Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what respite care his Department plans to provide for parents of children who would normally be cared for by older relatives who are being advised to self-isolate due to the covid-19 outbreak.

The government is clear that every child who can be safely cared for at home should be, to limit the chance of the virus spreading. Early years and childcare settings are closed except for children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.

Local authorities are working to support childcare settings to ensure that there are sufficient places for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children.

Guidance for early years and childcare providers is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.