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RISK ASSESSMENT- GUIDING QUESTIONS / ACTION PLANPOTENTIAL THREAT/EMERGENCY Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Important: Our guiding questions and Action Plan suggestions do not represent a completed plan. Read, review and adjust to align with the requirements and context of your Service and physical environment.]

COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that was originally identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. Effective 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), has declared that COVID-19 outbreak as a ‘pandemic’- a Public Health Emergency of International Concern due to the speed and scale of transmission of the virus in countries around the world, including Australia. COVID-19 is transmitted from someone who is infected with the virus to others in close contact through contaminated droplets spread by coughing or sneezing or by contact with contaminated hands or surfaces. According to Department of Health, the time of exposure to the virus and when symptoms first occur is anywhere from 2-14 days.

OUR OBJECTIVES

1. Control the internal and external environments2. Remove/mitigate the risk of spreading the infection3. Establish routines to control the risk and continue to deliver the education and care program4. Ensure staff are aware and confident to facilitate the new routines5. Prepare to manage the impact on fluctuations in occupancy, continuity of Educators and cash flow6. Become prepared to facil itate a forced closure, if required7. Prepare to facil itate a recovery program when/as restrictions are eased

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GUIDING QUESTIONS ACTION PLAN

Information and crisis status reports

What accurate and reliable sources of information do you have in place to stay updated with crisis developments?

- Australian Government Department of Health- Health Alerts- Department of Education Skills and Employment- Information for schools and early learning

services- Health direct COVID-19 information by state and territory- Safe work Australia Coronavirus (COVID-19): Advice for Employers and Early childhood

education and care: Minimising the risk of exposure to COVID-19- Australian Childcare Alliance COVID-19 page- Child Care Centre Desktop

How will you communicate relevant information to staff and families?

- Daily email updates to staff and families- Routine information exchange via communication journals/books- Regular updates to information posted on our website and/or social media site- Carpark signage – messages are adjusted according to latest updates- Entry signage – messages are adjusted according to latest updates

Australian Government Department of Health- Coronavirus (COVID-19) campaign resources

Control the environment – staff / children / parents / visitors

Our Service implements procedures as suggested in the Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (Fifth Edition) developed by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council as part of our day-to-day operation. We also subscribe to the guidelines set out by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC)

What steps are established to ensure staff members entering the service at the start of each day have been screened and

All staff members have completed the Department of Health's COVID-19 infection control training program

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engage in appropriate hygiene and preventative practices?

All staff diligently practice and model personal hygiene measures such as: regular hand washing and cough and sneeze etiquette (the COVID-19 management Policy available through Child Care Centre Desktop contains a detailed list of personal hygiene measures)

Whilst there is no vaccination for COVID-19, we have strongly recommended that all staff receive the seasonal influenza vaccination as soon as possible.

Staff members are asked to declare that:- they have not come into close contact with anyone with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in

the past 14 days- they will advise the Service if they, or anyone in their family, develops any symptoms of

the virus or receives a positive result of the virus whilst in isolation- if they begin to display symptoms such as: fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue and

shortness of breath, they must seek urgent medical attention to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19 and not attend our Service under any circumstance

Staff members are - discouraged to use public transport if possible- asked to travel directly from home to work (avoid stopping at shops or petrol stations)- required to wash their hands upon arrival at the Service

What are our initial points of contact at the start of each day?

Where will be the most effective locations for drop-off, screening and hygiene routines/protocols?

To support regular updates sent to families, we have placed instructional signage at: - the carpark entry and - the hygiene/screening station outside the main entry

As a control measure, parents are instructed to bring children to the hygiene/screening station, wash hands using the alcohol-based sanitiser and wipe bag/backpack with disinfectant wipes provided.

Signs and markings to promote social distancing have been placed at and around the hygiene/screening station.Parents/guardians are not permitted to enter the Service premises

A familiar staff member will greet the child and parent, undertake some basic screening and observations before taking the child into the service. [use of non-contact thermometers to take children’s temperatures before permitting entry to the service].

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Parents will also complete the Health Declaration Form (See COVID-19 Management Policy for exclusion parameters.)

