'Exhausting' impact of Covid-19 on families with disabled children
Neil Puffett
Monday, October 5, 2020
Families raising disabled children are struggling emotionally and financially due to the impact of lockdown, new research shows.
Charity Family Fund, which published initial findings into the impact of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown in May, has found that half of families continue to report a loss of income and more than three quarters are experiencing increased household costs.
Nine out of 10 families responding said the coronavirus outbreak had negatively affected their disabled or seriously ill children’s health and wellbeing.
-
Analysis: Coping with pandemic lockdowns
-
Related news: SEND review delayed until ‘early next year’, Gavin Williamson confirms
The reason for this was put down to a reduction in health and social care support services, with 62 per cent of parents saying their child is still receiving less support than before the start of lockdown.
Cheryl Ward, chief executive of Family Fund, said: “Ninety three per cent of families told us that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their and their child’s health and wellbeing, so they’re emerging from an exhausting and really challenging period.
“As they try to recover and re-engage with health and social care professionals, 62 per cent say their child is still receiving less support than before the start of lockdown. What we’re also seeing is families struggling in two further ways because of the challenges of disability – firstly, they’re uncertain about the lifting of restrictions because the risks to their children’s health and wellbeing are greater.
“Secondly, many are now in a much more vulnerable financial position than they were in March because of loss of income and increased costs. Raising disabled children already costs around three times more than children without disabilities, so 70 per cent of the families we support now have no money to fall back on and increasing levels of debt."
Meanwhile, more than eight in every 10 staff working in schools "do not trust" the government to keep schools safe and protect vulnerable children during the current pandemic, a union has warned.
A survey by the National Education Union, which represents teachers, support staff, and teaching assistants found that 84 per cent of more than 5,000 respondents do not trust government to keep schools safe, protect workers, listen to the profession, support vulnerable or disadvantaged children, or ensure exams and assessment are fit for purpose during the current situation.
Pupils across England returned to schools last month following almost six months of closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but 80 per cent of respondents to the survey reported ongoing pupil absences because of self-isolation and/or a lack of tests. One in five (20 per cent) reported “significant” levels of pupil absences at their school.
The survey found that school staff feel that prioritising pupils and staff for Covid-19 testing is "absolutely key" to keeping schools open – with it being the top priority for 74 per cent of respondents.
Meanwhile, more than half (51 per cent) said they have witnessed a significant increase in hardship for pupils and families at their school since the start of lockdown in March.
Some 47 per cent have “significant” concerns about the possibility of staff shortages – resulting from self-isolating and/or a lack of testing – impacting on their school’s ability to maintain workable staff levels. One in 10 (11 per cent) of those surveyed reported that staff shortages are already having this effect.
Kevin Courtney, joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: “School and college staff are doing everything they can to keep schools open for all pupils, but the government is not pulling its weight. Our survey shows all too clearly that a lack of access to testing and the disruption of self-isolation, often due to the lack of a test result, is undermining the ability of schools to maintain fully-staffed on-site learning for all those who need it. The results also show an imminent danger that this problem will become very widespread indeed.
“This was completely foreseeable. A return to schools and colleges, matched with the opening-up of society, offices, and the movement of university students across the UK, was always likely to heighten the case count. Staff and pupils alike have been forced to self-isolate, or struggle to find a test to establish whether or not they should self-isolate. The government had months to prepare a fit-for-purpose test, track and trace system, and they failed.
“It is clear the government has completely lost the trust of school leaders, teachers and school staff. This is no surprise. Boris Johnson’s promises have regularly been exposed as bluster, while Gavin Williamson’s mismanagement not just of guidance to schools but also this year’s exams results has been dizzyingly poor.
“The message from our members is clear. Schools kept their side of the bargain in getting schools open this September; it is time for the government to keep theirs.”