Early intervention services ‘unable to cope’ as lockdown measures lift
Fiona Simpson
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Early intervention services could be left “unable to cope” as lockdown measures lift due to the impact of school closures and social distancing on vulnerable families, new research warns.
A new report by the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) and Action for Children, based on interviews with professionals across the children’s services sector, finds that the “knock-on effect” of the coronavirus pandemic on early help services will have a “profound” impact on families not eligible for local authority support.
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Non-statutory services will see an “increased demand” for support from families who fall below the threshold for statutory help but “who are wrestling with new and pressing needs created by the strains of the lockdown, or the effects of previous support having been withdrawn”, the report states.
Researchers call for non-statutory early intervention services to receive more funding to prevent further pressure on acute services.
The report adds: “We cannot allow early intervention to be squeezed out at precisely the moment when demand for specialist services spikes and there are even more claims being made on precious public funds.
“To do so risks placing an even greater burden on our hard-pressed acute services, and allows the new or intensified problems in children’s lives to linger and do harm long after the lockdown has passed.”
The report also echoes previous warnings from sector leaders of a spike in demand for children’s services as lockdown measures begin to lift.
It warns that quarantine may have led to subtle signs of abuse often picked up by schools, social workers or youth groups being missed.
“Only as the lockdown is more widely eased will the full extent of the impact of Covid-19 on children and families become apparent. This will almost certainly result in an increase in referrals to children’s social care and other specialist services,” it states.
One headteacher from the South West told researchers: “However challenging it is now, it won’t be nearly as challenging as when we start recovering.”
Eleanor Briggs, head of policy and research at Action for Children, said: “The coronavirus crisis has exploded into the lives of vulnerable families after a decade of decline in central government funding for early help services that are designed to give all children the best start in life.
“Our findings echo widespread fears across the children’s sector that our already hollowed-out services won’t be able to cope with further demand created by the pandemic. The right thing to do for children and young people is for the government to invest in early help services now, ensuring families get help before they reach crisis point.”
Dr Jo Casebourne, chief executive at EIF, added: “This work is important to our understanding of the pressures public services face, and how the country can navigate this recovery phase. The lockdown has had a negative impact on children and families, especially those that were struggling before the coronavirus hit.
“We know there will be lots of calls for additional funding, including – rightly – for children’s social care and other acute services. But early intervention has a crucial role to play in providing support to a wider group of families and children wrestling with a wide range of problems in the wake of the lockdown.”
