Comics Youth Re-Opening: A Covid-19 Safety Plan
To all of our Comics Youth pals,
Hello! How are ya? First and foremost, we’d like to say how much we’ve missed each and every one of you. The digital hangouts have been rad, and we’re constantly in awe of the creativity, kindness, and resilience exhibited by each and every one of our young people during what has been (to put it a politely) a very challenging year.
We’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months figuring out a solid plan so that we can safely return to the office and enjoy some IRL hangouts again. If you’re anything like us then you might also be as excited as you are anxious about doing this. That’s cool! It’s a scary time. Please know that we’re with you for every emotion, and that we’re going to get through this together.
Below is a little FAQ about our plans to reopen, and it (hopefully) covers everything you might have questions about. We’ll be sharing updates about our plan as we move forward, but for now this is what we have in place. At the core of our strategy is love: We want everyone who uses the space to just not feel protected and safe, but to also actively be protected and safe too. Love isn’t just lip service, it’s action. And this is ours.
*Obligatory note: Alas, everyone can still only hug in gif-form only, sorry. But the love is still there, however distant!
Feel free to get in touch with us should you have any further questions or enquiries and in the meantime remember: Everything is not cool, but it can be. Stay safe, stay sassy, and we hope to see you very all soon.
Big love,
Comics Youth x
The Basics
What is Comics Youth planning to do?
During lockdown we have been providing remote support and maintaining interaction online and via telephone calls in group and 1-2-1 sessions with as many young people as possible.
Currently we have:
• Several online sessions through Discord Servers
• Interactive live sessions
• 1-to-1 mentoring and support sessions
• Targeted community engagement via our #StaySafeClub
We are also planning the partial opening of our office (at dates to be confirmed) for limited numbers of young people who would benefit most from regular, face-to-face engagement with youth workers.
Achieving this whilst protecting the health and wellbeing of young people, employees, volunteers and the wider community is our primary focus.
Strict capacity management, social distancing and hygiene measures will be in place that are in-line with guidance from the government, Public Health England, the NHS, Health and Safety Executive and wider stakeholders including the local authority.
Measures may involve staggering and rotating attendance to maintain safe capacity levels, increased outdoor activities where possible and a limit on the amount of time young people spend at CY HQ.
We’re aiming for a small beta group of our young people to be able to regularly attend CY HQ on the week commencing Tues 15th September. This is in-line with the current readiness alert and guidance from the National Youth Agency.
All plans will be closely monitored and may adjust in response to internal and external factors.
How are services and provision going to change?
Our current provision, which includes remote support and maintaining group and 1-2-1 interaction online and via telephone calls, will continue.
We will be allowing small groups to come to our HQ for arranged activities that you can book onto.
Our plan is to enable a limited number of young people to safely attend CY HQ in line with Coronavirus restrictions and guidance. We hope this number can increase over the coming weeks and months.
When is CY HQ going to fully re-open?
Unfortunately, this is not yet clear and will be dictated by wider Coronavirus restrictions and guidance.
We are constantly reviewing the situation and will provide additional detail when we are able to.
With your plans, who will be able to access face-to-face provision and how have you arrived at that decision?
From the 16th of September we are planning the partial opening of CY HQ for limited numbers of young people who would benefit most from regular, face-to-face engagement with our staff.
Young people can request to attend CY HQ by contacting: rhiannon@comicsyouth.co.uk. Our building access measures may involve staggering and rotating attendance to maintain safe capacity levels and a limit on the amount of time young people spend at CY HQ.
This will ensure we maintain strict capacity management, social distancing and hygiene measures in line with guidance from government and wider stakeholders.
Whilst this is far from ideal, it is important to balance the needs of young people with Coronavirus restrictions and guidance.
We will be continuing to provide universally accessible online and telephone support whilst increasing our provision with targeted community outreach and additional virtual sessions.
How many young people will be able to access face-to-face provision at any one time?
