Coronavirus (COVID-19): impact on children, young people and families - evidence summary September 2020

Scottish Evidence

General children, young people and parent/carer COVID-19 research

How are you doing? 

Source: The Children's Parliament
Date: August 2020

The Children's Parliament has run surveys for 8-14 year olds in April, May and June on the experiences and views of children during the pandemic. The latest survey was completed by 2,810 respondents, lower than in previous survey waves. This is an open survey and therefore should not be treated as representative of children of this age in Scotland. The Children's Parliament will conduct one further survey in September to capture data as children transition into school life. The latest report compares results from the three surveys. Key findings were:

Home learning

• Most children struggled with home learning and were increasingly worried about school work as time went on.
• Over the three surveys, there was an increase in levels of boredom and a decline in children reporting having fun things to do in their days.

Relationships

• Whilst most children enjoyed being with their family, and identified parents/carers as their greatest support, these figures declined from April to June. 
• Most children had someone they can talk to about their worries, but a significant minority indicated that they have no one.

Safety

• The majority of children reported that they are safe at home. However, findings suggest an increased vulnerability among girls as lockdown progressed. 

Mental wellbeing

• Children displayed a decline in mental wellbeing over the three surveys. In June, more children reported being lonely, and fewer felt in a positive mood and resilient than in April.
• Across the months, around a third of respondents indicated that there are lots of things to worry about, while more than half expressed a general worry about the future. Around a quarter reported being worried about five or more things.

Gender differences – older girls

• The survey results emphasise the need to consider the impact of lockdown on 12-14 year old girls – they are more likely to feel bored, lonely, worry about things in their life, including their own health, than younger girls and boys of all ages.

Read the report: The Children's Parliament How are you doing? Survey Report August 2020

TeenCovidLife Survey 1 Results

Source: The University of Edinburgh
Date: 10 Aug 2020

The University of Edinburgh has published findings from its first TeenCovidLife Survey – an online survey for 12-17 year olds on the impact of lockdown, social distancing, home schooling and exam cancellations on young people's health and wellbeing. The survey ran from 22^nd May to 5^th July and was completed by 5,548 young people across all local authorities. Sixty five per cent of respondents were female and 34% were male. This is an open survey and therefore should not be treated as representative of children of this age in Scotland.  More detailed analyses by protected characteristics will be available at a later date. Key findings are summarised below:

• Loneliness – There was a three-fold increase in respondents' self-reported feelings of loneliness from nearly one in ten (9%) of respondents recalling feeling lonely before lockdown to nearly a third (28%) reporting loneliness during lockdown. 
• Stress - When asked if they had felt nervous or stressed because of COVID­19 in the past week, about a fifth of respondents (22%) said 'most' or 'all of the time'.
• Sleep - When asked how they were sleeping compared to before lockdown, the picture was mixed with 20% reporting sleeping better, 35% about the same, but 39% reporting sleeping worse. 69% of respondents said they were going to bed later during lockdown.
• Home based schooling - The picture was also mixed when it came to home learning. 23% of respondents found it 'very' or 'quite easy', but nearly half of respondents (46%) found it 'quite' or 'very difficult'. When asked about how stressed they felt about schoolwork 8% said 'not at all', 30% 'a little', 27% 'some' and 35% 'a lot'.
• Worries about education - 58% of respondents were worried (more than one in ten were 'extremely worried'); whilst 14% said they were 'not at all worried'.  Anxiety about school exams in older groups (S4 to S6) was high, with 69% reporting moderate to extreme worry, and only 10% saying that they were not worried at all. 
• Age and Gender differences - Across almost all questions, 15 to 17 year olds had a worse experience than the younger age group (12-14), and girls reported a worse experience than boys. There were significantly lower levels of wellbeing among the older girls.  For example, 45% of 15-17 year old girls reported feeling lonely most or all of the time, compared to about 10% of 12-14 year boys.  

