Criteria provided to local authorities to determine local need.
Guidance on childcare provision for key workers has been published.
Following the decision to close schools and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings, The Scottish Government has provided guidance to councils on how to define key workers.
This includes: health and care workers directly supporting COVID-19 response, life threatening emergency work, critical primary and community care; energy suppliers and teachers and those providing childcare for those at the frontline of the responseall other health and care workers, emergency service and critical welfare workers and those supporting critical national infrastructure workers in the public, private and third sectors without whom there would be a significant impact on Scotland councils will have the final say on the exact definition of vital community responders based on the needs of their area.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:“Responding to the Coronavirus is one of the greatest challenges of our time. To help slow the spread, all schools and ELC settings will close, with the exception of critical provision to protect some groups or activities. These include childcare for key workers, for vulnerable children or allowing senior pupils to finish coursework for national qualifications. Some schools and ELC settings will therefore stay open for these purposes, depending on the arrangements that local authorities make.
“Broadly, key workers will be health and care workers directly supporting the Coronavirus response, critical primary and community care, teachers and staff providing childcare; energy suppliers and wider public, private or third sector workers providing emergency or critical welfare, national infrastructure services, or other services without which there would be a significant impact on Scotland.
“Local authorities are best placed to decide on the exact definition based on local needs which will obviously differ in island and rural communities to that in our cities.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
