COVID-19 Policy
At DFJ Multisports, we take the risk of COVID-19 very seriously. Below we have answered all the questions you might have regarding the social distancing, hygiene and safety measures we have in place.
COVID-19 POLICY AND GUIDANCE
DFJ Multisports recognises that careful planning is essential in order to keep you and your children and our staff safe, and to limit the spread of coronavirus/Covid-19, within our setting. Accordingly, we have conducted a thorough Covid-19 risk assessment and will review it on a monthly basis and whenever Government guidance changes.
Under current guidance we have looked at how we can improve the safety of our sessions and ensure that we are following Government guidance for children in a learning and childcare setting.
Due to our online booking system, we have all the necessary contact details for all parents of children attending which allows us to use an effective track and trace system.
Our aim is to create a safe and fun environment which takes account of the guidance that we must adhere to.
Please read below the following rules that we will be complying with to ensure your children are safe during our sessions.
Covid-19 Safety Guidelines
We want to set out the steps we are taking and everyone’s responsibilities for staying safe. It is of course your decision whether to participate in the activities on offer. If there is anything you think we can do to improve these guidelines, or if you have any concerns about staying safe, then please let us know.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
As a company, we will ensure that:
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We keep up-to-date regarding current Government advice/guidance
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Any changes/updates are communicated and adhered to by coaches, participants and parents
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All cleaning protocols and products meet necessary standards
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Coaches follow the COVID-19 cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance
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All coaches understand the symptoms of COVID-19 and follow agreed procedures
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We limit the numbers for each session and plan activities that are outside as much as possible.
Parents and Children - Key information
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Adults are not permitted beyond the registration area and must wear a face covering, unless exempt
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We will keep Parents informed of our Covid-19 measures in relation to sessions and ask you to stay 2m apart from other families when dropping off and collecting your children.
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Please do not send your child to the session if they or family members are displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Stay at home and follow the current government guidelines: Stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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Children should bring only essential items with them to their session.
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If your child displays symptoms after attending one of our sessions, please let us know as soon as possible – we may need to share this information with other people who attended the activity if there was close contact.
Below is more detailed information about the measures that we will be taking and that we ask families to follow:
Before arriving:
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If your child or anyone within your household has any symptoms (high temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss/change in taste or smell) of Covid-19, before a session, please DO NOT bring them to Club. Self-isolate as per official guidance and get a test.
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Parents will be asked to confirm no symptoms/quarantine restrictions on entry.
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If a child feels unwell with any form of illness, they should not attend.
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Parents must explain and ensure their children understand social distancing before they attend a session.
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All participants should wash their hands at home prior to arriving for their session
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All participants should go to the toilet at home prior to their arrival for their session
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Participants are encouraged to ONLY bring a name-labelled water bottle to sessions
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Children bringing more than a water-bottle should bring all their belongings in one clearly name-labelled backpack/bag that they are able to carry unaided. All property must be clearly name-labelled.
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Siblings must have separate bags, water bottles and sun cream as they may be in separate ‘bubbled’ groups – There will be no mixing between groups
Arrival:
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Registration will be carried out by a member of staff and will be contactless from a child and parent perspective.
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Children should arrive dressed in appropriate clothing for their session.
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Parents MUST drop children off at their allocated time to ensure social distancing can be fully observed
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All participants will be required to arrive a up-to 5 minutes before their session start time
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Only one adult per drop-off, please, to minimise contact
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Face coverings should always be worn by staff and parents during drop off and collection unless excempt
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Social distancing must be observed when queuing to drop off/pick up.
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Cones will be used to mark out the queuing for sign-in/out areas to ensure families remain 2m apart.
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Please ensure your child stays with you in the queue until they are received by our staff.
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Adults will NOT be allowed beyond the registration point, and should leave after registering their child(ren)
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Hand sanitiser will be available at the drop off area.
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Children’s temperatures will be taken with a non-contact thermometer before they can enter the building.
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If a child’s temperature is too high (above 37.8 degrees Celsius) they will not be allowed to enter and need to be taken home.
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Hand sanitiser will be given to participants on entry
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Participants will be asked to place their personal belongings on a spot
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Attendance registers will be kept for at least 3 weeks in case of the need to follow the NHS’s Track and Trace advice
Collection at the end of the session:
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Only one parent should be present for collection.
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Parents will arrive promptly at the collection area.
