Coronavirus (COVID-19): impact on children, young people and families - evidence summary September 2020

Impact on services – Scottish and UK Evidence

Remote mental health interventions for young people

Source: Youth Access
Date: 09 July 2020

Youth Access has published a report on remote mental health interventions for young people. Findings from analysis of evidence from 50 academic studies involving young people aged 11-25  carried out across 9 countries including the UK include: remote forms of support can lead to positive outcomes amongst young people; remote interventions improved accessibility for those who struggle to access face-to-face services; and remote interventions are not suitable for all young people, and should not replace face-to-face services.

Read the report: Youth Access Report - Remote mental health interventions for young people: A rapid review of the evidence

Impact on CAMHS during the pandemic

Source: Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Date: 21 July 2020

The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) has released a podcast in which Dr Andrew Beck, President Elect of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), talks about the changes he has seen in CAMHS and how it is being affected by the COVID19 pandemic, why CBT is his intervention of choice, and the reasons he advocates behavioural activation to improve the mood children and families during the COVID19 pandemic. 

Listen to the podcast: Dr. Andrew Beck 'CAMHS, COVID19, and CBT'

Children's Hearings Consultation (Scotland)

Source: CELCIS & CYCJ
Date: July 2020

The Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS) and Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice (CYCJ) have published the results of an online survey of those involved with virtual Children's Hearings.  Participants included young people aged over 12, parents/carers, reporters and panel members, and practitioners who routinely attend children's hearings.  The survey ran from 15 to 28 June and was completed by 276 respondents, the vast majority of whom were practitioners (only 5 young people and 16 parents/carers participated).

The advantages of virtual hearings were that they offer a familiar environment for young people, parents and carers, as well as reducing the time and cost of travel. More challenging aspects include access to paperwork, confidential space for advocates and participants, and technological barriers. Fairness, how inclusive a virtual hearing can be, and the rights of children (many children did not attend their virtual hearing), were key concerns.  Some parents indicated that virtual hearings were far less effective than face-to-face ones.  

Despite the many challenges reported by respondents, the overwhelming majority of professional respondents reported that they considered this way of working was justifiable in the current circumstances. Only eight of 255 respondents considered it not to be.

Young people indicated a wish for more support during the panel and the opportunity to speak to the panel alone e.g. before the hearing.  Parents and carers reported mixed experiences of virtual hearings.  Some parents referenced benefits such as not needing to travel and everybody being able to participate, whilst others found the experience impersonal and reported problems with sound quality.  Given the very low numbers of child respondents in particular, further research is needed on how future virtual hearings could be improved and made more accessible for children and young people.

Read the report: CELCIS & CYCJ - Experiences of virtual Children's Hearings: A rapid consultation Report

The role of youth work in schools and colleges

Source: National Youth Agency
Date: 26 June 2020

The National Youth Agency (NYA) has published a report outlining the opportunity for the youth sector to work collaboratively with schools and colleges to ensure the best outcomes for young people as the country emerges from lockdown.  The report explores the role of youth services and youth work in schools and colleges, and the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable young people, in particular.  Key messages include:

• Not all young people will be ready to return to school or college. Some will need additional support to socialise after self-isolation and to cope with increased anxieties, trauma or bereavement.
• The pandemic has highlighted the need to bring formal education (schools and colleges) and non-formal education (youth work and youth services) together.
• As we adjust to a 'new normal', post-pandemic, youth work can further help develop young people's voices, influence and be active in their communities. It is important to engage with and listen to young people, be agile in our response to their needs, interests and concerns in a rapidly changing and uncertain world – to be confident in their futures.

Read the report: National Youth Agency Report – Time Out: Re-imagining Schools: a youth work response to COVID 19

Inspiring Scotland Research into Digital Exclusion in Scotland

Source: Inspiring Scotland
Date: June 2020

This report provides an overview of the current digital exclusion landscape to inform future developments.  Key messages include:

• The lack of connectivity is impacting on the poorest and most isolated in society. The third sector is trying to respond, but sometimes they, and more often those they are trying to help, do not have the technology, connectivity and the skills needed to connect with one another.
• This is not just about supplying suitable technology. Beneficiaries must also be provided with the appropriate skills, confidence, mentoring and support for the long term.
• The Coronavirus Pandemic provides an opportunity for a turning point. Now, a concerted and extensive effort is needed to turn the tide.

Read the report:  Inspiring Scotland report - Research into Digital Exclusion in Scotland

How social work and child protection are helping children and families during COVID-19 and can do so beyond it

Source: Research in Practice (University of Birmingham)
Date: 26 Aug 2020

This ongoing qualitative research has been following the same sample of social workers in four local authorities for over three months, gathering their views and experiences of the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on their work. The research is now starting interviews with parents in the same cases the researchers are shadowing. Emerging research findings from the University of Birmingham show that since the start of the pandemic children's social care have been innovative and have improvised in creative ways that, if sustained post-pandemic, could renew practice for the better and enhance the lives of children and families.  The research identifies a number of areas for consideration for future practice:

