumstances in settings and the public health advice changes.

This includes having active arrangements in place to monitor that the controls are effective and working as planned. For more information on what is required of settings in relation to health and safety risk assessments, and managing risk, read the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on working safely. Read the use of personal protective equipment in children’s social care settings guidance for specific advice relating to COVID-19.

Testing in children’s homes

Staff working in open and secure children’s homes, and foster carers, are advised to continue regular twice weekly testing (3 to 4 days apart) at home, with a rapid lateral flow test (LFT). Staff should usually test before coming into work. Read the guidance on COVID-19 test kits for children’s homes.

Asymptomatic testing remains voluntary but is strongly encouraged. Read the guidance on regular rapid COVID-19 tests if you do not have symptoms. LFTs should not be used for those showing symptoms.

Read public health advice for People with COVID-19 and their contacts for advice on what to do if:

  • you receive a positive LFT or PCR test
  • you have symptoms that may be caused by COVID-19

Children’s social care settings and providers should:

Open and secure children’s homes are also able to order PCR test kits to offer to staff and children in the unusual circumstances where they may have barriers to testing through the usual channels.

Visitor testing

Face-to-face visits should continue as normal. Visitors to children’s homes are strongly encouraged to take a rapid lateral flow test (LFT) before entering the home.

Visitors should also be encouraged to arrange their test on the day of their visit, prior to arrival at the home. It is the responsibility of the visitor to administer the test and upload their results to the NHS COVID-19 test results portal.

All visitors are encouraged to test before they visit but it is not a legal requirement that visitors be tested on entry. Children’s home managers cannot ask visitors to provide proof of a negative test result to gain entry.

Children’s home managers do have the discretion to deny visits in certain circumstances, if they consider it would be unsafe for a face-to-face visit to go ahead. Visits should not be prevented from taking place where the visit would be beneficial to the child, or there if there is a legal obligation for the visit to take place.

While mitigation of infection risks helps support visits, children’s home managers should also be mindful of those groups who, on advice from UKHSA, should not visit. These include individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who are showing symptoms.

Tracing close contacts and isolation

Public health advice for People with COVID-19 and their contacts changed from 24 February. Contacts are no longer required to self-isolate or advised to take daily tests, and contact tracing has ended.

For further information see Coronavirus (COVID-19) - NHS (www.nhs.uk).

Settings will continue to have a role in working with health protection teams in the case of a local outbreak. If there is a substantial increase in the number of positive cases in a setting, a director of public health might advise a setting to temporarily reintroduce some control measures.

Read the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in education, childcare and children’s social care, for more information about how to manage outbreaks in children’s homes.

Legislation and regulations

Temporary regulations

On 30 September 2021 the temporary regulatory flexibilities set out in the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2020 expired.

This means that face-to-face visits to looked-after children should continue as normal. Regulatory flexibilities to allow these to take place virtually no longer apply. Similarly, regulatory flexibilities around completion of medical reports or assessments for approving adopters and foster carers are no longer available.

The temporary regulations included a suspension of the minimum frequency of inspections for children’s social care provision. Following a public consultation, The Childcare (Childminder Agencies) (Registration, Inspection and Supply and Disclosure of Information) and Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Fees and Frequency of Inspections) (Children’s Homes etc.) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 came into force on 1 October 2021. These:

  • require Ofsted to meet the minimum frequency of inspections ‘so far as reasonably practicable’ between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022
  • set out a different frequency of minimum inspections for certain settings for future inspection years

The government has no plans to alter these or other inspection arrangements for children’s social care.

Support for children

Support for the mental health of looked-after children and care leavers

Local authorities should follow the statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children and:

  • look out for issues that may affect looked-after children’s mental health and wellbeing
  • encourage looked-after children to speak to their social worker, carer or other trusted adult about how they are feeling
  • ensure they get the help and support they need

Social workers may want to make carers aware of the:

Other mental health resources for children and young people include:

Support for children who have a social worker

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children remains of paramount importance.

Local authorities should:

  • consider the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on stress in families
  • work with local safeguarding partners to ensure continuity and consistency of support

Some children may be vulnerable who are not officially in statutory systems and schools should seek to support any children who they believe may have challenging circumstances at home.

In particular, schools are asked to notify the child’s social worker if they have one and, for looked-after children, the local authority virtual school head. They are also asked to agree with the social worker the best way to maintain contact and offer support. More generally, schools are asked to keep in contact with vulnerable children to check their wellbeing and refer onto other services if additional support is needed. Read Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak.

Out of school settings

If you provide non-residential respite services, such as holiday clubs and out of school provision, read the actions for out-of-school settings.

Elective home education

You should encourage parents to send their children to school, particularly those who are vulnerable.

Most home educated children will have a positive learning experience. However, this is not the case for all, and for some elective home education (EHE) can mean children are less visible to the services that are there to keep them safe and supported. You should consider whether a parent’s decision to educate at home raises safeguarding concerns, particularly where the child is known to children’s social care services. When possible, local authorities should work with schools and parents to help ensure EHE is being provided in the best interests of the child.

