10/01/2022

A Happy New Year to all foster and kinship carers, we hope you had an opportunity to spend some quality time with your family, friends and loved ones.

COVID-19 is an evolving situation that is changing the way we live, work and connect with our family, friends and work colleagues.

We acknowledge there continues to be a lot of uncertainty in the community and we thank you for your valuable contribution, providing ongoing care and support for children and young people.

We’d like to particularly recognise those carers who have been unwell with the virus or isolating as a close contact, and those who have continued to care for children when they have returned a positive COVID-19 test.

Face to face visits

Be assured that DCP staff and your support agency are doing everything possible to continue to support you safely through this time of uncertainty. Home visits, family contact arrangements and reunification will continue where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Staff will be screening each visit, as well as wearing masks and physical distancing. All DCP and support agency staff visiting carers and children are required to be fully vaccinated.

Where to get support

If you, or the child and young person in your care, receive a positive COVID-19 test, please notify your DCP caseworker and/or support agency.

Did you know you can receive help managing COVID-19 in the home? Just call the SA Health COVID-19 Response Care Team on 1800 272 872 and tell them that you are caring for a child under guardianship. Due to the high volume of calls, it may take more than one attempt to get through.

If you are a single carer household and require hospitalisation, please contact your support agency who will work with you to make other arrangements for the child or young person while you are unwell.

Fortunately, most people with COVID-19 do not need to go to hospital. Many people with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate symptoms, which means they can be safely cared for at home, with appropriate monitoring and care.

However, if you or anyone in your household experience severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing or chest pain, call 000 and tell the ambulance staff that you have COVID-19. There will be no cost for this ambulance.

Vaccination

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to be an important action to protect ourselves and the community.

It is the department’s position that all eligible children and young people (unless medically contraindicated) should have access to and receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

As the guardian of children and young people in care, the department gives its consent for all children and young people under guardianship of the Chief Executive to be vaccinated  if they are eligible for it.

Young people over the age of 16 years can make decisions about their own medical treatment. To help them make an informed choice about vaccinations, case workers and carers should ensure young people have access to age-appropriate information about being vaccinated and the benefits of a COVID-19 vaccination.

SA Health has some great resources about vaccination in 5-11 year old children and adolescents aged 12 and over.

An additional 2,000 appointments are now available each week for children aged 5-11 at the Wayville vaccination hub. Vaccination bookings can be made online.

Testing for COVID-19

In a joint federal and state government initiative, concession card holders will be able to access up to 10 free Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) at participating chemists over three months (maximum five per concession card holder, per month).

The subsidised tests will be available in the coming weeks. Information about where to access free RAT tests (for eligible people) will be made available on www.sa.gov.au

Symptomatic and close contacts will continue to receive free testing by SA Pathology.

Thank you again for the extraordinary care and commitment you show to children and young people, particularly during these uncertain times.