📒Coronavirus Policy (QA2)

National Quality Standard (NQS) - Quality Area 2: Children's health and safety

 

Implementation 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause illnesses similar to the common cold, but it can also cause more serious respiratory diseases. Most people displaying symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath are likely suffering from a cold or other respiratory illness—not coronavirus. However, the threats posed by the virus mean serious steps must be taken to stop the spread of the disease. 

As outlined in our Infectious Disease and Health, Hygiene and Safe Food Policies, the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor, educators, and staff implement strict hygiene and infection control procedures at all times to prevent or minimise the spread of contagious illnesses. Hygiene measures and exclusion principles outlined in these policies continue to apply and will be informed by current guidance on coronavirus issued by relevant Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments including:

• Federal Department of Health coronavirus health alerts which are updated daily 
• State/Territory Education Departments which may issue coronavirus updates directly to service providers. Latest updates and resources can also be reviewed online 
• Federal Department of Education, Skills, and Employment. Subscribe to email updates 
• Federal Department of Health coronavirus Information Sheets which include:
• ‘Information for schools and early childhood centres, students and their parents’ which covers  when children and staff cannot attend, what home isolation means, what happens if children and staff become sick while in isolation, and how to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus (available in Chinese and Farsi)
•  ‘Isolation guidance’
• ‘Home isolation guidance when unwell (suspected or confirmed cases)’
• ‘Coronavirus what you need to know’
• ‘Information on the use of surgical masks‘
• ‘Information for travelers arriving from mainland China, Iran, Republic of Korea and Italy’ (note this title may change if more countries are added)
• ‘Information for employers’ which covers when staff cannot go to work, what to tell staff, cleaning precautions, and how to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

 If in doubt about current coronavirus guidance, the Approved Provider or Nominated Supervisor will contact the Federal coronavirus hotline on 1800 020 080 or their State/Territory Health Department.

 

What must employees and families do?

Comply with government guidance

The Approved Provider, employees and volunteers and families must:

• comply with guidance issued by Government agencies, including in relation to attendance, quarantine, and self-isolation. This includes:
  1. ensuring they/a child/a family member comply with isolation requirements and stay home, for 14 days where required, is at risk of infection from coronavirus eg they’ve recently traveled through China, Iran or Korea, or been in close contact with someone who has the virus
  2. ensuring they/a child/a family member stays at home if unwell
• seek medical attention if they develop a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath within 14 days of travel to an affected area. Call ahead before visiting the doctor/hospital to advise them of your symptoms, and wear a surgical mask when visiting the medical facility
• advise the service if they develop symptoms of the virus or are confirmed to have the virus while in isolation. This is particularly important if they have been at the service before isolation provide written clearance from a doctor after a period of isolation or quarantine confirming they/child/family member are not contagious and may return to the service. 

 Employees, volunteers, and families must also comply with any isolation/exclusion periods in relation to coronavirus implemented by the Approved Provider or Nominated Supervisor including periods that exceed government requirements.

 

Implement effective hygiene process

The coronavirus is most likely to spread from person-to-person through:

• direct close contact with a person while they are infectious 
• close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who coughs or sneezes
• touching objects or surfaces like door handles or tables contaminated from a cough or sneeze from a person with confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face. 

 Employees and volunteers will ensure they continue to implement hygiene processes outlined in the Health, Hygiene, and Safe Food Policy to ensure high standards of hygiene and infection control at all times. This includes ensuring they and where relevant children:

• wash hands frequently with soap and water including before and after eating or handling food, going to the toilet, changing a nappy, handling play dough, using gloves,  and after wiping or touching nose and cleaning up spills of body fluids  
• cough and sneeze into their inner elbow, or use a tissue to cover their mouth and nose and placing tissues in the bin immediately after use

If using alcohol-based hand sanitiser in place of soap it will contain 60-80% alcohol and antibacterial soap/gel will never be used.