Read the report:  TeenCovidLife Survey 1 General Report

Views and experiences of parents of young children in Scotland during lockdown

Source: Public Health Scotland (PHS) (COVID-19 Early years resilience and impact survey)
Date: 2 September 2020

PHS ran an open parent online survey on the impact of COVID-19 and associated restrictions on the health and wellbeing of young children (aged 2-7) and their families.  The survey, which ran from 22 June to 6 July (during Phase 2 of the route map), received approximately 11,000 responses. The sample was self-selecting and cannot therefore be seen as nationally representative.  Three separate thematic reports were published presenting initial topline findings in advance of a more detailed analysis and reporting of the survey data.

The questions on children's behaviours and wellbeing (Report 1) showed an overall decline compared with before lockdown. Key findings were:

• Sleep – A third of parents reported a decline in the quality of their child's sleep compared with before lockdown, while 6% reported an improvement. 
• Behaviour – Almost half (47%) of parents said that their child's behaviour was worse than before lockdown, while 8% said it was better.
• Mood – Almost half (47%) of parents said that their child's mood was worse than before lockdown, while 8% said it was better.
• Concentration - four in ten parents said that their child's behaviour was worse than before lockdown, while 6% said it was better.
• Physical activity – Almost half (47%) of children were less physically active than before lockdown, while almost a quarter (24%) were more physically active.
• Eating – Around a third (32%) of parents described their child's eating behaviour as worse than before lockdown, while 14% described it as better. 
• Mental wellbeing – Almost half (46%) of 2 – 3 year olds and over a third (36%) of 4-7 year olds had a slightly raised, high, or very high Strength and Difficulty Score, indicating the presence of behavioural or emotional difficulties. This is higher than in a nationally representative survey completed just before lockdown (however, given that this was not a representative survey such comparisons would be interpreted cautiously).

The questions on play and learning, outdoors and social interactions (Report 2) give a mixed picture, with some positive impacts of lockdown. Key findings were:

• Imaginative play – for 46% of the children, parents and carers rated their imaginative play since lockdown as better than before lockdown, while 12% rated it worse.
• Home learning and play activities – the majority of children had participated in home learning activities at least four out of seven days. 79% had looked at books or read stories, 64% had undertaken letter, number, word or shape recognition activities, 58% had sung songs and 51% had done drawing or painting.
• Indoor active play – 43% of children had played actively inside on at least four out of the last seven days, while 14% had not played actively inside at all in the last week.
• Screen based play – 61% of the children had played a screen-based game on at least four of the last seven days. This was higher among the older age group.
• Time spent outdoors – 45% of children spent more time outdoors than before lockdown, while 29% spent less. Eighty one per cent of children had played outside on at least four out of the last seven days. Thirty two per cent of children had been to a park or other local greenspace on at least four out of the last seven days, while 27% had not been to a greenspace at all in the last week.
• Meeting others - 14% of children had not met up with anyone else from outside their household, and a further 24% had not met any other children.
• ELC attendance - 93% of children had not been attending any type of childcare or education setting since the lockdown began.
• Speaking to friends and family - 44% of children had not spoken to friends at all in the last week, with only 14% having spoken to friends on at least four out of the last seven days. More children had been in contact with extended family, with 43% having spoken to family members on at least four out of the last seven days, although 9% had not spoken to family members at all in the last week.
• Experience of physical distancing – Overall, 76% of the parents and carers agreed that they had found it difficult or stressful to enforce physical distancing measures with their children.

The questions on experience of parents and carers (Report 3) showed that parents' wellbeing was negatively affected. Key findings were:

• Mental wellbeing – parents' wellbeing as measured by Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) showed a mean score of 20. This is lower than in a nationally representative sample of parents with children of this age, where the mean score was 27.
• Employment - For 25% of the children, the employment status of the main earner in their household had been affected by the lockdown, most commonly furlough (11%), a reduction in pay (8%) or hours (6%). Loss of employment affected 4% of families.
• Household income - 44% of parents reported that their household income had reduced because of lockdown.
• Children's service use – of those that had wanted to access their health visitor or family nurse, 30% had not done so. Of those that had needed to access their GP, 13% had not done so.
• Parental feelings about return to school or childcare – just under half of parents of children returning to school or childcare were concerned about their child becoming ill with coronavirus (41%), their passing coronavirus to someone else (49%) and that that the new childcare or school environment would not be good for their child's wellbeing (45%). 77% of parents were confident that schools will do what is needed to reduce the risk of infection.
• Children's feelings about return to school or childcare – Three quarters of parents (77%) agreed that their child was looking forward to returning to school or childcare, while 24% thought their child was worried.

