Information Last Updated 23.12.2020
Nadolig Llawen
The Government in Wales is implementing a 4 Tier Lockdown system. At the point, this page was last reviewed the whole of Wales was at Tier 4. All four Tiers and what the implications of this might be for NACCC Accredited Child Contact Services are addressed here.
This article will be continually updated. So please do continually check back here as information changes.
Where children who do not live in the same household as their parents and have existing arrangements in place to visit and safely have contact, these arrangements can continue. This could include children in foster care, children’s homes and adoptive placements.
Gov.Wales (19.12.2020)
All Alert Levels.
As at all alert levels, face coverings continue to be mandatory in the indoor public spaces that remain open (subject to certain exemptions and exceptions), including on public transport and in taxis, and people must self-isolate when told to do so by NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect.
What you must do at Alert Level 4.
- Follow social distancing rules with people you don’t live with or who are not in your support bubble.
- Wear a face covering (if you are able to) in all indoor public places.
- Stay at home.
- Not create an extended household (single adults or single parents may join with one other household to form an exclusive support bubble).
- Meet only the people you live with or your support bubble indoors.
- Meet only your household or support bubble in private gardens.
- Meet only your household or support bubble outdoors.
- Work from home if you can.
- Not travel without reasonable excuse.
- Not travel internationally without reasonable excuse.
Few public services can remain open. Child Contact Services continue to support families with additional safeguards in place.
Contact services will provide limited, but essential services.
The media are reporting a new strand of Covid-19. It seems that this variant is more contagious than previously and that it can spread differently in terms of children and young people. We are committed to the safety of people using child contact centres.
We are recommending that people do not travel to or from Tier 4 areas, for the purpose of using child contact centres if you do not usually live in this area. This guidance will be reviewed regularly, and it is planned that this will be relaxed once more is known. This guidance is not intended for those managing their own contact arrangements outside of a contact centre.
What you must do at Alert Level 3.
- Follow social distancing rules with people you don’t live with or who are not in your exclusive extended household.
- Wear a face covering (if you are able to) in all indoor public places.
- Only form an extended household with no more than 1 other household and they should stay the same.
- Not meet with anyone in a private home other than those you live with or your extended household.
- Meet no more than 3 other people indoors in a cafe, restaurant or other open premises.
- Meet only your extended household in private gardens.
- Meet no more than 3 other people outdoors (unless with extended household of a larger number).
- Work from home if you can.
- Not travel to areas of high prevalence without reasonable excuse.
- Avoid travel to areas of low prevalence and international travel.
Several public services, including child contact services can remain open at Tier 3.
Indoor organised activities are limited to 15 people.
What you must do at Alert Level 2.
- Follow social distancing rules with people you don’t live with or who aren’t in your exclusive extended household.
- Wear a face covering (if you are able to) in all indoor public places.
- Only form an extended household with no more than 1 other household and they should stay the same.
- Not meet with anyone in a private home other than those you live with or your extended household.
- Meet no more than 3 other people indoors in a cafe, restaurant or other open premises.
- Meet no more than 3 other people in private gardens.
- Meet no more than 3 other people outdoors (unless with extended household of a larger number).
- Work from home if you can.
- Not travel to areas of high prevalence without reasonable excuse.
Many public services, including child contact services can remain open at Tier 2.
Indoor organised activities are limited to 15 people.
What you must do at alert level 1
- Follow social distancing rules with people you do not live with or who are not in your exclusive extended household.
- Wear a face covering (if you are able to) in all indoor public places.
- Only form an extended household with no more than 2 other households and they should stay the same.
- Meet no more than 5 other people indoors.
- Meet no more than 5 other people in private gardens.
- Meet in groups of no more than 30 people outdoors.
- Work from home if you can.
- Not travel to areas of high prevalence without reasonable excuse.
Most public services, including child contact services can remain open at Tier 1.
Indoor activities are limited to 50 people.
FAQ’s
My child does not live with me but there are regular arrangements in place so we can continue to have contact with each other – can these arrangements continue?
