Covid-19: Key challenges met by the sector in 2020
Isabella McRae and Ella Doyle
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Professionals across the sector have faced huge challenges to support vulnerable children and young people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The impact the crisis will have on children’s mental health, well-being and education in the long-term has sparked deep concern within the sector coupled with issues caused by funding deficits, cuts to services and the workforce.
When lockdown was announced and schools were closed in March, experts warned that vulnerable children were at risk, hidden from their usual support networks. There was an increase in domestic abuse reports, charities feared a rise in mental illness while local authorities prepared for a rise in referrals to children’s services.
Amid uncertainty and panic for the sector, the government introduced emergency legislation reducing local authority’s statutory duties to children and young people.
Here, CYP Now looks back at key challenges faced by the sector during an unprecedented year:
17 March: All routine Ofsted inspections of schools, further education, early years and social care providers are suspended. Urgent inspections still go ahead.
18 March: Education secretary Gavin Williamson announces the closure of all UK schools from Friday 20 March. Schools are asked to continue to make provisions for the children of key workers and vulnerable children.
23 March: Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the country, calling for a national lockdown.
April: There are rising concerns for victims of domestic abuse amid the coronavirus lockdown, with Childline reporting more than 360 calls over concerns about children suffering abuse and neglect at home in just one week during lockdown. It was warned that vulnerable children were “hidden” during lockdown.
Charities warned that youth employment will be the hardest hit by coronavirus.
22 April: Children’s minister Vicky Ford announces the implementation of the The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, also known as Statutory Instrument 1445. The emergency regulations bypass the 21-day consultation rule.
24 April: Fostering charities and children’s rights organisations hit back at the amendments, calling them “dangerous”.
30 April: Children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield, backed by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, calls on the government to revoke the amendments and reinstate local authorities’ full statutory duties.
May: Data from the Office for National Statistics leads to warnings of a new “child poverty and mental health emergency” in the UK as a result of Covid-19. The childcare sector feared collapse, with a quarter of nurseries, childminders and pre-schools saying that they would likely be forced to close within the next year.
As the Covid-19 alert system is announced and lockdown begins to be lifted, children’s home providers warned of an influx of referrals.
6 May: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson defends the amendments, stating the Government “worked very closely” with Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) on the regulations and that it was a response to calls from the social work sector.
7 May: Children’s rights charity Article 39 calls on the Department for Education to revoke the amendments and threatens legal action.
19 May: The government pledges £37m to support the families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
26 May: Department of Education (DfE) confirm that there are no plans for free school meals over the summer holidays.
1 June: Primary schools reopen for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children in small ‘bubbles’.
5 June: Article 39 announces it has applied to the High Court for a judicial review on the amendments.
10 June: Labour secures a debate on the amendments at the House of Commons but the appeal fails by 123 votes to 260.
15 June: Secondary schools reopen for Year 10 and Year 12 students to help them prepare for exams. Primary schools are also allowed to bring back additional pupils if capacity allows.
Premier League footballer Marcus Rashford writes an open letter to MPs calling for a U-turn on plans to scrap the free school meals voucher scheme before the summer holidays.
16 June: The government makes a U-turn over funding free school meals during the summer holidays in England following the campaign by Rashford.
July: Free school breakfast scheme extends over the summer holidays, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a £2bn ‘Kickstart’ jobs scheme for 16- to 24-year-olds.
August: Unicef launches its first ever domestic emergency response to tackle child food poverty across the UK.
Controversy over GCSE and A-Level results, with disadvantaged children feared the worst hit following the banning of teacher moderated grades to establish overall results.
7 August: Article 39’s appeal is unsuccessful as the High Court rules the Department for Education did not act unlawfully by introducing the emergency changes.
17 August: A-Level results are reissued using unmoderated teacher predictions.
1 September: Rashford unveils a new food poverty taskforce with the backing of major supermarkets.
7 September: Schools reopen to all pupils. Local authorities report a rise in referrals to children's services since lockdown measures eased.
15 October: Marcus Rashford’s plea to extend free school meals over October half term and the Christmas holidays is rejected by government.
21 October: A Labour plea for free school meals to be extended over the holidays following the Rashford campaign is rejected by MPs.
Local authorities, charities, businesses and communities promise to feed vulnerable children over half-term after the Rashford campaign.
5 November: Second national lockdown comes into force, but schools, universities and early years settings remain open.
8 November: Government makes another U-turn as winter grant scheme is announced – with £400m in funding to support poor children and their families in England. Free school meals to be rolled-out across the Christmas holidays and until summer 2021.
24 November: Court of Appeal rules that education secretary Gavin acted unlawfully by introducing the bill without consulting the children’s commissioner for England.
25 November: Sunak announces a one-year spending review focussed solely on helping the UK to recover from Covid-19. The sector expressed disappointment over lack of investment to support vulnerable children.
December: A survey of Barnardo’s frontline workers revealed that a third of children they support will not receive any presents this Christmas. Almost as many children will not have a Christmas meal. Concerns prompt a raft of charity Christmas campaigns aimed at supporting those more impacted by the pandemic.
14 December: Councils in London and Kent issue advice to schools to close over rising Covid-19 cases in the south.
15 December: Education Secretary Gavin Williamson threatens to launch legal action against Greenwich Council under the Coronavirus Act unless schools stay open.
17 December: The government announces a staggered return for secondary school pupils in January with mass testing on all sites.
19 December: Boris Johnson rows back on plans to allow families to celebrate Christmas due to evidence of a “new strain” of coronavirus. London and the south east enters Tier 4 restrictions similar to a full lockdown including a travel ban in and out of the capital but schools, universities and early years settings will stay open.
