Editorial - Pandemic: why DCSs can fill the leadership vacuum

A striking characteristic of the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been the way government agencies, public bodies and voluntary organisations have come together to put in place support for vulnerable families and children.

At a local level, charities, employers and community groups have worked with children’s services organisations to deliver practical support for vulnerable groups such as care leavers and single parents, many of whom have been grappling with home schooling during lockdown (Analysis, p8).

Although lockdown restrictions are easing, the long-term impact of the pandemic on children and families and support services looks set to be grave. Levels of child poverty, trauma and safeguarding referrals will likely rise at a time when civic income is plummeting and uncertainty surrounds the future of vital school and childcare provision (Analysis, p12).

The row over the school return date highlights the variation in how the pandemic is affecting different parts of the country, and why a more regionalised and localised response is needed going forward (News, p6). Just as the Welsh and Scottish governments have developed their own distinct responses to the crisis, the recovery presents an opportunity for the English regions to take the lead. Some mayors – such as those in Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands – look well set to do this (Feature, p20).

With serious questions over the handling of the pandemic hanging over the country’s political and scientific leaders, the public needs authority figures to turn to for accurate advice and information. Drawing on their role as local champions of all children from 0-25, directors of children’s services (DCS) should play a key role in effectively communicating to parents and young citizens what steps are being taken to ensure the gradual lifting of lockdown measures is done safely, and explain what support is in place to help with the transition. They should also be part of the communication machine if restrictions need to be reimposed due to the virus proliferating again over the coming months.

With their overarching role overseeing services for children, young people and families, DCSs will be critical to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are factored into local and national decision making and to co-ordinate an area’s collective resources so that extra support is in place during the long road to recovery.

BLOGS

“As settings work out how to balance health and safety with service provision and finances, they will need funding that covers the costs of vacant places, whether that be temporary or in the longer term. It is rare a provider does not rely on parent fee income. This cannot be understated to those who seem to think they are wholly publicly funded. They are not. The impact on this private income could be devastating as the paid-for childcare market may plummet, take months or years to recover, or at least change massively.”

James Hempsall on a routemap for childcare recovery

“I may be a little biased, but examples ofamazingwork our young people have been doing to support those in need right across the country have proliferated. There are stories of young people who have been volunteering to support local foodbanks, using social media to reach out to those struggling with lockdown, and many putting their creative skills to great use to raise money for charities or create online messages of support and advice. Real inter-generational activity is taking place, supported by a range of digital platforms.”

The ADCS’s Charlotte Ramsden on the community spirit of lockdown

“There are lots of concerns about the economy and what young people might seek, post-lockdown, in terms of employment. While we have embraced the digital revolution and are finally talking to young people using apps that they are familiar with, it feels like there is a real opportunity to get alongside them and influence them positively – maybe even reducing the risks of anti-social behaviours, criminalisation and exploitation. Our investment in systemic practice continues to reap benefits for practitioners, building relationships and responding to challenges using digital platforms, and we will continue to support some interactions virtually.”

Sarah Newman, bi-borough DCS, on post-lockdown rebuilding

“One of the key challenges in bringing young people ‘to the table’ is the lack of a clear point of focus in government who would listen. It would be a welcome change to at least have the Secretary of State for Education and the children’s minister in a special briefing for younger children. Many aged 16-plus have a different agenda encompassing housing, mental health, training and jobs. Wouldn’t it be amazing if one of the outcomes post-Covid was the overdue appointment of a Minister for Children and Young People in Cabinet?”

James Cathcart on hearing young people’s views during the pandemic