• Humane practice - Social distancing hasn't stopped social workers and family support workers from being relational and finding ways of being effective and achieving non-physical closeness to some families.  Getting help to families has been easier and quicker because during lockdown the usual bureaucratic complexities of applying for vouchers to use food banks, for instance, have been removed.
• Outdoor and mobile practice - A consistent finding is that workers have gone on walks ('side-by-side' communication^[fn]) with young people and sometimes parents and used parks and other open spaces near family homes to walk, play or just be together in. When home visits are tense, using these other environments provides new opportunities for reflection and discussion, particularly for young people who felt more relaxed in an open space.
• Changes in communication and time use – Less time has been spent with children and families during lockdown to prevent transmission.  However, the dramatic increase in the use of video and telephone comms has meant that it is quite common for families to be spoken to frequently and even every day. There are more shorter, frequent 'check-in' communications which are followed up with longer more substantial meetings.
• Hybrid practice: Integrating face-to-face, digital and humane practice - A striking feature of the development of practice since lockdown is the integration of a variety of modes of communication and ways of relating.  Despite maintaining physical distancing social workers' narratives suggest they are getting emotionally close to some families and establishing meaningful relationships with the infants, older children and parents.  This relationship based practice appears to be having a positive impact and supporting young people and parents to develop and change, a view that has been confirmed by some parents.

The University of Birmingham has published two research briefings relating to this study:

June briefing: This briefing shares findings on the challenges of achieving social distancing during child protection work, especially on home visits, and how children and families and social workers can be kept safe during the coronavirus crisis. The briefing is based on data gathered during April, May and early June 2020 from four local authorities in England.

July briefing: This briefing shares some emerging findings (as per above) about how COVID-19 has disrupted child protection and led children's social care to improvise in creative ways that, if sustained post-pandemic, could renew practice and provide improved outcomes for children and families.  

Read more about the University of Birmingham's research project.

Managing through COVID-19: the experiences of children's social care in 15 English local authorities

Source: Kings College London
Date: 05 July 2020

Researchers at Kings College London have published a report looking at the experiences of 15 local authority children's social care departments in England during the coronavirus pandemic to understand the changes put in place, how they had worked and what the legacy might be. Topics covered in the study carried out in late May and early June 2020 include referrals of concerns about children's welfare; working with families in a pandemic;  contact with families; child protection conferences; contact between children and birth families; foster care ; placements and disrupted placements; care leavers and unaccompanied young people seeking asylum; residential homes; and multi-agency working.  The key findings relating to lessons from lockdown which are relevant in the event of further local or national outbreaks of COVID-19 as set out below:

• The lessons include ensuring a sufficient supply of PPE, revising the guidance developed in the light of experience, and assuming a more measured approach to work rather than operating in emergency mode.
• A proportion of meetings and other interactions will continue to be conducted virtually but these should be monitored to determine what it is effective and efficient to do and in what particular circumstances.
• The use of technology in contacting parents should be approached with caution, taking account of the family's ability to access it and their confidence in working in this way, and the service's capacity to provide support in doing so.  
• The potential of technology to improve social workers' engagement with young people has been established, but it is important to recognise that it will not work for everyone and there will be those who do not wish to use it in some circumstances. It was found to be less appropriate for younger children.
• It will be important to build on positive developments that have emerged such as those in relation to multi-agency working.
• In all the feedback from authorities there was a note of caution about a future when the extent of harm to many children would be revealed after many months when it had been hidden. It was expected that the number of referrals would rise rapidly once schools reopened.

Read the King's College London briefing paper on 'Managing through COVID-19: the experiences of children's social care in 15 English local authorities'. 

Read the report: King's College London Report: Managing through COVID-19: the experiences of children's social care in 15 English local authorities

Local lockdowns – emerging evidence

With local restrictions taking place more frequently, it is useful to consider what the impact of further local lockdowns may have on children and young people and how this might compare to the national lockdown.  

Life under Local Lockdown

Source: Leicestershire Cares (a charity which supports vulnerable children and care leavers)
Date: 29 July 2020

Leicestershire Cares conducted a snap assessment with 22 young people from across their projects on the effect that the local lockdown restrictions are having on vulnerable young people and whether it was different to the national lockdown.  The participants included young people at risk of homelessness, with experience of the care system, who have a history of offending, and who are long-term unemployed.  The research found that for some young people, the local lockdown is increasing feelings of social isolation and anxiety about the future.

• Experiences vary with some young people finding it boring, whilst others (mostly those not living in the family home) were struggling with increased social isolation. Not being able to travel across the lockdown boundary means that some young people are now more isolated than before as they cannot meet with relatives and friends outside of the lockdown area.
• The knowledge that the rest of the country are easing out of lockdown has resulted in intense frustration and even higher feelings of isolation amongst young people, which in turn has affected their mental health.
• Young people reported feeling confused and anxious about the current rules, and also a sense of losing independence and control over their lives.
• The top three concerns were staying safe, finding work or starting a course  (young people felt unemployment was likely to be even higher following the local lockdown, and some were reluctant to start work until they were sure it could be safe) and an increased concern about the risk of further local lockdowns.
• The charity has made three recommendations which include urgent interventions to ease the impact of local lockdowns on young people's mental health; clearer guidance for young people and more help for other areas in preparing for local lockdowns.

"There was so much to look forward to but then the second lockdown happened. My mental health deteriorated rapidly"

Read the report: Leicestershire Cares - Life Under Lockdown: Assessing the impact of the local lockdown on young people in affected areas of Leicester and Leicestershire