Ms Teresa Heeney:

Uncertainty causes anxiety and there is uncertainty for parents, children and staff. However, there is also determination. It is important to put on the record that this sector is already highly regulated. It is professional and regulated so a lot of the practices that are required due to Covid-19 are run-of-the-mill for many of our services. They already have lots of hand washing, cleaning and so on. Parents coming back to services next Monday are aware of that, and it is to be hoped it will give parents and staff a lot of comfort as we move back into recreating the national early years infrastructure which is going to be really important for children and families as well as for the economy.