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Coronavirus threat to youth mental health
Constant reminders of external threats can lead to feelings of insecurity and increased anxiety. Real disruption to routines, through social distancing, school closures and the lockdown are thought to be affecting the mental health of children and young people. A new survey has been launched by experts at the University of Oxford, which will track children and young people’s mental health throughout the COVID-19 crisis to identify what advice, support and help can actually protect their mental health.
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According to Professor Cathy Creswell, the researchers hope to reach more than 10,000 parents and carers across the UK with their online survey. “Their responses will help us really understand how families are coping and what support could make all the difference to children, young people and their families’, she said.
Initial survey results indicate that as many as one in five primaryage children are afraid to leave their homes and are worried there will not be enough food to eat during the course of the Covid-19 outbreak, following media reports of panic buying and empty supermarket shelves. These results are based on response from the first 1,500 parents to sign up to the Co-SPACE (Covid-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children in Epidemics) and indicate that more than half of younger children are worried about family and friends catching
the disease. One in three respondents reported that their child was worried they would catch Covid-19 themselves, and almost a quarter of the youngest children were afraid of infecting someone else, and some that their children were worried about the amount of money coming into the household. Older children were less concerned, according to their parents.
The survey is for parents of 4-16 year-olds. To take part, visit
https://cospaceoxford.com/survey
GCSEs under fire
A recent survey of school heads found that just 13% think GCSEs should be kept in their present form. The remainder thought that GCSEs are in need of change (47%), or that GCSEs should be scrapped altogether and assessment at 16 should be reviewed (40%). The survey of 800 heads was carried out by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). Most respondents said GCSEs do not work well for all students, and they raised concerns that the qualifications are not accessible to a significant proportion of lower attaining students, including those with special educational needs.
Rachael Warwick, President of ACSL, said “the Government’s reforms deliberately made GCSEs harder and resulted in life becoming even more difficult for the very children who most need our support. The pressure of a large number of terminal exams and the ignominy of Grades 1-3 are creating young people who exhibit unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety. Add to this the pernicious potential of social media to attack self-esteem and perpetuate bullying, and the fact that nearly a third of the country’s children grow up in grinding, relentless poverty, and we have a perfect storm.”
Those calling for GCSEs to be scrapped felt that it was time to review assessment at 16 in an era when young people are expected to remain in education or training until 18 and that a lighter-touch system of assessment was needed to facilitate onward progression. Those favouring reform suggested changes such as reducing the amount of exams, the volume of content in courses, and the emphasis on having to recall large amounts of information. A common theme among many respondents was the need for a broader range of alternative qualifications
Computer Game for Visually-Impaired Children Goes Mobile
A computer game which has been shown to improve functional vision in children with partial visual field loss, is now fully compatible with mobile devices.
Eyelander was developed by the University of Lincoln together with the WESC Foundation (a specialist charity supporting young people with visual impairment) and is a “gamified” version of eye movement training programmes originally developed to help adults experiencing problems with vision after suffering a stroke. A published clinical research trial has shown that the game delivers measurable improvements in functional vision for children with loss of sight on one side (a condition known as hemianopia).
The game was professionally developed by Mutant Labs from a prototype developed by the research team. It is free to play and is designed to be colourful, fun and engaging for children. Players search for shapes on the screen which help their character to escape from a mysterious island. It can now be played on both mobile phones and tablets for the first time.
Lead researcher at the University of Lincoln, Prof. Tim Hodgson said: “We’ve been taking a step by step approach to making the game more widely available as we build the evidence base for its effectiveness, but we decided now was the time to make it more widely available for tablets and phones. It actually makes the game more fun to play using a touch screen rather than a mouse and cursor so we’re really pleased with the results”.
The game is freely available at www.eyelander.co.uk
Welsh school commended for approach to Trauma and Mental Health
Crownbridge School in Torfaen is the first special school in Wales to receive a ‘Trauma and Mental Health Informed School Award’ for its commitment to pupil and staff mental health. The award was presented by not-for-profit The Centre for Child Mental Health (CCMH) and Trauma Informed Schools UK (TIS UK), providers of trauma and mental health training for teachers and education staff across the UK. Crownbridge supports children and young people with severe learning difficulties and highly complex needs who have been previously let down by the education system through a variety of initiatives including a pet therapy dog and rabbits, garden spaces in which children can learn, hydrotherapy, music therapy, horse riding and other outdoor activities. Headteacher Lesley Bush said, “We have transformed our school’s culture and reduced incidents of disruption, conflict and internal exclusions. It is a key strategy for facilitating school improvement and has been at the forefront of our work in terms of behaviour and wellbeing. Receiving this award continues to validate our approach and we are extremely proud to be recognised as a Trauma and Mental Health Informed School.”
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Coronavirus reveals ‘horrible attitudes’
A GP surgery in Somerset reportedly recommended preparing ‘do not resuscitate’ (DNR) orders for autistic adults in the care of an Autism support group in case they became critically ill during the Coronavirus crisis. The advice was swiftly denounced by the Somerset health trust and just about everyone who was prepared to comment publicly. “Some really horrible attitudes still prevail” said one commentator. Sadly, this does not appear to be an isolated incident, with similar cases being reported in Brighton and south Wales. The British Medical Association points out that blanket DNRs are in any case ethically unacceptable and that a learning disability, autism or stable long-term disability, are not in themselves ever reasons for a DNR.
Fostering Excellence
Nominations for the Fostering Excellence Awards 2020 are open. Please nominate the incredible people you know and help celebrate the transformational power of foster care. You can nominate more than one persoṇ: foster carers, careexperienced young people, social workers, fostering-friendly employers. Check that they would be willing to accept an award publicly and appear in the media. Nominations close on 5 June 2020. The awards ceremony is due to take place on Monday 19 October 2020 in London. Information and nomination forms are available at
thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/awards.
Boroughs have praised the ‘superstars’ in London schools, early years services, and social work teams supporting vulnerable children during the coronavirus emergency. London Councils, the cross-party group for local government in the capital, highlights how schools and children’s services have rapidly adapted to the challenges posed by Covid-19 and maintained support for those most in need.
Schools and early years childcare providers have played a crucial role in London’s response to the pandemic by staying open for the children of key workers – including doctors and nurses, police officers, and council staff in vital frontline services.
Children with education health and care plans for their special needs are also eligible to stay in school – and special schools have remained open if it has been judged safe to do so and if there is demand. Less visibly, London social workers are keeping up face-toface contact with vulnerable children in critical cases. Support is prioritised for those with the most significant safeguarding needs, with borough social care teams providing ongoing protective support.
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, London Councils’ Executive Member for Schools and Children’s Services, said: “Boroughs are incredibly grateful to everyone in London’s schools, early years services, and social care teams supporting vulnerable children in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. Although the last few weeks have been hugely difficult and we continue to face momentous challenges, staff have worked flexibly and with great commitment to keep services running for vulnerable children. We’re lucky to have so many superstars working in schools and children’s services across the capital.”
