Councils and charities on frontline of virus fight

As the health and social care system enters a period of pressure unprecedented in modern times, there are growing concerns about the ability of already stretched and cash-strapped councils and children’s charities to meetthe expected rise in demand for support from disadvantaged families (see Analysis).

At this stage, the extent of the challenge posed by coronavirus remains unclear. But if we follow the path of other countries further ahead on the outbreak curve, it looks like this crisis will threaten the very fabric of the children’s social care and welfare system.

Children’s services departments face the prospect of significant chunks of the workforce being off sick at the same time. If that happens, emergency legislation has paved the way for councils to temporarily drop some social care duties and prioritise those most at risk, while sector bodies are trying to bring lapsed and trainee social workers in as a form of reserve workforce. While welcome, these measures are unlikely to be sufficient to deal with the large influx of vulnerable children and families campaigners are warning could arise as a result of economic hardship and social isolation pressures.