Parents will sign their child into the service using an iPad or other device. Staff members will ensure any surface is wiped or sprayed with disinfectant following touch by any other person

What steps should I take if a parent or child does not pass the screening questions?

See: Healthdirect childcare-school-exclusions-faqs close contactRefer to your Service policies: COVID-19 Management Policy, Control of Infectious Disease Policy, Sick Children PolicyAsk parents to use the Healthdirect symptom checker for COVID-19 available here

What information do I have readily available to support a decision not to allow access?

Contact your Public Health Unit. COVID-19 is a notifiable condition under the Public Health Act. Contact your state regulatory authority-acecqa contact regulatory authorityPrint information from Department of Health-Information for schools and early childhood centres, students and their parents

What are our final points of contact at the end of each day?

Where will be the most effective locations for pick-up and hygiene routines?

Throughout the day additional hygiene measures are reinforced in all internal and external areas of the service

As parents arrive to pick up their child the relevant staff member is alerted. The child’s bag and water bottle are wiped down with a sanitiser wipe before bringing the child to the main exit.

Parents are not permitted to enter the service so the staff member will open the door and hand the child over to the parent. (The child will not leave the care of staff until the parent has been sited and the exchange can be observed.)

Parents continue to be encouraged to use the hygiene station and practice social distancing during the pick-up process

What will I do in the event of any child, educator, staff member or visitor attending our Service is suspected or confirmed to have the infection?

In the case of a sick child, initial steps taken will be as per our Sick Child Policy.

If any staff member or visitor is displaying symptoms of any infectious illness, they must be isolated from others in the Service immediately and requested to leave the premises. All surfaces and resources touched by anyone who is suspected to have an infection must be

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cleaned with soap and water followed by disinfectant.

The Approved Provider or Nominated Supervisor is mandated by law to notify the Public Health Unit or Health Information hotline on 1800 020 080 of any confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. In addition, the Approved Provider must also notify the Regulatory Authority in their state or territory within 24 hours.Call 131 450 for translating and interpreting serviceHealth Direct1800 022 222

Control the environment – deliveries / trades

How can we minimise the need for a delivery person to enter the service?

We have contacted each company who would normally deliver goods and provided the following instructions:

- contact the Service upon arrival via mobile phone- deliver the goods to a pre-determined location away from the main entry- if a signature is required, staff will use their own pen or if signing on a device, they will

use hand sanitiser immediately after touching the device- social distancing will apply at all times.

The above procedure will also be provided in writing displayed on signage near the designated location for delivery.

If it is necessary for a tradesperson to enter the service, how do we minimise the potential spread of infection?

Initial instructions of entry will be provided to the tradesperson over the phone. Prior to entry they will:

- be provided entry to the Service either prior to opening or after hours where possible- wash their hands using the hand soap provided - ensure all equipment brought into the Service is disinfected - sign the Health Declaration Form (and visitor sign-in/out form)- be provided with strict protocols and procedures for entry into the premises- including

respecting social distancing, locations of internal hygiene stations and touching of other surfaces

- be escorted by a staff member to the site of repair/installation that has been e pre-

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prepared for safety and social distancing measures- be escorted from the Service once the task has been completed- complete the visitor sign-in/out form - wash hands prior to leaving the Service- be requested to complete and manage related paperwork online if possible.

Control the environment - insideWhat routine hygiene and cleaning measures will all staff follow while in the service?

The following hygiene measures will be strictly reinforced on a daily basis:

- educators and staff must adhere to our Handwashing Policy at all times- children are closely supervised when washing and drying hands- practical measures are implemented to encourage physical distancing - educators and staff must adhere to effective food preparation and food handling

procedures- educators will wash their hands or use alcohol-based sanitiser, before wearing gloves and

wash their hands after wearing gloves- educators and staff must adhere to our Health and Safety Policy for cleaning and

disinfecting surfaces and equipment (such as toys, puzzles, outdoor toys, bedding, playdough etc) as per Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services recommendations

- staff will maintain a cleaning register of all surfaces and equipment conducted- frequently touched surfaces and objects such as taps, door handles, light switches, nappy

change areas and toys will be cleaned more frequently as required using detergent and water followed by disinfectant solutions

