England's former child welfare advocate has informed the pandemic investigation that the government should apologise to children for the harmful errors and flawed decisions it committed throughout the health crisis.
Cycle of Fatalism Within Ministers Led to Failure to Help Young People
Giving testimony to the inquiry’s public hearing, Anne Longfield said that a “doom loop” within government leaders meant the government failed to do enough to help children.
She argued that the extended lockdowns and school closures were responsible for the explosion in psychological, welfare and behaviour difficulties continuing to affect children and young people.
“The children and young people who lived through the coronavirus crisis – some of whom will now be adults and some of whom are just beginning their education – are owed a formal apology from the government leader in parliament after the investigation has published its final report,” Longfield stated.
Official Sorry Would Acknowledge Avoidable Mistakes and Damage Inflicted
A formal sorry would give the authorities an chance to publicly recognise the preventable errors and the harm that was caused to many children’s welfare, schooling, health, growth, and safety, following choices that were made by the then government in 2020 and 2021.
“It would be a opportunity to say sorry, and to assure that lessons really will be taken on board, in case of a future health crisis or public crisis in the years ahead.”
Young People's Needs Were Secondary to Pubs, Shops and Adults
Longfield said her advice or opinions were rarely sought by the administration throughout the pandemic, and informed the investigation that the needs of young people often “were placed after in the queue to pubs, shops, theme parks but also grown-ups, the whole time”.
Welfare Services Support Dropped Throughout Crisis
She was especially disapproving of the government’s decision to remove several elements of welfare services during the pandemic, such as weakening requirements for check-ins to vulnerable children.
The restrictions on visits and the increasing use of online interviews enabled some families to avoid or conceal their home situations, Longfield suggested.
“Families, if they chose to, could easily see how they could conduct the interview in a tidy, very clean area, and the other parts of the home might not be the same,” she said.
The lower requirements meant welfare professionals were not able to speak with vulnerable children without their parents present, or to consult additional family members who might have concerns.
Absence of Inventive Thinking in Schools and Social Work
Longfield said she was frustrated that the administration failed to use any form of inventive thinking regarding schools and child protection that other parts of government, such as the NHS, had utilised to address problems.
“There wasn’t the kind of Nightingale moment that hospitals got, in schools. Numerous measures could have been handled in another way around maintaining education access but they were not.
“Similarly with social care, [the government] moved directly to an result involving diluting responsibilities,” she said.
After-Effects Still Being Felt Young People
Longfield stated the consequences on children and young people were ongoing, referring to the doubling in persistent absence from education, the significant rise in support schemes issued for young people requiring additional help, and a 300% increase in autism among youngsters since before the health crisis.
She said the evidence “is completely conclusive on the rise in virtually every indicator of [increased] vulnerability, from pre-Covid to now”.