Read the Public Health Scotland COVID-19 Early years resilience and impact survey reports

Children and young people's participation in crisis: A research report

Source: A Place in Childhood
Date: July 2020

A Place in Childhood held three virtual workshops with children and young people aged 10-16. The aim of this project was to give children the opportunity to discuss and agree the big changes and challenges they face due to COVID-19, and how they might be addressed. The workshops were carried out in May and June. There were 25 participants across project teams from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Rural Stirlingshire and Rural Falkirk. The key themes that emerged from the workshops were: 

• the experience of loss of face to face social interaction;
• remote schooling;
• increasing stress on family resources;
• an overload of screen-time; and
• limited access to the outdoor play and recreation activities that usually underpin youth stress-coping strategies.

It emerged that remote schooling, in particular, was taking a toll on their well-being.  The report highlights the benefits of children's participation in decision-making and the need to uphold these rights even in lockdown-situations.  The report makes the following recommendations:

1. Develop a protocol for the early participation of groups of children and young people in emergency situations.

2. Ensure measures are in place that do not unfairly disadvantage children and young people.

3. Create a grounded contingency framework and principles for remote and blended learning, which is informed by the experiences of lockdown to-date. 

4. Develop appropriate and resonant resources and messaging around COVID-19 and following crises, with children and young people.

Read the report: #ScotYouth and COVID: Children and Young People's Participation in Crisis: A Research Report

Physical health and wellbeing

The Scottish Parliament's 'How are you doing?' June survey reported that physical wellbeing measures have remained fairly consistent throughout lockdown with most children (73%) agreeing that they make healthy choices and get enough exercise.  As reported before, older children were less likely to report this, however, and there was a statistically significant decline in the proportion of girls saying that they were getting enough exercise: 80% in April and 76% in June.

Disabled people's lived experience of shielding: Key survey results

Source: Inclusion Scotland
Date: July 2020

Inclusion Scotland carried out a survey of 135 adults shielding. The survey makes no mention of children in shielding households but highlights some of the difficulties that children living in shielding households might have faced. Adult respondents were deeply affected by their experiences of shielding during the pandemic. Many stated that they felt left behind or abandoned by services, and specific COVID-19-related support did not reach everyone. There was also a feeling that people who are shielding could be left behind as restrictions are lifted for the general population. Respondents were concerned about the long-term impact on their physical and mental health and about the process for coming out of shielding and returning to work. 

Read the report: Inclusion Scotland Disabled people's lived experience of shielding: Key survey results

Read the news story: Inclusion Scotland Shielding Report (News Story)

Scottish survey data cited in our July briefing estimated that about a third of households with children (32%) had someone in their household with a health condition that makes them vulnerable to COVID-19^[fn].  Further evidence is needed on the numbers and type of households with children in Scotland that have someone who is clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and/or still shielding, and how this is impacting on the health and wellbeing of children and young people in those households.

Education, learning and employment

Next Steps (Back to School) and How are you doing now?

Source: Connect
Date: 29^th July

Connect has published its report from its second lockdown survey which asks parents/carers of children aged 0-18 for their views on children returning to school/nursery in August and repeats questions from the first survey on general wellbeing (1578 responses).  The survey ran from 27 May to 30 June and received 7,858 responses from all 32 local authorities.  Most respondents had primary aged children. Over one in ten respondents were single parent households (one in five single parents were working full time).  Key findings are:

• More than half (51%) of parent/carer respondents were worried about children returning to school, especially single parents and parents of younger children.
• The biggest concern for parents in relation to their children is children missing their friends (76%). This is followed by concern about their child's health and wellbeing (57%) and their school work (56%).  Parents of younger children (particularly pre-school) are more likely to identify concerns about their child coping.
• Most respondents (72%) felt that they had what they needed to keep their child health and happy at home.  That said, one in ten did not and this was most pronounced for single parents.  Single parents were also less likely to say that they had what they needed to support school work and learning (51%) compared to two parent households (66%).
• Feedback was also sought on blended learning which may be relevant in the event of future national or local lockdowns, with a key consideration being employer flexibility.