- personal items such as phones and glasses and workstation equipment such as keyboards, iPads, are cleaned and disinfected frequently (using isopropyl alcohol wipes)

- cleaning contractors will hygienically clean the Service to ensure risk of contamination is removed as per Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Principles for COVID-19

- washroom facilities for employees have adequate supplies of soap, toilet paper and alcohol-based sanitiser

Department of Health- Environmental cleaning Department of Health Information for employers

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Refer to Staying Healthy in Childcare for information on infectious diseases. Implement cleaning and infectious control procedures that should be used outbreaks of gastroenteritis (gastro).

What are the common and logical points of contact during normal operations? Where will be the best locations for hygiene stations and related signage? (room entries, offices, kitchen, bathrooms, storage rooms, bag storage, play equipment)

To support the routines listed above hygiene stations and signage will be placed in strategic locations around the Service.

This will include posters for: hand washing, cough and sneeze etiquette, disposal of tissues/hand towel, reduce the risk and physical distancing reminders amongst others.

How do we facilitate a form of social/physical distancing without compromising supervision and engagement? (Consider: group activities, staggering meals and rest areas)

To support the concept of social/physical distancing within the early education and care setting we will implement measures to minimise the risk of exposure as reasonably practicable:

- reduce mixing of children by separating cohorts (including staggering meals and play times)

- where possible, outdoor play will be promoted within our Service to provide children with additional personal space

- large groups will be monitored to provide flexible learning to ensure groups are smaller in both the indoor and outdoor environment

- increase ventilation within the Service - ensure cots, mats, cushions etc are positioned at least 1.5 metres apart- seat children at opposite ends of a table when playing and eating- avoid any situation when children are required to queue- waiting their turn to use

bathroom for handwashing or toileting, waiting their turn to use a piece of equipment etc.- contact parents of children who have chronic medical conditions or immunosuppression as

they may be at an increased risk of disease and require additional support/care

Department of Health Social Distancing in schools and Social Distancing in Early Childhood

If or when required, how do we communicate with children in respect of questions about COVID-19 or changes

Information provided to children about COVID-19 will be age appropriate and sensitive to their emotional wellbeing. Educators will both acknowledge children’s concerns and be open to discussions about COVID-19:

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in routine that become evident to them?

- Educators will inform children about the virus and emphasise preventative measures such as handwashing, use of tissues, cough and sneeze techniques and limiting touching other children’s faces.

- posters to demonstrate correct handwashing methods will be referred to and educators will model techniques.

- children’s emotional well-being will be closely monitored by all educators and staff and any concerns communicated with parents and families.

- children’s questions will be respected and supported.- in the event of the Service being closed as a precaution to limit the spread of the virus,

information will be provided to parents/families to help explain the situation to young children.

- We will be producing resources to help you in the coming weeks

What physical space requirements do we need to consider when reviewing our enrolment numbers?

In order to reduce the risk of infection and to comply with physical space requirements, it is recommended that each person have 4 square metres of space. This is more than the indoor floor space requirements for licensing and indicates that you may need to reduce the maximum number of children onsite.

To work out an approximate figure:Calculate your current floor space: # licensed places x 3.25m Then divide this by 4: to give you the number of people (adults and children) who can safely be in that space. For example; a 50 place centre has indoor floor space of (50 x 3.25) = 162.5m Then divide this figure by 4 = 40.63so you can safely have 40 people (including children and contact staff) in the indoor space.

This is a guide only and needs to be considered with your service environment in mind, and in line with budgetary guidelines.

In the event that normal supply chains for consumables and food supplies becomes interrupted what steps do we

We will utilise the contacts, steps and menu options outlined in the resource: "Managing children’s services menus during disruptions to food supplies " prepared by Bec Lloyd.

This guide and set of procedures has been prepared for members of the Childcare Centre

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take? (Including changes to the regular menu – if required)

Desktop and can be downloaded from: Compliance / Governance and Leadership / COVID-19

Control the environment – outdoor and indoor environments

What can we do or change in the outdoor and indoor environment to support social distancing and hygiene measures?

