Key worker guidance - January 2021

Every effort must be made by everyone to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives during this period of strict lockdown.

Following updated guidance from the Scottish Government, parents/carers should consider carefully if their role as a key worker can be done at home and if not, if they have a partner or family member at home who can care for their child at home.

Updated guidance outlines that whole workforces or entire groups of staff should not be designated as key workers. In particular, those workers in category 3 of the guidance, should be clear that the work they carry out (private, public or third sector) requires to be done to ensure the country keeps running throughout the pandemic.

Only key workers who are physically attending their workplace or who cannot fulfil their critical functions when they are working remotely from home may qualify for places. You may be asked to provide evidence of your key worker status from your employer.

Please complete the form online, if you are unable to do so you can contact keyworkerschools@northlan.gov.uk to arrange a form to be sent to you.

These are the categories of key workers who can, if absolutely necessary, access support. The council does not make decisions, beyond council employees, about who must or must not attend work. Your employer must behave responsibly in making decisions and heed UK and Scottish Government advice.

Category 1

Please note that the first presumption is that this service will only be accessed when no other suitable childcare arrangements can be identified.

• Health and care workers directly supporting COVID-19 response and associated staff
• Workers supporting life-threatening emergency work as well as critical primary and community care provision
• Staff of energy suppliers
• Staff, including teachers and early years workers, providing childcare and learning for other key workers and staff who support school buildings

Category 2

Please note that the first presumption is that staff who can work from home will work from home and that this service will only be accessed when no other suitable childcare arrangements can be identified.

• All other health and care workers including home support staff and care home staff
• Emergency services staff, including police, fire and rescue, prison officers
• Military personnel
• Social workers
• Those supporting critical national infrastructure including:
• Staff keeping air, water, road and rail passenger transport operating
• Oil, gas, electricity and water and sewerage workers
• Logistics staff including drivers and transport workers
• Food and other necessary goods staff including food production, processing, distribution, sale, delivery as well as those essential to the provision of hygienic and veterinary medicines
• Staff in essential financial service provision including: banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure; IT and data infrastructure; postal services; civil nuclear, chemicals and telecommunications; payment providers; waste disposal
• Journalists and broadcasters

Category 3

Other council and associated staff in the following categories. Please note that the first presumption is that staff who can work from home will work from home.

All workers (private, public or third sector) without whom there could be a significant impact on Scotland (but where the response to COVID-19, or the ability to perform essential tasks to keep the country running, would not be severely compromised), including:

• Strategic-level management and support staff
• Waste services staff
• Fleet services staff
• Cemeteries staff
• Property repairs and maintenance staff including frontline workers of Mears and Saltire
• Roads and lighting maintenance staff including staff of Amey
• Facility support services including cleaning, catering, school crossing patrollers and janitorial staff
• Human resources staff including payroll and employee service centre
• IT staff
• Communications staff
• Finance staff including welfare, revenue and benefits staff and municipal bank staff
• Registration staff
• Essential legal services
• Psychological services staff
• Homelessness and housing staff
• Environmental Health officers
• Trading Standards officers
• Streetscene staff

Please complete the form online. If you are unable to do so you can contact keyworkerschools@northlan.gov.uk to arrange a form to be sent to you.