Read the report: Next Steps (Back to School) and How are you Doing Now?

Young People's Response to Medium Term COVID-19 Recovery 

Source: Young Scot
Date: May 2020

Young Scot carried out a workshop in May with 49 young people aged 11-23 to consider the medium and long term impacts of COVID-19 on young people, and to identify positive aspects of the recovery, and policy priorities for recovery plans. At the time of the workshop, the young people who participated had experienced a range of negative impacts. The most commonly mentioned negative impacts were on their education, work and mental health. In terms of mental health, participants reported feeling stressed, bored, missing their friends, and some reported feeling isolated or suffering from anxiety and depression. However, most participants had spent their time in positive ways too, and some valued having the space to reflect and relax. Participants were asked to consider the impacts of COVID-19 over the next five years on a range of young people. The key issues raised included:

• Employment - the impact on local economies reducing availability of work, both during study and linked to career choice, lack of practical employment experience as part of FE/HE
• Poverty/financial impacts - including worries about the financial impact on parents
• Education - both school/exams and FE/HE; difficulty in making longer term life/career plans in uncertain environment, transitions between primary and secondary school.
• Mental health - worsening mental health for those with pre-existing conditions, negative impacts on those not previously affected, social isolation, access to mental health services.
• Digital access and access to technology was seen as both a barrier and an opportunity.

Young people also identified a number of positive impacts and opportunities including:

• Communities drawing closer together and people valuing their friends and local community more;
• 'Access anywhere' service provision;
• Sustainability impacts of lockdown, e.g. sustainable travel; and,
• Improved technology and improved IT skills.

Read the report: Young People's Response to Medium Term COVID-19 Recovery Hot Report - May 2020 (Young Scot)

Advisory Group On Economic Recovery : COVID-19 Impact On Employment

Source: Young Scot
Date: June 2020

Young Scot also carried out a workshop in June with 22 young people aged 16-25 to explore the priorities of young people in the medium-term on the economic and employment recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown in Scotland. Key issues and opportunities identified were:

• Concerns about small and local businesses survival. In particular, young people were worried about a lack of opportunities in part-time employment and seasonal work and their ability to sustain themselves in its absence.
• There was a particular worry about the hospitality industry which primarily employs young staff. Young people who have been furloughed throughout the crisis are concerned that they may not have a position to return to.
• Significant concern around financial security and support. Many young people were choosing employment opportunities to gain some financial security rather than because they were relevant to their skills and experience.
• The move towards working from home was highlighted as an opportunity that could potentially benefit young people, through saving money on travel expenses and allowing young people to access opportunities no matter where they live.
• Concerns around the social distancing restrictions that are in place and how they will be eased over time. There were expectations around some people were deviating from the measures and what this could mean for them in a working environment.
• The disruption to education and with grades being determined on course work, there was concerns around how this will affect young people in the future.
• The young people were hopeful that the lockdown restriction might positively affect the environment sector, with new job opportunities opening up, new opportunities for young people and projects being developed.
• Finally, the groups highlighted the need to support the arts and culture sector. Many of the young people highlighted creative practices that they have being getting involved with throughout lockdown and the need to continue to value the sector.

Read the report: Advisory group on economic recovery: COVID-19 impact on employment report (Young Scot)

Impact on families

Parents Under Pressure As Virus Limits Childcare Options

Source: Bank of Scotland
Date: 25 July 2020

New How Scotland Lives research from Bank of Scotland revealed that while more than two-fifths (44%) of parents rely on grandparents for childcare support, more than a quarter (27%) feel they can no longer be as dependent on family and friends, due to ongoing health and safety concerns around the pandemic. Other key findings were:

• More than one in four parents feel unable to ask for childcare help from loved ones as a result of pandemic.
• 15% of parents require additional childcare help from friends and family this year as they continue to juggle parenting and work responsibilities.
• Grandparents now providing £3,770 worth of childcare a year.