- Avoid queuing for equipment or resources- Avoid queuing for meals, snacks or handwashing- Limit group times to a maximum of 8-10 children per group- Place spots on the floor to spread children apart from each other- Transition times- increase transitions and limit the number of children- hand washing,

visiting the toilet area, collecting hats, drink bottles, bags and resources- Move tabletop activities to outdoor area- Use small tables and/or mats for eating rather than large tables- increase the amount of rubbish bins so children don’t all gather together- Limit the number of children utilising the outdoor environment at any given time- Rotate groups from indoor and outdoor play environments with supervision- Implement a roster for small groups of children to play in the sandpit, bikes or

other very popular areas in your Service- Ensure all equipment and resources are cleaned frequently

Family engagement and retention

What changes (if any) do we need to make to ensure we retain reliable and effective communication with families?

Engage a proactive approach. Send regular updates (with no jargon) to reassure families of our risk mitigation strategies and hygiene processes and practices.Use one reliable source for information- Department of Health

What regular information should we - Strategies the Service has implemented to ensure high priority of health, safety and wellbeing for all children and staff

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provide to ensure we retain their trust in our approach to manage the crisis?

- Alert families of any changes to routines and/or practices- eating times, menus, celebrations and programs that are currently postponed- visiting shows, excursions

- Provide families with information about current ‘fee free’ period- Ensure families keep up to date with immunisation schedules

What steps will we take to continue to engage with families if they remove their child from care during the crisis period?

Contact all families personally who have un-enrolled their child/ren from the Service.

- Provide accurate information of the Early Education Fee Relief Rescue Package where they can receive fee free care up until 28 June.

- Encourage families to re-enrol to hold their place once the crisis has passed.- Provide regular newsletters via email. Use social media to stay engaged with families

in the community- post messages of what’s happening, special events, photos etc.

What support can we provide to children if they have been removed from care during the crisis period?

Provide ideas and strategies for parents to use whilst at home with their child.

- This could be a home learning package or kit with sample ideas of resources to use, list of songs, finger plays, simple games that are age appropriate.

- Encourage play based learning, reading, drama, cooking.- Department of Education NSW Information for parents and carers - Raising children Preschoolers: play & learning- Connect with children remotely. Schedule regular online check-ins with children in

each group with educators- use Face Time or a platform like Zoom. - Activities could be reading a story, singing songs, making a craft item or painting,

yoga or exercise/dance.Continuity of educators and staff

How will we manage an incident of a worker presenting symptoms while on shift?

The staff member should be sent home as soon as possible and avoid any unnecessary contact with other staff or children. Notify and seek advice through local Public Health Unit Contact your state Regulatory Authority or notify through NQAIT systemClean and disinfect all areas staff member has contacted

How do we manage a situation whereby Employee must self-isolate for 14 days Department of Health Isolation guidelines

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we have learnt that a worker has come in close contact with person infected with COVID-19?

If a staff member or several staff members are directed to be absent from work due to periods of quarantine or isolation what steps are in place to ensure continuity of care and compliant educator to child ratios?

- Consider asking part time staff to do additional shifts if they are able- Where possible, employ casual staff who are familiar with the Service and know the

children- Supervision must remain the highest priority for children’s health and safety - Apply for a waiver through local regulatory authority if educator to child ratios are

compromised.- Consider adjusting your hours of operation to manage staff rostering and ratios- Notify your regulatory authority if you are unable to maintain qualification ratios- If several staff are involved, the service may need to send children home to rectify

ratio imbalance or be instructed to close for the day- Contact local Regulatory Authority for advice.

What steps will we (staff) take to employ a level of physical/social distancing that will not impact the level of education and care we provide to the children?

- Limit amount visitors to Service- Reduce size of groups to 8-10 children maximum- Remind children of personal space- ‘keep our hands to ourselves’.- Move tables and resources to outside areas where possible- Consider operating an indoor/outdoor program for the full day/session with

appropriate supervision- Set up activities only at each end of the table- Reduce number of children in groups/using bathrooms and washing hands- Ensure physical distancing whilst children sleep and rest (at least 1.5 m between

cots/mats)- Consider sleeping outdoors if appropriate space can be found- Stagger lunch and meal break times for children- Rotate use of outdoor/indoor environments

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- Cancel incursions/excursions during this time- Consider reviewing your maximum attendance numbers- Be responsive and alert to children’s feelings of stress- physical/social distancing may

cause children to be anxious and uncertain. Implement preventative measures as much as possible and try to ‘relax’.

