How COVID-19 is affecting Children’s services, and preparing for coming out of lockdown.”

Last week I hosted a Webinar looking at “How COVID-19 is affecting Children’s services, and preparing for coming out of lockdown.” We had 4 panel members leading discussions on how children’s social care is readying itself for phasing out of lockdown and identifying the key trends we have seen since the Covid – 19 Crisis hit. The webinar prompted me to put together the following blog, summarising some of the key themes and thoughts that were discussed. Should you wish to view the webinar in full please follow the following link:  https://youtu.be/hchIQGjacbs 

On Monday 23rd March the UK begun one of its most unprecedented chapters in history, entering a lockdown that has affected every single person in one way or another. Regardless of their situation, most people can resonate with the now familiar yo-yo of feelings that range from anxiety, thankfulness, loneliness and boredom (to name a few) whilst moving into a phase that has become the “new normal”.  We quite rightly are seeing continuous media representation on the strain this virus is having on our NHS and those selfless staff willing to put their lives at risk to save ours but what impact is this having on other strands of our society? 

We often hear Social Care being referred to as a “poor relation” to other public services, a long-lost cousin that doesn’t always see the recognition it deserves both from a financial and resource perspective. I would argue that Covid-19 has gone some way in changing that; not only are we now seeing a weekly national appreciation for all frontline workers, a committed investment by Central Government into Children’s social care but we are also seeing a different practice led approach of how to look after those most vulnerable, both currently and as we move out of lockdown. However, even given this improvement, there is still so much more that needs to be done and a continued call for Central government to invest and support our most at risk must stay at the forefront of our minds. 

Covid 19 is having a transformational impact on our Children’s services and we are unlikely to go back to a pre - Covid model as we move out of this. Like many other sectors, Children’s social care has seen a varied series of reactions since the reality of Covid 19 begun to set in. Initially, we saw heightened levels of anxiety and a difficulty in finding the time and headspace to move to the next phases in order to provide the best outcomes for children. However, due to a combination of flexibility around working; increased use of technology and localised initiatives across our services we have started to move into the “new reality” that now defines children’s social care. Working alongside library services, children’s centre’s etc. and taking a proactive approach has never been as important as what it now is in Lockdown Britain.  

 A continuous message across Children’s social care is that we are seeing many similarities to the summer holidays, a reduction in referrals and a general lull in demand. The ambiguity about the safety of our children and an increase in domestic violence paint a somewhat bleak picture, and the reality of so many children being behind closed doors is an obvious concern which cannot be ignored. However, whilst this is a worrying consequence of current times; the reduced pressures on our front door has allowed for a new way of working and this should be an important tool in protecting our most vulnerable children as we steer though the current climate. “Positivity” is not a word we have heard mentioned too much over the last few months, but on the recent webinar I hosted it was the overriding theme.  

Local Authorities have been able to move away from the sometimes-formulaic social care practices that had become the “norm” and use more innovative methods of “walking alongside families” and proactively reaching out to those echelons of children that are most at risk. We have seen an increased sense of shared responsibility between partnership agencies to ensure that our children are safe, something that will ideally continue as the lockdown opens up but with added pressures on services like the police, education and CAMH’s, the feasibility of this is difficult to predict.  

The summer inevitably also leads to a decreased demand for staffing support and so we must be mindful that if Covid 19 continues to replicate the summer break then strategic leads in Local Authorities must have solutions in place to alleviate the resource problems we will see as we phase out of lockdown. 

As we continue to navigate through Covid 19, it is imperative to remember that we are just at the beginning and there will be continuous changes not just to children’s social care but to every one of our day to lives. As a Director of Children’s services so aptly put it “We now have a common kind of history which we need to utilize in order to understand each other better” and this has never been so relative in considering the future of our vulnerable children.