1 May 2020
DCC staff guidance for dealing with coronavirus (COVID-19)
Public: coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for Devon on our website
Please pass this onto district, borough, parish and town councillors as appropriate. The bulletin can be shared as a link by clicking the 'View it as a Web page' link at the top.
Evidence is now showing that the country may have passed the peak in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases reported via hospitals, yet we have a reminder from the Office of National Statistics that deaths in community settings, including care homes, are continuing to rise.
Here in Devon, while we can be thankful that the infection curve has been lower and slower than in other places, it is likely that we have yet to see the peak in initial cases.
The NHS’ newest hospital set to open in a new location will now be built on the site of the former Homebase store in Sowton, Exeter instead of Westpoint. Conversion of the former retail unit to a fully functioning hospital will begin over the next week and as it is currently vacant, it should be opening as planned in late May.
We're all doing our bit to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), and our essential workers are helping to keep the country running during the outbreak and want to do their job without reprisal or abuse.
We've launched a campaign, #unacceptable following incidents of verbal abuse, being coughed and sneezed at and physical attacks on key workers in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. That includes our care workers caring for people, and highways officers fixing roads.
Our Leader, Councillor John Hart, said:
"This kind of behaviour is appalling and totally unacceptable. Most of us are grateful and supportive of our key workers including council staff who are out there every day doing their best to look after the most vulnerable and keep things going."
Coronavirus testing for essential workers
A major factor in the country’s battle against coronavirus is having effective testing arrangements in place, and the Government has recently announced an extension of COVID-19 testing for all essential workers, including council staff.
It means people will have the reassurance of knowing whether their symptoms are caused by coronavirus and can decide whether they are well enough to return to work if the test is negative.
Tests can be booked via the Government's online system. Employers can register and refer self-isolating staff, and employees can book a test directly for themselves or members of their household who are experiencing symptoms – a high temperature or new continuous cough.
Celebrating VE Day on Friday 8 May
It will be 75 years to the day, on Friday 8 May 2020, since the guns fell silent at the end of the war in Europe. This year, the nation will be marking the occasion differently. Many community celebrations, due to take place on the bank holiday weekend (Friday 8 to Sunday 10 May), have been postponed. The veterans' procession and events in London will no longer go ahead. But mark the occasion, we will still.
The Government has published a toolkit of resources, to include bunting and posters that you can print and display at home in your windows. English Heritage has a pack to help you put together your own celebrations to mark the anniversary from home. Share your Second World War stories, families’ histories and messages of remembrance on social media, using #VEDay75 to join the conversation. For school children, historian and presenter Dan Snow has set a creative challenge to research what VE Day is all about.
However you mark the day, privately or publicly, please do so safely
Welfare and schooling
316 state funded schools are currently open for vulnerable and key worker children. Children attending school on 27 April was 361 lower than the previous week at 2553. 816 of these children were classed as vulnerable, a slight increase on last week.
The split across the county is as below:
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East
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456
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Exeter
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458
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Mid
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239
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North
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384
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Plymouth (Sherford)
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18
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South Hams
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199
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Teignbridge
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495
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Torridge
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192
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West Devon
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119
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Currently 479 early years settings are open, more than last week, but only 1933 children attended. This is 1800 less than last week and the reduction is spread proportionally across key workers and vulnerable children. This is due to the DfE changing the group of children who are reported.
The Free School Meals team has seen a significant increase in applications for free school meals. Through our press release: Families urged to check if their children are eligible for free school meals we want to maximise the take up of free school meals and to raise awareness of the application process.
If a child is eligible for free school meals, their family is entitled to free vouchers from the Government to help pay for the child's food, regardless of whether or not they are attending school right now. Schools will provide meals for vulnerable children and children of key workers who are eligible and in class. But eligible children who are at home are entitled to food vouchers worth £15 a week, which can be exchanged at most supermarkets. Applying for them is simple and quick via our Devon Citizens Portal
Devon has seen a six fold increase in approved claims in March and April compared to the same period in 2019 with a total of 1,257 authorised claims compared to 206. Resources have been moved within the Schools Admissions Team to meet this additional challenge.
The Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, has sent a letter to all education providers sharing his gratitude for their support in caring for our most vulnerable children and young people.
Supporting and protecting our children in care
The Education Secretary and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, have both written to all social workers to applaud their inspiring efforts in keeping our vulnerable children safe and adults cared for, throughout the COVID-19 outbreak - read the letter here.
Daily (replacing weekly) triage is in place to ensure prompt response to need during the pandemic. MASH contacts/referrals are at between 65/70% of usual but with increased concerns around domestic violence and mental health, teachers are calling pupils to ask them if everything is okay at home to minimise this risk. Care entry is stable and in line with our strategic intention to reduce care entry over time. Active child protection interventions, conferences and child protection plans are still happening regularly.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is offering additional crisis support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
If a child or young person (under 18) is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can now access CAMHS 24/7. Please contact 03300 245 321 during normal hours (8.00am-5.00pm, Monday to Friday) or 0300 555 5000 outside these hours.
Cllr James McInnes said:
“Ofsted has reviewed our COVID-19 Plan which incorporates the improvements needed following our Ofsted inspection. We have received positive comments and the COVID-19 Plan is in place and being used every day.”
