- Significant inequality and a lack of political will to prioritise children before, during and after Covid created a “perfect storm” of challenges for children and young people in the UK
- High child poverty levels meant families lacked financial resilience when Covid hit and are still struggling today, further compounded by the cost-of-living crisis
- Calls for the UK Government to urgently address the woefully insufficient recovery fund and make legislative change to ensure children’s rights are enshrined in law
Five leading children’s rights organisations have told the Covid-19 Inquiry that the pandemic exacerbated deep inequalities within the UK and highlighted the total invisibility of children within Government decision making.
The comments were made as Module 8 of the inquiry's investigation into the pandemic’s impact on children and young people got underway today (Friday, September 6) with a preliminary hearing. Evidence will be taken next year.
The five charities: Centre for Young Lives, the Child Poverty Action Group, Save the Children UK, Just for Kids Law and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (known together as the Children’s Rights Organisations or CROs) have been selected as Core Participants for their expertise in children’s rights, inequalities and discrimination.
Their submission to the Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, calls on the UK government to “clear the long shadow” the Covid pandemic has cast over the lives and life chances of a generation of children by significantly investing in resources to help them.
They also recommend legislative change to incorporate children’s rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to fill the gap in the Equality Act that allows public bodies and service providers to discriminate against children on the grounds of age.
Barrister Steve Broach KC, representing the CROs, told the Inquiry in the preliminary hearing today that the impact of the pandemic on children had been devastating and the lack of focus on their rights was “systemic”.
He said: “The lack of focus on the rights and interests of children during the pandemic was systemic. This was not an unfortunate oversight for which particular individuals bore responsibility. It resulted from a failure to embed the rights and interests of children in the centre of the machinery of government.
“Certain groups suffered worst. Babies, whose parents who lost the support of health visitors… children and young people from Black and racialised communities… and looked after children; and children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.”
He added: “Despite the clear recommendation by the Education Recovery Commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins, and a plethora of other bodies for a substantial investment in children’s recovery, no such funding has yet been made available, by the current or former governments.”
During Module 8, the CROs as well as other Core Participants, will evidence how inadequate protection for children during the pandemic contributed to an epidemic in poor mental health, widening of inequalities in education outcomes and in diminished life chances for children.
Calls will be made for a dedicated national children’s recovery programme to improve children’s mental health and wellbeing, an adequate education recovery package and embark on a national play strategy to ensure that children have time and places to play.
Education and well-being recovery measures following the pandemic have, so far, been “manifestly insufficient”, they will argue.
Anne Longfield, former Children’s Commissioner for England and Executive Chair and founder of Centre for Young Lives, said: “Children were not given adequate protection during the Covid 19 pandemic and were often overlooked when important decisions were made.
“The consequences for many of the Covid generation of children are devastating, with an unprecedented rise in anxiety and poor mental health, huge losses in learning and poorer job and life chances as a result. Those children who were already vulnerable before the pandemic have been hit the hardest.
“As Children’s Commissioner for England during the pandemic - a statutory role - my warnings were dismissed by the government. Children need additional protection in law to ensure they can never be overlooked in this way in any future emergencies.
“We owe it to this generation of children to help them recover from the mistakes our Government made at the time.”
Dan Paskins, Interim Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children UK, said: “The pandemic profoundly disrupted children’s lives in the UK and there was an impact on all families. Yet for the poorest, entrenched systemic inequalities created a “perfect storm” of challenges.
“The devastating impacts on education, family life, play and social interaction were clear at the time and could have been significantly reduced or in many cases prevented. We now fear these harms will be felt for many years to come unless urgent action is taken and lessons are learnt, and fast.
“Today marks the start of a thorough investigation into the impact on children and young children specifically. We hope to see clear recommendations and learning to help prevent harm now and in the future.”
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “This stage of the Covid-19 inquiry provides an opportunity to investigate how a decade of cuts to family incomes, stark child poverty levels and deep social inequalities left children on the lowest incomes defenceless in the pandemic.
“On the eve of the first lockdown more than one in four children were in poverty and as many as one in two for those from Black and minority ethnic groups. And societal disparities only worsened as government responses proved inadequate. This must never happen again. The Inquiry’s critical work must pave the way for new protections for children including legally binding child poverty-reduction targets."
Louise King, co-lead of Just for Kids Law and Director of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, said: “The failure to adequately consider children’s rights and wellbeing during the pandemic caused unnecessary harm which could have been mitigated if the right laws and decision-making processes had been in place. These harms were particularly acute for Black and other racialised children, those living in poverty, in care, disabled children and those with special educational needs, and are still being felt today.
“This unequal impact must be fully explored by the Inquiry and lessons learned as soon as possible, so the necessary steps can be taken to address the damage caused to the youngest and most marginalised in our society.”
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