Note from Permanent Secretary - latest COVID-19 update

From: Mike Brennan

Date: 27 April 2020

To: All Staff

COVID-19 update

Life has changed immeasurably in the past few weeks. All DfE buildings are closed with the exception of Netherleigh and, apart from a small number of key staff carrying out essential Health and Safety checks across buildings or collecting and scanning essential hard copy post, you are all now at home.

We have made tremendous strides in getting DfE IT-enabled to ensure that the essential work of the Department is being maintained but also ensuring that we have been able to rise to the challenges of delivering on a wide range of measures to mitigate as far as possible some of the impact that Covid-19 has had on our citizens across so many areas of everyday life that our Department has policy responsibility for. Our bi-weekly staffing returns are consistently recording that we have over 800 staff working from home.

Since I last wrote to you we have, following engagement with departmental Trade Union Side published DfE Guiding Principles for Redeployment during COVID. To date the number of staff available for redeployment who are IT-enabled has been understandably small but as we move forward with getting more staff up and running with IT at home we will be able to provide additional support to those areas who are developing policy and putting into operation the raft of initiatives including those relating to supporting business, students, service providers, the new Skills Strategy, working in our C3 Structures to name but a few. This is being achieved while also maintaining our very significant input to the emergency response.

We have also initiated a weekly Leadership Team Update which I would encourage you to read. It sets out in more detail what is happening across the Department. This can also be found on our new Covid-19 Staff Communications landing page on the DfE Website, along with other key communications to staff and provides direct links to the NICS Covid-19 Information HUB, the PHA website and NI Direct.

As we go through this period of lockdown, it is important to reflect that our Department is in many ways representative of the society that we serve. I am therefore aware that some of you have felt the pain of bereavement in recent weeks and that others are worried about loved ones who are working on the frontline and for those who are being looked after within the wider care system. I am aware too that many of you are juggling with home schooling for your children; supporting the older members of your family and generally coming to terms with the whole variety of impacts that none of us could have anticipated in any possible way. To each and every one of you therefore I want to say a massive and heartfelt thank you.

As time passes it remains essential that we keep in touch with and support our colleagues, a friendly phone call; an offer of help and support; or just a listening ear can mean an awful lot. Also remind your colleagues that there is other help out there in the shape of Inspire and NICS WELL.

We are living and working through extraordinary times and the contribution of staff within DfE is making a real difference to the lives of many people. So thank you once again for that contribution.

Stay safe

Yours sincerely

Mike Brennan

Permanent Secretary