FOI Request - Pregnant Teaching Staff Covid 19 Conditions
Request 101002751302
Period of time covered by this request: 1st March 2021 to 30th June 2021
Context : Current Covid 19 pandemic conditions
Please provide me with a written copy of your Council’s policies, protocols and procedures approved for safeguarding the health and the well-being of teaching staff within your Primary School settings, who are currently pregnant, and particularly those in their 3rd Trimester (28+ weeks).
Please also provide any related reports made within your Council on this matter.
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If the above does not specifically cover the following questions, please provide this additional information
1. Additional risks identified : The additional risks to staff in their 3rd Trimester of pregnancy which your Council has identified
2. Sources of Advice and Information : The medical and other sources of advice and information upon which your Council has relied, to formulate its Policy and advice for safeguarding staff who are 28+ weeks pregnant
3. Risk Management : Your specific approach to managing related risks for staff 28+ weeks pregnant, until the start of their maternity leave e.g.
• Enabling them to automatically shield / work at home
• Enabling them to shield/work at home, at the discretion / on the advice of their HT or alternative person
• Requiring them to attend school and teach face-to-face, with some form of personalised risk-assessment /customized plan for managing risks
• Other approach
4. Staff Consultation / Staff Support : Whether your Council has had any consultation directly with affected staff, and/or is offering them any support - e.g. access to specialist advice / counselling / well-being support services
5. Monitoring / Reporting overall Impact : The specific provisions your Council has put in place, and information your Council is gathering, to monitor the impact of your approach to all pregnant staff in teaching establishments during the Covid Pandemic, and to whom, and how is this is being reported formally through Council.
Copies of any related reports would be helpful.
Response 20-04-2021
The Council has been following Government guidance on this so our position is based on this rather than any local policy.
The relevant information is published on the UK and Scottish Government's websites and is therefore exempt under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, 'information otherwise accessible'. For ease of reference please find links to relevant pages here and here.
In accordance with section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we can confirm that no further information is held.