Where to find information
National Lockdown Information from January 2021 ~
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
The latest government guidance. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Advice for households with suspected coronavirus infection. The full guidance is available here.
Reading Borough Council have a number of useful advice pages for residents during covid-19:
- Coronavirus ~ Useful Information
- Coronavirus ~ Translations
- Coronavirus ~ Support for Business
- Coronavirus ~ Safety advice & guidance (including test & trace)
- One Reading Community Hub ~ (Coronavirus)
- Coronavirus ~ How our services are affected
- Video and audio information in various languages (Flu & Covid-19)
Information on schools, childcare and other educational settings closure, for parent carers. Rolling update from Ofsted
Ofsted ~ Coronavirus Covid-19 Rolling Update
Department for Education coronavirus (covid-19) guidance ~ To make our guidance to support education providers, local authorities and parents during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak easy to access, we have now provided collection pages. These can be accessed using the links below:
- Guidance for early years and childcare providers
- Guidance for schools
- Guidance for further and higher education providers
- Guidance for local authority children’s services
- Guidance for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings
The University of Chichester with MESH & VSO have produced ‘A Parent’s Guide to Promoting Early Learning and Development at Home (0 - 5 years)' to support families during Coronavirus pandemic. SKIP for Early Years Educators ~ Covid-19 Family Booklet
Brighter Futures for Children have created a page to support parents with home learning during covid-19 https://brighterfuturesforchildren.org/coronavirus-covid-19-update/learning-at-home/
Online Mental Health Services ~ Berkshire West CCG services available for young people (# Coping Guides, Little Blue Book of Sunshine & Kooth Online Counselling)
Please find below some resources that may be helpful for parent carers of children and young people with SEND or children and young people themselves.
- Place2Be – Guide to helping parents answer questions from their children and to support family wellbeing: https://www.place2be.org.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/2020/march/coronavirus-information-for-children/
- Young Minds - Talking to your child about Coronavirus and 10 tips from their Parents Helpline to support family wellbeing: https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/talking-to-your-child-about-coronavirus/
- Carers UK - Guidance for carers: https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/coronavirus-covid-19
- Booklet for school children returning to school e-Bug website ~ My Back to School Bubble
- Support for parents of children with a disability Contact ~ For Families
- Support for children, young people and families during covid-19 Barnardo's ~ See, Hear, Respond Service
A booklet has been produced Top Tips for Autistic and ADHD students returning to school please view in downloads on this page.
New leaflet Coronavirus: Why we have added people with Down's syndrome to the at risk list, please view in downloads on this page.
New page created by the Council for Disabled Children to provide covid-19 support Council for Disabled Children ~ Family Support page
Public Health England have produced an easy read version of their Advice on the Coronavirus for places of education. You can download it here.
Local Response:
One Reading Community Hub Support
0808 1894325
If you need extra help during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Special Educational Needs/Disabilities (SEND)
Minister for Children, Young People and Families' Open Letter to the SEND sector in relation to activity during the COVID-19 pandemic
Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC) has received and actioned requests made in the open letter Vicky Ford, Minister for Children, Young People and Families, sent to the SEND sector.
BFfC is committed to working with key partners including schools, childcare settings and the voluntary sector to ensure the needs of children and young people with SEND are met, and that they and their families are supported throughout this difficult time.
Help reduce the spread - wear a mask
The best way to reduce the spread of Covid-19 is to practice safe social distancing wherever possible. Sometimes it can be hard to stay away from other people and face coverings can help provide some protection for others you come in contact with.
The information factsheets (pdf) entitled 'Help reduce the spread - wear a mask' as some useful tips in easy-read and in pictures on what to do when wearing a mask, such as:
Click on the above links to open the factsheets.
Page last reviewed: 05/01/21