Coronavirus daily round-up: Wednesday 20 May
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Dozens of charity leaders have called on the government to raise Universal Credit for under-25s amid fears of a youth unemployment crisis caused by coronavirus.
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Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
Charities unite in call for more Universal Credit for young people
More than 40 organisations supporting young people have come together to call on the government to urgently review the amount of Universal Credit available for under-25s.
In a letter addressed to Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey, 42 chief executives from charities including Centrepoint, Child Poverty Action Group, The Children’s Society, DePaul and the YMCA, have urged ministers to ensure young claimants receive enough in Universal Credit to cover the cost of living.
The call follows the publication of figures yesterday by the Office for National Statistics showing an increase of more than 60 per cent in the number of young claimants of Universal Credit between March and April this year. There were 235,100 claimants between the ages of 18 and 24 in March, compared with 378,100 in April.
Report warns of ‘devastating’ impact of Covid-19 on disadvantaged children
A coalition of children’s charities has published a new report warning the government that children growing up during the pandemic face a “perilous” future.
The End Child Poverty coalition is calling on ministers to commit to an ambitious strategy to end child poverty in the aftermath of coronavirus.
The group, working with researchers at Loughborough University, has published a new analysis of government data that documents how child poverty rates in many different areas across Britain have swelled over the last four years, even before housing costs are taken into account.
The report highlights parts of the country where children are most likely to have been swept into poverty since 2014 including the North of England and West Midlands.
Drive to keep unsentenced children out of prison amid pandemic
The Howard League for Penal Reform has called on the courts to stop remanding children to custody as prisons remain in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
Most children in prison are being held in prolonged solitary confinement, with no face-to-face visits and virtually no education or therapy, because of severe restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic, the charity claims in a new guide aimed at helping lawyers working with children.
It adds that one in three children in prison in England and Wales are unsentenced and held on remand – the highest proportion ever recorded.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “At such a dangerous time, it is unconscionable to keep hundreds of children in jails – and especially so for children on remand, most of whom will not go on to receive a custodial sentence anyway.
“Every child in prison is there because a judge or magistrate has decided they should be detained. Now, more than ever, it is impossible to see how remanding children to prison is in their best interests.”
Cafcass reports major drop in cases during lockdown
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has seen a 21.9 per cent drop in cases referred to them in April compared with the same month last year.
These cases involved 5,858 children, which is 2,044 (25.9 per cent) fewer children than in April 2019, Cafcass said.
In March, it saw a 17.7 per cent drop in cases compared with March 2019.
A statement from Cafcass said: “The lower levels of new case demand that started mid-March 2020 due to Covid-19 continued throughout April 2020. These figures cover applications and cases issued to Cafcass by the courts, and do not necessarily reflect changes in applications received by the courts, as there may be a time lag while the courts process the application prior to issue.”
Young people report ‘significant’ impact on mental health caused by lockdown
A group of vulnerable young people in Leicestershire have reported that lockdown has had a “significant impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing”.
According to a report by care leavers charity, Leicestershire Cares: “Social isolation was a key challenge for our participants, many of whom live alone and have had little contact with others for over eight weeks.”
The young people also shared concerns over returning to work, using public transport and getting mental health support as lockdown measures ease.