 In addition, the Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor will ensure cleaning requirements are documented and completed regularly, and cleaning staff, including contracted cleaning staff,  implement the precautions outlined in the ‘Information for Employers’ Sheet including: 

• wearing gloves and using alcohol-based hand sanitiser before and after wearing gloves
• wearing surgical masks if a person with the virus or in isolation has been in the area being cleaned.

 The Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor will ensure hand hygiene posters are displayed in areas that can easily be seen by families, including the front entrance, and require all employees and families to use hand sanitiser provided at service entrances.

In addition: 
In keeping with the Woodlands Physical Environment (WHS, Learning and Admin) Policy (QA2) all staff and visitors to our centres must remove their shoes upon entering the baby rooms and/or have alternative footwear on entering the babies room (Non-walker rooms). 

 

 Information and notification requirements

The Approved Provider or Nominated Supervisor will:

• report instances of (suspected) coronavirus to the local state/territory health department 
• comply with notification requirements for serious incidents which include:
  • any incident involving serious illness of a child at the  service where the child attended or should have attended, a hospital  
  • any emergency where emergency services attended ie there was an imminent or severe risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of a person at the service
• provide families with current information about the coronavirus including current Information Sheets numbered 1- 6 above.

 

Interactions with Children

Where appropriate, educators will speak with children about the coronavirus in ways that do not alarm them or cause unnecessary fear or distress. Educators may, for example, discuss with children their feelings in relation to the virus, remind children that the risk of catching the illness is very low, review hygiene measures they can take to reduce the risk of infection, discuss some of the good things happening in the world, or implement other strategies outlined in our Relationships with Children Policy. Educators will be careful not to speak to others in an alarmist way about the coronavirus if children are present or within hearing. 

 

Excursions

To further protect the service and local communities, the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor and educators will ensure excursions which may expose children, staff or vulnerable community members, including those in aged care facilities, to higher risks of contracting coronavirus do not occur while coronavirus infection control measures are in place. 

 

Staff Entitlements in relation to coronavirus

Permanent employees are entitled to paid sick leave if they’re ill with coronavirus. Employees must provide a medical certificate confirming they have the virus. Permanent employees who need to look after a family member or someone in their household who’s sick with the virus are also entitled to paid carer’s leave, or unpaid carer’s leave if they have no paid sick or carer’s leave left. Casual employees are entitled to 2 days unpaid carer’s leave per occasion. Permanent employees who want to stay at home as a precaution against exposure to Coronavirus must apply for paid or unpaid leave. 

The Approved Provider or Nominated Supervisor will discuss available employment options with permanent employees who can’t return from overseas or are required to enter quarantine or isolation but aren’t sick. Options include taking annual leave or other leave eg long service leave and taking unpaid leave.

Permanent employees will be paid if they are directed not to work to prevent the spread of the illness, or cannot work because the centre is voluntarily closed by the Approved Provider to contain the spread. 

The Approved Provider may seek legal advice to confirm payment of salaries is not required under the ‘stand-down’ provision of the Fair Work Act if service is directed to close by the Government. Under the Fair Work Act, an employee can only be stood down without pay in certain situations, including a stoppage of work for which the employer can’t be held responsible. 

 

What else should families do?

Educators will welcome advice from families about any international travel so educators are aware of the reasons why their child may be anxious and implement relevant strategies.  

 Fees

As outlined in our Fees Policy, fees are payable for all days that children are enrolled, including when children are sick and cannot attend. In relation to coronavirus, this means fees are payable where children are unable to travel home to Australia, are in quarantine or home isolation. 

 Note parents are entitled to receive Child Care Subsidy for up to 42 days without providing a reason where their child is absent. Additional absences may also be entitled to the Subsidy in specific situations, including where the service is closed as a direct result of a local emergency or a child cannot attend because of a local emergency. The coronavirus emergency may meet these situations. The Approved Provider will be guided by any advice issued by Federal or state/territory governments in response to the coronavirus emergency. In the absence of any specific guidance, we will not charge fees in excess of any Child Care Subsidy if the centre is directed to close or closes voluntarily to contain the spread of the virus.