In line with government guidance and insight from the National Youth Agency, only 10 young people aged 13-25 will be allowed at CY HQ per session. Our junior groups will be restricted to 6 young people per session.
What hours will the face-to-face provision be available, and where will it take place?
Our office hours will be staggered between 10am-8pm, and our session timetable will be between 4pm-8pm on weekday evenings, and between 11am-12:30pm, then 2pm-4pm on Saturdays. Each session will be approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes long with 30 minutes of cleaning before and after each session.
What activities will young people be able to take part in?
We’re working on our delivery activities every day and finding out ways of being able to deliver sessions in a safe way.
Will my child be able to attend with their friends?
This will be possible if your child and their friends have been contacted to attend CY HQ on the same day, however they will need to maintain social distancing.
Young people, parents or guardians can also request to attend CY HQ by contacting: rhiannon@comicsyouth.co.uk
When can I attend?
Our sessions are in high demand, so it is really important that you attend when you’ve have booked a session. Non-attendance may result into not being offered another future session.
How will you manage behaviour?
We will manage behaviour based on positive communication through the staff member in charge of the group. the duty manager and the young person. In the first instance of extra support needed, the young person would talk with the group leader who will decide on the next steps.
If behaviour and support needs to be escalated, a phone call to parents/guardians will take place for guidance or arrangements of collection.
Safety
We have conducted a detailed risk assessment and modified aspects of service delivery and usage of our HQ use in line with restrictions and guidance.
Hand sanitiser stations be available at many locations throughout our office and regular handwashing will be encouraged.
There will be regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects that are frequently touched by young people and staff. Deep cleans are scheduled for when our HQ is closed.
Each session will be in small controlled groups for a maximum period of 1.5 hours with cleaning and preparation from staff in between sessions.
Additionally, there will be staggered drop offs and collections from outside the building and we encourage parents/guardians to stay in their car to avoid further contact.
We will continue to follow guidance from the government, NHS, Public Health England, Health and Safety Executive and wider stakeholders including the local authority.
All plans will be closely monitored and may adjust in response to internal and external factors.
Will young people be able to or be required to wear masks?
In-line with current government guidance, young people can choose to wear a mask if they wish and do not have any health conditions that would prevent them from doing so. We will provide a free disposable mask for any young person who would like to wear a mask during the session.
Will workers and volunteers be wearing PPE such as masks?
In-line with government guidance, workers and volunteers can choose to wear a mask if they wish and do not have any health conditions that would prevent them from doing so.
Will workers and volunteers be regularly tested?
In line with the current government guidance staff do not need to be routinely tested.
We request that staff, volunteers and young people do not attend our HQ if they, or someone in their household, display any Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms. They should follow government guidance on self-isolation, using the track and trace service and being tested.
What will you do if someone involved in a face-to-face session or one of their family members/guardians is showing symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
We strongly recommend that if you show symptoms of the virus that you do not attend our HQ. If we feel that anyone showing symptoms of the virus will be sent home. If members show symptoms of the virus during a session, they will be isolated and arrangements to be collected will be made.
The Future:
Are there plans to increase the number of young people who can access face-to-face provision?
Our plan is to enable a limited number of young people to safely attend our HQ in line with Coronavirus restrictions and guidance. We hope this number can increase over the coming weeks and months.
Whilst this is far from ideal, it is important to balance the needs of young people with Coronavirus restrictions and guidance.
We will be continuing to provide universally accessible remote support and maintaining interaction online and via telephone calls and are increasing our provision where possible.
When will CY HQ be open to all members again?
As with many organisations, we are currently unsure as to when we will be able to open our HQ building to larger groups of young people again.
We continue to closely monitor guidance from the government, NHS, Public Health England and Health and Safety Executive, and will be able to provide this information as soon as it becomes available.
Who should I speak to if I want more information about CY’s phased reopening plan?
You can contact rhiannon@comicsyouth.co.uk or ring 07525369624
Additional useful guidance links:
NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
National Youth Agency: https://nya.org.uk/
Government guidance and support: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus