State of Child Poverty 2021
The State of Child Poverty 2021 report tells the story of the ongoing impact of COVID as witnessed by frontline services that support an estimated 36,000 vulnerable children and young people.
20 September 2021 | by Pixie Parker | Read time: 1 Minute Read time
This is the third annual publication of the report, and it shows that whilst these children have had to deal with the same disruption to schooling, isolation from friends and wider family and the broader anxieties of living through the pandemic as all children have, many are also dealing with trauma brought on by a range of adverse childhood experiences that have been made worse by the COVID crisis. Those living with challenging home situations where there is, for example, domestic abuse or parents themselves have mental health problems, have found their situations getting worse. This has duly impacted their mental health and their ability to overcome any trauma these experiences have created.
If we are to close the growing education gap between these children and their more affluent peers, we must listen to these frontline professionals and prioritise mental health support as part of children’s future education. Otherwise, initiatives designed to help children to catch up, like the National Tutoring Programme, are not going to benefit those that need it most.
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