Important Information - COVID19 Coronavirus – 19th March 2020 Young Somerset delivers a variety of activity and opportunities for young people across the county to support their personal, social, educational and economic development. At the heart of our work is building a youth work relationship that is open, honest, respectful, trusting and led by the young people we serve. Covid-19 has developed into a pandemic and we recognise that we need to be responsible in the access to our services during this difficult time. We want to reassure everyone that we will provide support for young people to the best of our ability, balanced with the public health needs of our communities. The majority of our staff have been asked to work from home already; we will close our office and cease all face-to-face services from tomorrow at 5pm (Friday 20th March) until further notice. Staff will be accessible via email and mobile phones – full details of which are available on our website. For our mental health support services, practitioners will have the ability to provide support sessions virtually – and they will be in touch directly with the young people and families they are supporting. I apologise if this means that things don’t run as smoothly and I thank you for your patience and understanding. Despite the significant challenges that this pandemic brings, it can also make us think differently about the things we hold important in our lives. In the coming months we can treasure our friends and families and focus on our communities. All of us can support the UK’s response to this pandemic by: Using trusted sources for information, such as nhs.uk/coronavirus and www.gov.uk/coronavirus Using NHS 111 – including the online diagnostic tool here: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19 Using pharmacies and GPs responsibly, and only going to hospital when you really need to: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care/when-to-go-to-ae/ Offering your support to elderly or vulnerable family, friends and neighbours and, if you or a member of your family has a new continuous cough or high temperature, following government advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response Yours faithfully Nik Harwood Chief Executive