What strategies and/or media platforms can we employ to replace our staff meetings or professional learning?

- Limit any face to face meetings where possible.- If face to face meetings must take place, place chairs at least 2 metres away from

each other in a circle. - Communicate staff meetings through platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams.- Email all recorded minutes of meetings to staff members. Share information and

professional readings through email or Google docs. - Investigate the wide range of online professional learning modules available.

What changes (if any) do we need to make to ensure we retain reliable and effective communication between workers?

- Use of daily alerts/updates- Use one source of reliable information to share with staff and community- Australian

Government Department of Health- Daily check in with all staff for wellbeing - Use of online tools to assist with staff well being beyou.edu.au

What steps can we take to support the health of our employees?

- Ensure staff have access to alcohol-based sanitiser and wipes; disposable gloves, tissues and masks if required.

- Encourage frequent hand washing. - Ensure robust infection control and cleaning procedures- Promote annual influenza vaccine for staff-offer for free from service- Promote self-care through getting adequate sleep and rest, healthy eating and

exercise- Ensure staff who are sick with influenza-like symptoms not attend service- be

transparent with all staff regarding entitlements and access to leave

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Financial control and sustainability

What initial steps will we take if attendance levels drop significantly due to families removing their children from care?

Given that wages and salaries make up the major proportion of expenses we will consolidate our organisational structure in such a way that we can meet all required regulations at the same time control the related outgoings. This will involve:

- reducing staff requirements as enrolments drop – following FWC guidelines for changing agreed hours

- making changes to the physical environment / rooms for effective grouping- Adjusting operating hours - ensure that ratios and supervision is not compromised

What level of enrolments / attendance will we accept?

By working through this risk assessment you will be able to take into consideration the number of staff you have available, the extra work they will be doing (taking each child, wiping down bags and bottles, supervising hand washing etc), the physical space requirements, supervision and your budget.

In consultation with educators, consider reducing the maximum number of children who may attend each day to ensure the health and safety of children, families and educators.

What steps will we take if enrolment requests increase significantly due to families wanting to take advantage of free care during the crisis?

As per the Australian Governments directions, we have prioritised care to essential workers, vulnerable and disadvantaged children and previously enrolled children.

Additional enrolments will be considered but we must ensure that we maintain a viable model and not compromise care, education, supervision and safety as per our risk assessment and action plan.

What are our most appropriate staffing arrangement strategies available to us?

As per Fair Work guidelines, we presented the following work arrangement strategies:- change of work arrangements (hours, roster, responsibilities)- option to take accrued leave entitlements- option to take unpaid leave

All strategies were precluded by consultation with each staff member. Options were provided with a primary objective to maintain relationships and resume normal operations

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and employment as soon as practical.

Coronavirus and Australian workplace laws – Fair Work

How can we adjust the physical environment to effectively group children into less rooms maximising ratios and supervision?

A dynamic approach to grouping and activities is to be applied on a day by day basis depending on the number and age of children attending.

Rooms are prepared accordingly, and the core team of staff members have been advised that the responsibilities of care, education, supervision and administration will ebb and flow around required ratios

How do we manage our relationships with staff members and staff wellbeing moving forward?

Our Service is committed to provide leadership by implementing strategies to support the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees as per our Staff Wellbeing Policy.

