Coronavirus daily round-up: Wednesday 27 May
Fiona Simpson
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
The government must put a plan in place to protect communities with a high Black and ethnic minority (BAME) population from Covid-19 as schools reopen, a teachers’ union has warned.
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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.
Concern over impact of reopening schools on BAME communities
NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union has raised concerns with the Prime Minister over the reopening of schools and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 infections and deaths on Black and minority ethnic children (BAME), young people and adults.
NASUWT's general secretary Dr Patrick Roach has called on the government to set out how its five tests and commitments to the country will be addressed in terms of impact on areas with high BAME populations.
Roach said: “The government must make public the evidence and assessment on which it is relying to conclude that the wider reopening of schools will not lead to further discriminatory impacts in the transmission of the coronavirus.
“Schools cannot be expected reasonably or responsibly to plan for wider reopening without access to this critical information.”
Rise in self-harm among young women
Young women aged 16 to 34 who live in the most disadvantaged communities are five times more likely to self-harm than those in more affluent households and figures are set to increase due to the financial impact of Covid-19, a charity has warned.
New research carried out by the National Centre of Social Research (NatCen) and published by charity Agenda shows that one in five young women with “severe” money problems has self-harmed in the past year, and those seriously behind with payments or who have had utilities disconnected were three times more likely to have self-harmed in the past year than other women.
The findings come at a time when the coronavirus outbreak is likely to cause more economic hardship and push people further into poverty, with women hit the hardest, Agenda says.
The charity is calling for a cross-government strategy to improve the outcomes of women and girls facing poverty and disadvantage in order to tackle the major risk factors linked with self-harm.
School attendance figures increase for vulnerable children
More vulnerable children attended school in the 10 days before May half-term than at any point during the lockdown period, new government figures show.
The Department for Education’s latest school attendance figures show that every day between Tuesday 12 May and Friday 22 May at least 70,000 children classed as “in need” or with an education health and care (EHC) plan attended school.
However, the figures also show that on 21 May, 224,000 children overall attended settings representing 2.6 per cent of those who would usually attend.
This is down from 330,000 children when schools closed in March.
‘No plans’ for free school meals over summer holiday
There are “no plans” to provide eligible children with free school meals over the summer holidays, the Department for Education has confirmed.
A DfE spokesperson told CYP Now that there were no arrangements in place for the emergency voucher scheme, introduced in March as a response to school closures due to Covid-19, to continue over the summer.
The move comes despite free schools meals being offered to 1.3 million children over the two-week Easter break and week-long May half term.
The DfE originally said meals would not be provided over both holidays but appeared to row back on the decisions following pressure from local authorities and campaign groups.
The spokesperson added: “We can confirm that free school meal vouchers are being made available during May half term.”
Survey highlights impact of Covid-19 on youth organisations
More than one in 10 youth organisations thinks the coronavirus pandemic will have a long-term impact on their ability to stay open, a new survey suggests.
Research from the Jack Petchey Foundation shows that 12 per cent of organisations say the pandemic had left them at “high risk” of closure while 57 per cent said they were at “moderate risk”.
Almost three in 10 (29 per cent) of organisations said they were unable to deliver any services during lockdown.