Yes – for children who do not live in the same household as their parents and have existing arrangements in place to visit and safely have contact, these arrangements can continue. This could include children in foster care, children’s homes and adoptive placements.
I share parental responsibility for a child with someone I don’t live with – can I still see them?
Where parental responsibility is shared, existing arrangements can continue and the child can move between both parents, and therefore between both parents’ households (and support bubbles where relevant).
I live in England but child contact is in Wales, can I still travel?
Anyone who is in Wales, whether resident or travelling here, is bound by Welsh Government Rules.
The media are reporting a new strand of Covid-19. It seems that this variant is more contagious than previously and that it can spread differently in terms of children and young people. We are committed to the safety of people using child contact centres.
We are recommending that people do not travel to or from Tier 4 areas, for the purpose of using child contact centres if you do not usually live in this area. This guidance will be reviewed regularly, and it is planned that this will be relaxed once more is known. This guidance is not intended for those managing their own contact arrangements outside of a contact centre.
I live alone or am a single parent, so I am allowed to form a support bubble – does it have to be with a household in my local area?
There are no rules saying your support bubble has to be with someone in your local authority area, or within any set distance of your home. There are also no rules preventing support bubbles being formed with households outside Wales, and we recognise these may be the right answer for people living close to a border.
We recommend that support bubbles are formed locally wherever possible. In particular, we ask that people think very carefully about possible alternatives before forming support bubbles which would require extensive travel or travel into areas outside Wales with very high incidence rates of coronavirus.
In relation to Child Contact, what are the “limited reasons” whereby I am permitted to leave my home?
There are many reasons why it might be justified to leave your home on the Welsh Government website, some of the main reasons related to child contact are listed here.
- To access public services.
- To access childcare or education.
- To provide care for or to help a vulnerable person; this includes getting food or medicines for them.
- For work purposes, or voluntary or charitable purposes, but only where it is not reasonably practicable to do this from home.
- To attend court or meet other legal obligations.
- To escape a risk of illness or injury, such as for victims or people at risk of domestic abuse.
- To access services provided to victims of crime or domestic abuse or those at imminent risk of becoming victims.
I have tested positive for coronavirus. How long do I need to self-isolate for?
If you test positive for coronavirus and you know when your symptoms started, you need to self-isolate until at least 10 days have passed from the day you reported you symptoms.
But if you test positive for coronavirus and you cannot tell contact tracers when your symptoms started, or you have not had symptoms, then you must self-isolate until 10 days has elapsed since your test. Read the full Self-isolation guidance.
I (or someone I live with) is at risk because we are clinically vulnerable, should we be facilitating Child Contact?
Child contact centres will make individual assesments about whether it is appropriate to meet your needs and they will be able to talk you through any measures in place to keep you safe.
Its always best to contact your local service to see how they will ensure your safety.
As with any public service, your safety is always the paramount concern. If you or your children do not feel safe you should consider not attending a Child Contact Service until this changes.
The guidance from the Welsh Government for vulnerable people is:
“It is not necessary for those who are in the shielding group – people who are clinically extremely vulnerable – to adopt strict shielding measures again during this period. The regulations in place act to reduce the circulation of the virus and by sticking strictly to the rules, people who are vulnerable will reduce their risk of exposure. Further reductions in risk can be achieved by:
- keeping contacts outside the household to a minimum and avoiding all situations either inside or outside where a physical distance of 2m from those outside your household or support bubble cannot be maintained
- shopping at quieter times of day and going once per week rather than every day, if you cannot do this online
- washing hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water and using hand sanitiser where hand washing facilities are not available
- wearing a face covering when required (unless you are exempt or have a reasonable excuse not to do so, such as because of a specific disability)
- avoiding touching surfaces that have been touched by others.”
How long will these measures last?
The national measures will be reviewed at least every three weeks.
What will happen, if I break the rules in Wales?
Where you breach the law, you may be told to go home or removed from where you are and returned home. You could be asked to pay a fixed penalty notice of £60. This will rise to £120 for the second breach and continue to increase for further breaches. For more serious offences, penalties start at £500. Or you could have criminal proceedings brought against you, and if found guilty, you will have to pay a fine.
