The government announced on 27 January 2021 that the current restrictions on school closures will remain in place until at least 8 March 2021 at the earliest, but that the children of critical workers and vulnerable children can continue to attend schools at this time, and early years settings also remain open https://www.gov.uk/government/news/education-attendance-restrictions-to-remain-in-place

The government announced that, should you be instructed to self-isolate by test and trace, you may be eligible for a £500.00 support payment. If this sum results in an employee’s earnings putting them over their personal allowance, this sum will be taxable, but National Insurance contributions will not be taken from the sum. This relief payment is available in England only. https://www.gov.uk/test-and-trace-support-payment?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae

The Kickstart Scheme, (details of which can be found here) was introduced in September 2020 to assist young people getting work, and has now been amended (effective from 3 February 2021) to remove the limit requiring employers to create a minimum of 30 vacancies in order to be eligible to apply. This scheme is planned to run until December 2021 to create jobs for 16-24 year olds in a push to get them off Universal Credit and into employment https://www.gov.uk/government/news/kickstart-moves-up-a-gear-with-over-120-000-jobs-created-so-far-and-government-making-it-even-simpler-for-employers-to-join

The government has published guidance for employers on the new rules applicable to hiring new staff from outside the UK following the expiry of the Brexit transition period. In many instances you will likely require a sponsor licence, particularly for skilled workers, but details of the different routes available can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruiting-people-from-outside-the-uk

Clinically Extremely Vulnerable workers currently advised to shield in line with current government guidelines can, from 29 January 2021, book their vaccine online. This means that should the batch of letters containing their letter have been processed but not yet delivered in the post, the appointment can still be booked via the government gateway here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/