A number of organisations have shared advice on staff and/or volunteer management in relation to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. This article summarises some of the best information sources. Last Updated 27-03-2020.
General advice and information from central government can be found here and from the NHS here. Public Health England offers specific sector advice and information with additional information about how to self-isolate here. Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable is avaliable here
Specific Public Health England Guidance for the following sectors:
Health: http://bit.ly/37qkWaV
Transport: http://bit.ly/2HDOFBW and government guidance for transport services will be of special help to community transport associations.
Education: http://bit.ly/38KT41O
Employers: http://bit.ly/2TfwpUT
Social care: http://bit.ly/2VhBIG9
Toolkit from the Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Groups - Available Here
Norfolk County Council Members Information Pack - 8th April update, superseding 25th March update, 18th March update and 13th March update.
NCC Toolkit for Professionals (poster templates etc) - Available here, additional posters CCG available here
Information for Parish Councils from Norfolk ALC and National ALC
Sadly, there are individuals at large taking advantage of others. If you think you’ve been scammed or become aware of any such incidents, report them to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or Norfolk Trading Standards by calling 0800 223 1133. If you need advice, call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 and if you are in immediate danger, contact the police on 999. Make sure your colleagues or those in your community are aware of potential scams as telephone and internet scams are prevalent.
Below is a list of COVID-19 related scams compiled by Norfolk Trading Standards, you can sign up to receive scam alerts here.
To learn more about different types of scams and how to protect yourself and others, visit www.FriendsAgainstScams.org.uk and complete the free online training.
We recommend following your existing safeguarding policies and practices in protecting service users, staff, and volunteers as much as possible although it is likely you will have to adapt how you carry out DBS checks, interviewing and monitoring. If direct contact is required and a new volunteer is involved, for example, consider ensuring two volunteers are present to reduce risk.
When visiting someone who is self-isolating, you might suggest they:
The aim is to ensure that both volunteers and those they are helping are aware of the potential pitfalls and to ensure that people make a logical and informed decision.
Temporary changes to Standard and Enhanced ID checking guidelines have been made as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. This will enable ID documents to be viewed either via video link or for scanned images to be used in replacement of original documents and verified via video link. It is important to note that the applicant will be required to present the original versions of these documents when they first attend their employment or volunteering role. Further information can be found here.
Organisations who up until now have used paper-based DBS applications are being encouraged to sign-up for the online service. Momentum and CBR Business Solutions have temporarily waived their set-up fee and are providing additional support for customers wo want to move to the online service. They are prioritising requests for help to ensure those organisations needing DBS checks as part of their Covid-19 response are supported first. Further details are available at www.momentumnorfolk.org.uk/what-we-do/dbs-checks/ and www.cbrsolutions.org.uk/services/disclosure-barring-service-dbs/
uCheck have also released information, click here, on how to apply for a COVID-19 Fast-track Barred List Check.
Organisations are now facing significant changes for the foreseeable future. Below are some tools and guidance to aid coping with workforce and staff changes, such as furloughing (when staff might be asked to stop working for the duration), workplace checklists, job retention and short-time working, along with some helpful letter templates.
Charities with specialist knowledge and expertise in relation to benefits and housing are producing online resources to support individuals and clients, see below:
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recognises the unprecedented challenges we are all facing during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and has published 'Data protection and coronavirus: what you need to know'.
Support from the government
The government has set out a package of temporary measures to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19, for full details click here. Most of these schemes apply to charities, including:
Existing Funders
Norfolk County Council (NCC) has confirmed that organisations working under existing contracts who adapt their delivery and utilise their resources to support its local resilience approach will continue to be paid as if they had continued service delivery as normal.
Many grant funders have published supportive statements or messages conveying their flexible approach to current and future grant recipients, including:
The general message is to get in touch with your funder or social investor if you are in doubt, especially if you think you may need support, flexibility or investment to help you through this difficult time.
A lot more people will be working from home. This has implications for individuals and organisations.
What technology do your staff need to be able to work from home?
Cloud based technologies can be ideal for supporting home working. Microsoft 365 is available to charities at a heavily discounted rate, more information can be found here. Google has a similar offer, details of which can be found here
Charity Digital has a number of articles to help you find the right technology to keep your organisation working and well connected. Information can be found here
How will you keep in contact with your team (volunteers and staff)?
Tools Like Microsoft Teams and Zoom can be helpful for staying in touch. As can WhatsApp group and good old fashioned phone calls. We have an article of video conferencing here
You need to think about wellbeing (the effects of potentially being isolated or home working)?
The NHS has a page of useful information on staying mentally well here
Norfolk and Waveney Mind also have some information about maintaining your wellbeing and where to find support
The government has released https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19
What policies do you have to cover home working and what changes may be required?
You retain Health and Safety responsibility for people working from home. CAN uses a simple declaration form and provide guidance on risk assessment. For employees to certify their home is safe to work in (yes this does sound silly but it is part of your duty of care), you also should consider the workstation set-up your team are using. The Health and Safety executive have a useful checklist available here
NCVO
NCVO's 'Your Organisation and Coronavirus' has collated advice and information particularly useful for the VCSE sector, covering:
The Charity Commission has updated its guidance to provide clarity. In summary you are not expected to report coronavirus as a serious incident and use normal serious incident reporting guidance. See statement here
Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS) has published a useful page outlining the steps they are taking to minimise the spread of the virus in their building, which may be useful in helping you prepare your own action plan. Available here
https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/motor-and-home-insurance-commitments/