These include:

- maintaining strong and supportive relationships with all staff members (including staff on leave)

- providing accurate and up to date information from reliable sources related to: COVID-19, health and safety of staff, employment, wages and leave entitlements

- providing a workplace environment and systems that are supportive of employee health and wellness

- providing opportunities for staff discussion- individually and as a whole staff- identifying common areas of concern and prioritising these- acknowledging stressful situations for employees, both at work and at home- showing sensitivity and empathy to the feelings of individual staff members- fostering wellbeing initiatives as suggested through Government and Sector

organisations- providing opportunities for employees to participate in wellness activities – e.g.:

mindfulness, yoga, dancing

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- providing opportunities for employees to be involved in online professional development opportunities, time for programming, mentoring sessions and capacity building

- ensuring employees take their required breaks (e.g. morning tea, lunch) - providing access to support agencies, including counselling services (Beyond Blue)- encouraging employees to support colleagues during difficult situations

How do we create a financial model to survive the impact of the COVID-19 crisis?

The Service has utilised a COVID-19 financial control spreadsheet (Childcare Centre Desktop) to map income from enrolments ( Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package and JobKeeper Payment), wages, wage on-costs and general expenses.

There will be more resources for this coming soon

CCS and payment of gap fees have ceased effective 6 April as per our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Management Policy. [ eg Gap fees owed by parents from 23 March to 6 April- will/will not be waived]

Our roster and associated wages are aligned with the number of children attending and our ability to continue to provide education, care and safety as per the National Quality Standard.

Enrolments are prioritised giving consideration to essential services, vulnerable children and existing enrolments. Enquiries beyond these criteria will be considered on a daily basis in conjunction with maintaining our position of care listed above.

Where can we reduce our variable and fixed costs for the duration of the crisis period?

After establishing our financial model for income and wages we have worked through the following steps to reduce our general expenses:

- temporarily cut all non-essential items

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- reduced consumable and food to align with attendances- negotiated reduced rates with contract cleaners and gardeners- adopted additional cleaning and grounds work internally- suspended non-essential training, shows and events- discussed options with our landlord to reduce/defer rent if necessary- discussed financial assistance options with our bank

What additional government support is available to offset the financial impact of the crisis?

Boosting Cash Flow for Employers

The Boosting Cash Flow for Employers measure will provide tax-free cash flow boosts of between $20,00 and $100,000 to eligible businesses, delivered through credits in the activity statement system.

The payment will provide temporary cash flow support to small and medium businesses that employ staff. The payment will be tax free.

https://www.business.gov.au/Risk-management/Emergency-management/Coronavirus-information-and-support-for-business/Boosting-cash-flow-for-employers

Apprentices/trainees

Support is available to retain trainees in our Service with wage subsidies paid from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020. Support for Apprentices and Trainees

Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) special circumstances COVID - 19

The Australian Government has developed other temporary measures that may support our business including asset write-off and the time limit 15-month investment incentive. Further details: www.treasury.gov.au/coronvirus

Holding pattern and recovery

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How do we maintain our viability throughout the crisis period?

To continue to deliver high quality care and education and remain financially able we will monitor the Service’s operations as per the model established above.

At the end of each week the following questions will be asked as a prompt to facilitate a review of each dimension of the childcare business:

1. Have we utilised all options available to us (Federal Government, State Government, ATO) to ensure we are receiving our maximum allocation of fees and funding?

2. Based on our fortnightly income and modifications to the physical environment are we supplying an efficient roster to deliver high quality care and education as per the National Quality standards and National Regulations?

3. Have we applied all necessary strategies to minimise general expenses without compromising our ability to deliver item 2 listed above?

4. For those families who have made the decision to keep their children at home during the crisis, are we maintaining our relationship via regular communication? And are we also maintaining engagement with the children by providing an efficient home-based education/activity program?

5. Are we ensuring that our staff members are well informed, feel supported and maintaining a healthy state of mind during the crisis period?

Recovery

What does recovery look like?

As at April 11, 2020 our recovery will be based on how well we are able to manage the holding pattern phase. (above)Moving beyond this point will be governed by decisions by the Federal and State Government Health authorities, the lifting of social distancing restrictions and the confidence of our community to return to normal and resume the use of education and care for their child/ren.

We will add more resources to recovery in the weeks to come. IMPORTANT: the above resource is a first draft. It has been created to provide you with an organised strategy. Please ensure you read, review

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and adjust actions so they align with your unique circumstances, structure and physical environment.

Moving forward we will be integrating routines to support the holding pattern and recovery phases.

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