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On arrival parents will walk to the collection point, and wait on a socially distanced ‘parent waiting spot’.
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Social distancing should be observed when queuing for collection.
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A member of staff will coordinate the collection of children from their groups with the support of the group leaders.
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Parents MUST only collect the children at their allocated time to ensure social distancing can be fully observed and children are able to leave straight from their groups.
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At the end of the session, children will be asked to sanitise their hands before being signed out for collection by their responsible adult.
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Children will be dismissed from a socially distanced line.
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The coach will liaise with waiting parents, and disperse the participants one at a time.
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Face covering should always be worn by staff and parents during drop off and collection, unless exempt.
PLEASE SEE OUR TRANSITIONS BETWEEN SESSIONS DOCUMENT TO SEE MORE INFORMATION
Groups:
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Children will be split into groups of 15 maximum, forming a ‘bubble’.
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Groups will be predetermined before the start of the session.
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Groups will not mix with other groups.
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Groups will remain 2m apart at all times.
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Coaches will run through group rules with children including: hand washing; ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’; social distancing; not mixing groups.
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Separate places will be available for participants from each bubble to leave belongings.
Children will be assigned a bubble based on the following criteria…
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Schools – Children from the same School will be kept in the same bubble as much as possible
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Siblings – Children will be kept in a bubble with any siblings in the same age group
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Friends – We will try our best to ensure children are with friends when assigning bubbles
Activities:
We will not be asking DFJ Multisports staff or participants to wear face coverings during activities when we are outside due to the need to breathe freely during sporting activities.
We have adapted some of the team sports and given thought to all sessions to ensure that we can reduce contact and shared equipment as much as possible within bubbles.
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No difficult to clean equipment will be used.
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Most activities will be carried out outside. When indoor space is required, large rooms and indoor areas will be kept well-ventilated with windows and doors (not fire doors) kept open where possible.
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All activities will be carried out following social distancing guidelines where possible.
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Children will wash their hands after each activity using the hand sanitiser provided by coaches.
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Coaches will regularly clean all equipment and high touch areas.
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Planned activities will require minimal to no contact with other children.
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The games played will encourage the use of space and will enhance the spatial awareness of the children, ensuring social distancing is maintained.
Toilets:
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Participants will notify the coach if they need to visit the toilet.
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Participants will be able to use the toilets one at a time, chaperoned by a member of staff.
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Hand washing will be enforced.
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Coaches will ensure participants use hand sanitiser before entering and after leaving.
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We will inform users to: Use toilets, wash your hands and leave promptly.
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Avoid unnecessary touching of internal surfaces, fixtures and fittings.
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Keep a 2m distance from others outside your own household – observe social distancing and hand hygiene guidance at all times.
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Queue outside not inside the toilets.
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We will clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched regularly particularly in areas of high use such as door handles, light switches, taps and toilet doors using appropriate cleaning products and methods. This will take place post each activity.
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We will be operating on a 1 in 1 out system.
Infection control
Like the common cold and flu viruses, Covid-19 is spread by:
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Infected people passing the virus to others through large droplets when coughing, sneezing, or even talking within a close distance.
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Direct contact with an infected person: for example, if you shake or hold their hand, and then touch your own mouth, eyes or nose without first washing your hands.
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Touching objects (eg door handles, light switches) that have previously been touched by an infected person, then touching your own mouth, eyes or nose without first washing your hands. Viruses can survive longer on hard surfaces than on soft or absorbent surfaces.
We will take the following steps to reduce the risk of catching or spreading Covid-19 at the Club:
Hygiene:
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Hand sanitiser will be readily available. It will be provided by coaches often and when necessary
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Staff and children will sanitise their hands as soon as they arrive at their session, and will be reminded to wash/sanitise their hands regularly throughout the session, between activities and especially after using the toilet, before and after eating food, after coughing or sneezing and before leaving
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We follow a ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ procedure
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Face covering should always be worn by staff and parents during drop off and collection, unless exempt.
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Equipment sharing will be kept to a minimum. Where this is not possible, coaches will sanitise the equipment regularly.
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Tissues will be readily available for use when sneezing and c.
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Children will be instructed to cough or sneeze into the crook of their arm, if they don’t have a tissue to hand.
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We will discourage children from touching their faces.
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We will discourage children from touching each other.
Cleaning:
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Contact points, such as door handles, will be cleaned between sessions.