Parents who are considering home education due to concerns around safety should discuss these with their school, to see what safety measures have been put in place.

Parents may find ‘all you need to know about home-schooling and elective home education (EHE)’ helpful.

Schools and local authorities are not required to provide support to parents who have withdrawn their child for EHE. It is the parent’s responsibility to decide if home education is right for their child. Local authorities can provide support and guidance at their own discretion.

If a parent of a home educated child wants to (re)admit their child, schools should:

Parents can apply for a place at any mainstream school, at any time.

Read the guidance for local authorities and schools about elective home education.

Fostering

Self-isolating or ill foster carers

We expect that children will continue living with their foster carers in most cases while following guidance on self-isolation and social distancing.

If foster carers develop symptoms of COVID-19 the:

If this is not possible, fostering services should find alternative temporary placements while the foster carer is ill and then return the child to their usual home afterwards.

Residential provision

Keeping residential settings safe from COVID-19

Local authorities and providers should read the following guidance:

When making decisions about keeping residential settings safe from COVID-19 you should consider:

  • that disruption from COVID-19 may make children anxious
  • that staff are still working under challenging conditions
  • supporting staff by reducing the number of hours they work in one shift, or providing more time away from the home
  • cleaning frequently touched surfaces, including bathrooms, toilets and kitchens more often
  • encouraging frequent handwashing and changing hand towels regularly
  • keeping homes well ventilated

If you have staff shortages that could lead to the closure of a home:

  • tell your relevant placing local authorities immediately
  • inform Ofsted, who may share the information with DfE
  • speak to your local health protection team regarding ways to manage an active case in the home

Action in response to a positive COVID-19 test for a member of staff or child

If a child or member of staff has a positive test result, from 24 February children’s social care settings should follow the published UKHSA guidance on People with COVID-19 and their contacts.

Settings may also wish to consider:

Local authorities and providers should:

  • decide if the child can be safely cared for at the children’s home
  • make decisions with the co-operation of the young person
  • prioritise stability and quality of care when making decisions about whether symptomatic children should be moved

A temporary move to an alternative placement should be a last resort.

You should get advice from UKHSA via the health protection team if the young person refuses to follow public health guidance.

Responsibilities to care leavers

Local authorities must meet their statutory responsibilities towards care leavers including to:

  • provide personal advisers
  • prepare and review pathway plans

Local authorities should:

  • tell care leavers about any additional support available to them through their local offer
  • continue other forms of financial support for care leavers including setting up home allowances
  • order devices where needed through the Get Help with Technology programme to help care leavers stay in touch with personal advisors and wider support networks, and support their education or training

Personal advisers

Personal advisers should:

  • continue to keep in touch with care leavers, including contacting care leavers aged over 21 who are eligible for support up to age 25, but who are not currently accessing support
  • communicate with care leavers in a way that is most effective for them, including by phone or video
  • continue to meet face-to-face, while following the working safely during COVID-19 guidance to protect staff and young people
  • assess the right level and frequency of contact with each care leaver
  • always consider the wishes and feelings of the young person

Independent living

Social distancing restrictions have now ended, and local authorities will be increasingly able to move young people out of care safely. However, decisions about the future of young people who have left, or are about to leave, care should continue to:

  • take residual impacts of the pandemic into consideration
  • minimise any additional stress for them

Local authorities should be flexible and take account of young people’s views when deciding what is the right time to move young people out of care and ensure there are suitable move on accommodation options available by working closely with housing partners.

Local authorities must comply with Regulation 39 of The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, where they are considering ceasing to look after children.

Care leavers can be moved between different accommodation settings if:

  • it is suitable, in light of the young person’s needs and views
  • the setting is safe, including in relation to COVID-19

Loneliness and isolation of care leavers

For loneliness and isolation support:

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC)

Local authorities receiving a newly arriving unaccompanied asylum-seeking child (UASC) should follow the guidance on travelling with children in relation to COVID testing and isolation.

They should be aware that, when necessary, it is the responsibility of the person who has custody or charge of a child to make sure the child self-isolates so far as is reasonably practicable.

The local authority that initially collects the child should assess the child’s needs as they would do in normal circumstances and if the child is accommodated for more than 24 hours by that local authority, they will be responsible for the child as a ‘looked-after child’.

Local authorities can:

Ofsted inspections

Ofsted resumed routine inspections of children’s social care settings (such as children’s homes, residential family centres and independent fostering agencies) on 12 April 2021.

Ofsted will be required to meet the minimum frequency of inspections ‘so far as reasonably practicable’ for the remainder of the inspection year (1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022) with this flexibility no longer applying from 1 April 2022. The government currently has no plans to change Ofsted or other inspection arrangements for children’s social care.

Read Ofsted’s plans: 2021 for the latest information on all Ofsted inspections.

Read Ofsted’s guidance on social care common inspection framework and assurance visits.

Read Ofsted’s framework for inspecting local authority services (ILACS).

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