This suggests that some families will continue to struggle juggling work and childcare, even once children return to school.  This may have financial and employment implications.

Read the report: Parents under pressure as virus limits childcare options (Bank of Scotland)

Care experienced and disadvantaged young people

How to Build back better: listening to the voices of our young people

Source: MCR Pathways
Date: 29 July 2020

MCR, a Scottish mentor charity that supports care experienced children in secondary schools, ran a survey over six weeks in June and July for care experienced and disadvantaged young people aged 13-18 on their experiences of lockdown.  1,347 young people from city, town, rural and island settings participated in the survey. Fifty six per cent of respondents were care-experienced; 44% were on the edges of the care system experiencing various forms of disadvantage.  Key findings were:

• Impact on mental well-being - Two thirds (67%) of young people are feeling low, more anxious and stressed since lockdown, and 89% reported changes in sleeping patterns.
• Impact on education - 68% said that they did no school work during lockdown. For nearly half of those this was because they felt the materials were hard to understand; 43% were too stressed and anxious. Over a quarter had caring duties that impacted on their capacity for home learning.
• Concerns about returning to school include getting back into a routine, falling behind, COVID-19 infection, and re-establishment of relationships with peers and teachers.
• To help this process, respondents asked for one-to-one time with teachers and extra help with learning at home.  Other practical considerations (for blended learning) include problems with digital access and space at home.  Young people want and need routine and structure.  
• The report recommends that in the event of further lockdowns, care-experienced and disadvantaged young people should be prioritised and provided with continuous full-time schooling as standard. Either delivered in school or if necessary in other public buildings.
• Impact on the future – although most respondents had concerns about their future, 65% of young people said that COVID-19 has not changed their future plans for what they want to do when they leave school.  Nearly a fifth of respondents now want to stay in school longer.
• That said, 80% of respondents said that they are worried about grades and 62% of leavers are worried about their next step.

Further reports are planned which will look at differences by socio-demographics and hear from young people about what kind of support they need.

Read the report: MCR Pathways Lockdown Survey: Listening To The Voices Of Our Young People

Bridging the digital divide for care experienced young people in Scotland

Source: CELCIS
Date: July 2020

The Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS)  and the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant have published a briefing on the challenges and solutions to digital exclusion before and during COVID-19 restrictions. A brief overview of the current situation for care experienced young people in Scotland, drawn from literature and discussion with partners and those providing services and support to care experienced young people, is brought together with findings from a short survey with local authorities on the key challenges and barriers, plus possible short term and long term solutions.

Issues of digital exclusion and disadvantage, which were present for many care experienced young people before lockdown, have only intensified during the COVID-19 crisis.  Key findings are:

• The three main challenges raised by all local authorities were lack of access to hardware, lack of consistent reliable access to broadband and Wi-Fi and for some, gaps in digital literacy or confidence.
• The overwhelming view from those providing services and support to care experienced young people is that digital connection is essential, now more than ever.  Digital inclusion is essential for all areas for care leaver's lives from meeting basic needs to access to training/education and employment, and applying for benefits and paying bills.
• Many care experienced young people living alone during lockdown have experienced profound isolation and an increased sense of loneliness, impacting on their mental health and emotional wellbeing.  Local authorities have also reported increased self-harming and suicidal ideation, with an increased number of suicide attempts among care leavers.
• Lacking digital access, as well the skills and confidence, creates additional barriers and impinges on young people's participation rights to virtual meetings and processes (e.g. looked after reviews).
• Underpinning any longer-term solution needs to be the acceptance of digital connection for care experienced young people as a basic right, and necessity (e.g. incorporated into care leavers grants, ensuring accommodation has Wi-Fi, providing digital support).

