Coronavirus: MPs to probe impact of pandemic on children’s services

The House of Commons education committee inquiry is to scrutinise how the Department for Education is dealing with the unprecedented situation caused by the pandemic, the government has announced.

This includes looking at social worker support for vulnerable children and those in need of protection.

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Youth workers, childcare providers and social workers as well as children and families are being asked to give evidence before the inquiry’s 30 September deadline.

The pandemic’s effect on the early years sector is another priority for the committee, which will look at the impact of closing settings on child development and financial implications for both providers and families, including funding for "free hours" entitlement.

Support for pupils during school closures will also be looked into, including how well schools and colleges are supporting home working.

Mental health support for children, while they are restricted from leaving their home, is another priority.

Support for disadvantaged groups, including those entitled to free school meals and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, is also being looked at by MPs.

The impact on apprenticeships and careers support is another issue that forms part of the inquiry.

In addition, it will look at what contingency planning can take place to protect the children and education sectors in case of a future emergency.

📢 We have launched a new inquiry into the impact of #COVID19 on education and children's services.

🔎Find out more: https://t.co/SAfZOewd1Q pic.twitter.com/EbYyjHoMVh

— Education Committee (@CommonsEd) March 25, 2020

“The coronavirus outbreak is going to have a deep and long-lasting impact right across the education sector,” said Education Committee chair Robert Halfon.

“While it is so important that all the right steps are taken to keep people safe, actions such as school closures and delays to exams add up to an unsettling time for everyone.

“We also must not forget the disproportionate and potentially devastating impact that the steps put in place to fight this virus will have on our most vulnerable children and young people.

“If we are to ensure we continue to fight social injustice, we must work to support the disadvantaged, including those with special educational needs and disabilities and those who rely on children’s social care services.

“Everything possible must be done to ensure that those children who are already left behind are not left behind further because of the coronavirus outbreak.”

To mark the inquiry’s launch, Halfon has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson with a series of questions around the pandemic.

This includes asking the DfE “to ensure the children’s social care system can meet the increased pressure it will likely now face”.

It also calls for updates on “resources which will help schools and families continue their children’s education away from school”.

Amid the pandemic, evidence is being collected online, with details provided by the committee on how to make a submission.

Parliament has closed down for a month from this week, with its Easter recess brought forward early. MPs will return on 21 April.

The Education Committee is planning to carry out a series of further inquiries this year. An inquiry into disadvantage will initially focus on white pupils from deprived areas. A life-long learning inquiry is also being planned.

“These inquiries will be all the more important given the implications and the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic,” said an education committee statement.