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All equipment and touch points are sanitised between sessions and at the end of the day.
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If equipment has been used it will be thoroughly cleaned afterwards
We will be following the COVID-19 cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance:
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Ensure all cleaning protocols and products meet recommended standards.
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Disinfect all hard surfaces.
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Coaches are required to clean all contact surfaces with disinfectant before and after each session.
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Sanitize all contact surfaces in the toilets before and after each session.
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Sanitize all frequently touched surfaces (e.g. door handles) before and after each session.
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Ensure all coaches understand the ‘child or adult with symptoms’ cleaning procedures (see COVID-19 cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance).
First aid and medication:
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Any medication should be handed to a member of staff on arrival.
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A designated first aid area will be set up.
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Coaches are to notify the Head Coach if a child in their group feels unwell.
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First Aiders will wear PPE when treating a child.
Covid-19 is a viral, respiratory disease, which is spread from person to person by close contact.
Symptoms of Covid-19 can include:
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Continuous dry cough
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Fever (high temperature)
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Difficulty breathing
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Sore throat
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Tiredness
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Loss of taste and smell
The initial symptoms are similar to colds and flu-type illnesses, but the combination of a recent onset of fever and a new continuous cough seem to be present in many cases of Covid-19. However, it is important to be aware that in some cases the symptoms may be very mild or even non-existent, especially in children.
If a child presents with symptoms during a session:
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The child will be taken to a specified isolation area and the parents will be called to collect their child.
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If the group are indoors when a child presents symptoms, the group will be moved to another room or outdoors and the room will be deep-cleaned.
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Any child who shows symptoms should be tested as soon as possible and remain at home until test results are received. The results should be communicated to DFJ Multisports as soon as possible. Proof of a negative test will need to be shown to enable a child to attend further sessions.
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If a child tested positive for Covid-19 we will ask that child, the children within their bubble and the staff member with whom they have worked to self-Isolate as per government advice. We would reopen sessions once a deep clean had been undertaken for the unaffected bubble.
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Parents of children in session will be advised of a possible case and if a case is confirmed, this will be reported to Public Health England and we will follow their advice.
Most suspected cases of Covid-19 turn out to be negative, so the Club will remain open unless or until advised otherwise by the local Health Protection Team
If your Child has been asked to Self-isolate and cannot attend a session, will not be able to refund any missed sessions. This falls in line with our Cancellation Policy.
If we were to have to cancel your session due to COVID-19, we'll offer you a credit or refund.
Parent/Guardian agreement
In booking sessions with DFJ Multisports,
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I acknowledge the contagious nature of Coronavirus and that the latest government guidance recommends practising social distancing and a range of other protective measures.
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I recognise that DFJ Multisports has put in place a series of protective measures to reduce the risk of Coronavirus transmission within the setting, but I accept that DFJ Multisports cannot guarantee that my child will not be exposed to Coronavirus whilst attending the club.
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I understand that I must follow the procedures set out by DFJ Multisports when dropping off and collecting my child from the setting.
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I understand the importance of vigilance regarding Coronavirus symptoms as a keystone of preventing the transmission of the virus to other children, staff and parents.
Accordingly, I confirm that:
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My child is not experiencing any Coronavirus symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever/high temperature, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
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My child has not tested positive for Coronavirus, or been advised by NHS Test & Trace to self-isolate.
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My child has not been in contact with anyone in our household who has Coronavirus symptoms, or who has been advised by NHS Test & Trace to self-isolate.
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My child has not travelled abroad to any country other than those identified as ‘safe’ by the government within the last 14 days.
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My child is capable of following the club rules relating to protective measures, such as social distancing, not mixing with children in other bubbles, washing/sanitising their hands regularly, coughing and sneezing into a tissue and disposing of it safely, and not touching other children. I understand that if they are unwilling to follow the rules they may not be allowed to attend future sessions.
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If any of the above circumstances change, I will not bring my child in to the club and will notify the club staff immediately.
Non-compliance with any of these measures could result in cancellation of your booking. Acceptance of your booking confirms agreement with these terms.
Thanks for the taking the time to read through the guidelines and if you have any questions please just get in touch.
Last updated: 6th March 2021
To be reviewed: on or before 29th May 2021
FAQs
Will you be social distancing?
Yes, we will be following the 1m+ social distancing guidelines as much as we can within the groups of 15. We will have no more than 3 groups present at any one time and each group will be kept a minimum of 2m apart. If our coaches decide that a child is not able to safely maintain social distancing, we reserve the right to terminate their current session and booking of further sessions.