Read the briefing: Bridging the digital divide for care experienced young people in Scotland: If not now, when? (CELCIS)

Black and minority ethnic (BME) children, young people and families

Children's Neighbourhoods Scotland - Refugee and migrant families' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from frontline practitioners in Glasgow

Source: University of Glasgow
Date: 30 July 2020

Children's Neighbourhoods Scotland has published early findings from its research with frontline workers on the impact of COVID-19 in high poverty settings in Glasgow.  The most recent bulletin focuses on refugees, migrants and asylum seekers and describes how the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities.

• Impact on employment - Refugees and migrants are more likely to be employed in lower-paid and less secure jobs, so were particularly vulnerable to the economic impact of the crisis.  The insecure nature of many Roma people's employment meant that many families are ineligible for financial support (e.g. Universal Credit and the furlough scheme). With more informal third sector support, such as community hubs and meals, closed due to lockdown, many Roma families were struggling to meet their basic needs.
• Housing inequality – inadequate housing and overcrowding (with some Roma families of up to 10 people sharing a flat with no outdoor space during lockdown) has made the lockdown experience even more challenging for families, adding to the likelihood of transmission and increasing the anxiety and pressure on the mental health of children and parents. 
• Educational inequalities - inadequate housing combined with language barriers and digital exclusion have directly impacted on children's learning and increased educational inequalities.
• Health inequality – difficulties in accessing translation services made it more difficult for refugee and migrant families to access services such as healthcare during lockdown. Participants reported high numbers of Roma people contracting the virus, being hospitalised and, sadly, dying – with practitioners acting as an intermediary between families and hospitals.  This meant that some families were unable to say goodbye to their family members as they passed away in hospital.
• Problems with accessing and understanding information about the pandemic and social distancing – because of the language barrier there was misinformation within Romanian Roma communities at the start of lockdown leading to fear, with some returning to Romania.
• Participants reported that asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable and suffering harm as a result of the pandemic. This has included financial distress^[fn] leading to reliance on foodbanks, some of which shut during lockdown; high levels of fear, particularly in context of ethnic minorities being disproportionately affected by COVID-19; problems in navigating the complex asylum process in the absence of face-to-face and translation services; and negative impacts of moving asylum seekers into hotels on mental health and wellbeing.

Read the report: Children's Neighbourhood Scotland – Early insights into the COVID-19 response 30 July 2020

Young carers

2020 Vision: Hear Me, See Me, Support Me and Don't Forget Me.

Source: Carers Trust Scotland
Date: July 2020

The Carers Trust Scotland published its survey on the impact of Coronavirus on young carers aged 12 to 17 and young adult carers aged 18 to 25.  The survey (which was conducted UK-wide in June) received 214 responses in Scotland. It shows that the increased pressure placed on young carers during the pandemic is impacting negatively on their mental health and wellbeing.  Key findings were:

• The majority of young carers (59%) and young adult carers (67%) were spending significantly more time caring than before the pandemic.  6% of young carers and one in ten (11%) of young adult carers in Scotland were spending over 90 hours a week caring for a family member or friend.  43% of young carers were spending 20-49 hours per week in a caring capacity.
• One quarter (25%) of young carers and two fifths (42%) of young adult carers  were unable to take any break from their caring role.
• 69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland were feeling more stressed since Coronavirus.
• 74% of young carers and 73% of young adult carers in Scotland were feeling less connected to others since Coronavirus, with most less able to stay in touch with friends.  That said, some young/adult carers feel closer to the person they care for.
• 45% of young carers and 68% of young adult carers in Scotland said that their mental health is worse since Coronavirus.
• Although almost a third (32%) of young carers and half (50%) of young adult carers wanted support with their mental health, only 4% of young carers and 15% of young adult carers were accessing remote counselling or therapies at the time of the survey.
• 71% of young carers and 85% of young adult carers in Scotland were more worried about the future since Coronavirus.
• 58% of young carers in Scotland were feeling that their education has suffered since Coronavirus. That said, some young carers felt that learning had helped them cope.

Read the report: 2020 Vision: Hear Me, See Me, Support Me and Don't Forget Me (Carers Trust Scotland)

Read the news story: Steep decline in mental health of Scottish young carers following Coronavirus outbreak (Carers Trust Scotland news story)