Support from our Disabled Children's Service
The current situation is hard for everyone and particularly difficult for some families with a child or young person with a special educational need or disability.
We’re working closely with parents and carers during this difficult time to make sure families are receiving the most appropriate support that is available to them.
We are updating our website all the time to keep families informed with the latest information, including suggestions on using personal budgets and short breaks plans flexibly and creatively, changes to our direct payments policy and advice for parents and carers who employ staff.
We are regularly talking to the co-chairs of the Parent Carer Forum to jointly identify issues and try to resolve them. We want to make sure everyone has all the information they need so we've answered lots of questions on our website, and also gathered some useful online resources for children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.
 Campaign to raise awareness of online CSE
We are supporting Devon & Cornwall Polices’ new campaign which aims to raise awareness of online grooming and child sexual exploitation (CSE) during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The current lockdown means that children and young people are likely to be spending more time online than they would if they were at school. To help keep them safe and protect them from offenders who might attempt to target them online, the police have collected information and support for both parents/carers and young people to spot the signs of online exploitation. There is also information about who to talk to and where to get help.
Online exploitation can affect anyone, boy or girl, from any community. Please remember - it is never the child’s fault. For further information including where to get help, visit: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/cse-covid19
Further financial support to social care sector
Devon County Council has announced its next major investment to support the county’s social care sector, revealing a package of additional funding now totalling £8 million to support domiciliary care and residential care markets during the pandemic.
Cllr Andrew Leadbetter said:
“Each package of funding is different – it has to be, because each sector and our involvement within it is different. And it is also carefully targeted to support both local need and national strategy in our collective response to this pandemic.
“We are not being prescriptive about how the care homes use the additional funding. They know how best to make this funding work for them, except of course that it’s to meet their additional costs arising from coronavirus and for them to incentivise their hard-working and exceptional care workers.
“In addition to personal care going into people’s homes, and care delivered to people living in care homes, we are also looking at how we can support other sectors of social care, including supported living, Direct Payments and Personal Assistants. We will be saying more about this next funding package soon.”
 Lockdown prompts rise in calls to domestic abuse helplines
The regional support charity for victims of domestic violence and abuse, Splitz, saw a 62 per cent rise in the number of people needing their help from the beginning of April to last week. We have been working with partner agencies across Devon and Cornwall to launch a new domestic abuse campaign
The campaign aims to reassure victims of domestic abuse that they still have access to vital support services despite the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus. It comes in response to an anticipated increase in cases as people continue to self-isolate.
For those who need help, please call the local Victim Support team in Devon and Cornwall on 0300 303 0554. Lines are open midday-6.00pm Monday to Friday. If you need support outside of our open hours, call the support-line for free on 08 08 16 89 111. You can now also access the free live chat for 24/7 support. In an emergency always call 999.
Payment options for volunteer shoppers
It's great to have good friends and neighbours we feel we can trust, no more so than now. For many, who don't feel they can call on someone they know to ask for help with shopping, there's an army of volunteers waiting to help.
If residents don’t know their volunteer helper, the Royal Voluntary Service and the NHS have provided some helpful advice about how your helper can safely pay for your shopping with your money. And there are a number of recommended ways to pay for shopping securely, find the different options available on the updated 'How to help safely' web page.
Supporting the special dietary needs of vulnerable self-isolating residents
When vulnerable self-isolating residents receive the Government's free weekly food parcels but have a special dietary requirement, such as vegetarian, vegan or a dairy or gluten intolerance, tell us about it via the Devon Coronavirus Emergency Helpline on 0345 155 1011.
Depending on what people need, we can arrange a top-up box to be delivered or refer people through our local authority hub.
More than 100 free Learn Devon online courses now available from today (Friday 1 May)
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More than 100 free online courses developed by Learn Devon as part of Devon County Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic are available online from today (Friday 1 May). The online courses cover three main subject areas – employability, wellbeing and digital skills.
Learn Devon provides adult and community learning courses on behalf of Devon County Council. The registered training provider has devised the new online learning courses to support people who may have been made redundant or are currently seeking work. There are also courses that have been designed for vulnerable people currently self-isolating, volunteers supporting Devon County Council during the pandemic, as well as local businesses.
Cllr Rufus Gilbert said:
“It's a great example of a team rapidly transforming its offer and approach to meet the changing needs of our residents and learners. It demonstrates perfectly how the Council can adapt its services to thrive online and benefit local people even during a period of disruption.”
You can browse courses and enrol on their website www.learndevon.co.uk or you can also enrol by calling 0345 155 1014.
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Residents thanked for managing their waste under difficult circumstances
Devon County Council is looking to reopen Household Waste Recycling Centres as soon as it is safe to do so and Government guidance permits
Coronavirus-related online scams
Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service is reminding residents to remain vigilant and ‘stay home, stay safe and stay scam aware’, as new coronavirus (COVID-19) related scams continue to emerge.
By pulling together across the Council, with our partners and our communities, we are doing everything we can to help us all through this incredibly difficult time. Thank you to you and your community and stay safe and well.
Please note that all of our sites and offices are closed to the public, except for necessary prearranged visits
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