How do you observe social distancing?
We follow the 1metre plus social distancing guidelines as much as we can within bubbled groups of 15 children maximum (similar to the system that schools are following). We have no more than 3 groups present at any one time and each group is kept a minimum of 2m apart.
All activities, sports and games have been created to support social distancing where possible. We are able to play matches which do not need to adhere to social distancing according to FA guidelines.
We remind children of the need to social distance and will continue to remind them throughout the sessions. We do ask however, that you ensure you explain and ensure your children understand social distancing before they arrive.
Social distancing is also observed during registration / arrival and collection and we ask that parents help us by complying with this. Both parents and staff are required to wear face covering at drop off and collection points unless excempt.
If our coaches decide that a child is not able to safely maintain social distancing, we reserve the right to remove the for the session and contact the parent/carer.
How will you ensure all proposed COVID-19 measures are enforced?
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We have equipped our staff with a wide range of techniques to help positively remind children throughout the sessions to respect the latest social distancing guidelines and their personal bubbles. Visual reminders such as posters and coned distances to reinforce the restrictions.
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Separate Drop off/Collection points
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Enhanced hygiene measures for both children and staff
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Increased cleaning measures put in place throughout the day for areas & equipment.
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Regular cleaning of the equipment and resources will ensure all equipment provided will always be ready and available to the children.
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Hand sanitiser will be readily available for all children and staff and regular sanitising will be encouraged.
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All our staff will have completed a COVID-19 online training course which reiterates all of our safety measures and how to run a typical session under the new measures.
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Activities-We have adapted our games and activities to increase distancing as much as possible but also ensuring children can still have as much fun, as well as reducing the need to share equipment
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All games have been adapted with staff trained in the new measures to ensure all children and staff adhere to the latest distancing rules.
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We will continue enforcing current protocols and regularly update our plans to conform to government guidance.
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We will carefully structure activities that ensures engaging and fun sessions.
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Children will be required to have their temperature taken and sanitise their hands on arrival.
How will the activities change due to COVID-19 safety measures?
All sports, games and activities have been adapted to increase distancing as much as possible but also ensuring children can still have as much fun, as well as reducing the need to share equipment. Regular cleaning of the equipment and resources will ensure all equipment provided will always be ready and available to the children.
Will coaches be able to help tie shoe laces?
Yes, as this is less than 15 minutes of close interaction, our coaches will be able to help to tie up shoe laces. We will ask children to face away while the coach ties up their laces for them.
How will you work within the schools bubbles?
Early Years and childcare guidance does not require us to operate the same bubbles as the school, however we will do our best to keep children from the same school in the same bubble.
How will you keep children safe at this time?
We will use outdoor activities as much as possible. In addition, we have cleaning requirements with daily checklists and procedures. Social distancing measures will also be in place.
How will the drop off and collection work in terms of social distancing?
To ensure the pickup and drop off procedure runs smoothly, a queueing system will be in place for families to wait together. Please adhere to the latest government social distancing guidelines. Please see the Transitions Between Sessions document.
Are staff wearing masks as standard?
Under DfE recommendations our coaches are not required to wear masks when in our “base areas” or running activities with the children, however you may find some of our coaches may wear them as a personal preference. Our coaches will be required to wear a mask when talking to parents as this is a legal requirement unless exempt.
What if my child has to self isolate?
If your child has to self isolate due to COVID-19, we'll offer to change your dates or give you a credit note.
What happens if a child or staff member becomes unwell or there is a case of COVID-19 – whether it’s a child or family member who has attended or is attending a session?
If a child shows signs of being ill the parent / carer will be contacted to arrange immediate collection. Whilst the child is awaiting collection, they will remain supervised in a suitable place where they can be isolated away from the other children taking part in the sessions.
If the symptoms are COVID-19 related an information sheet with steps to take will be given to the parent / carer when the child is collected. It is essential that following a test, the result (positive or negative) is communicated to DFJ multisports as soon as possible to ensure that any required actions are taken by the club.
In the event of another lockdown will the sessions stop and will I get a refund on the days not used?
We take the safety of the children, families and staff very seriously and we will close in line with government guidelines and will follow all protocols set out by the government and governing bodies. Any days not used due to sessions being closed will be credited/refunded to you.