Summer offer for children and young people - 'Get Into Summer' programme: CRWIA stage 3

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) Stage 3 : Summer Offer for Children and Young People – ‘Get Into Summer’

CRWIA for a non-legislative policy/measure

CRWIA title: Summer Offer for Children and Young People

Publication date: 6 August 2021

Summary of policy aims and desired outcomes

The objectives of the Summer Offer for Children and Young People – 'Get Into Summer' – are:

• to address the negative impacts on children and young people associated with extended periods of isolation and lack of participation in normal activities;
• to have children's rights and needs at its heart;
• to seek to provide opportunities to connect and socialise while accessing a range of activities combined with broader supports where needed;
• a focus on improving children's health and wellbeing;
• to improve outcomes for children who have been disproportionately affected by providing targeted support to children from low income households and those priority groups as identified in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan;^[1]
• to offer additional opportunities for all children (across all ages) to engage in a range of play opportunities and activities within their local communities, based on what they tell us is important to them and
• to involve a coalition of national partner organisations and local authorities.

The intended outcomes of the Summer Programme are to:

• help restore the wellbeing of all children and young people through opportunities to reconnect; play; be active; have fun and an opportunity to engage;
• ensure that all activity provided by partners support the aims of the Programme;
• ensure that the Programme be effectively monitored and evaluated;
• ensure that the views of children and young people directly inform and be evident in The Programme's delivery and
• ensure that the Programme is fully accessible to all children, young people and their families, particularly the target groups.

Executive summary

The £20 million Summer Offer for Children and Young People 'is part of Scottish Government's social renewal agenda following the Covid-19 and is focused on getting it right for every child and young person by promoting the wellbeing of children and young people. It complements wider investment in holiday support through free school meal replacement for those eligible for free school meals on the basis of low income, and wider investment in education recovery.

The priority for the £20 million investment is to help address the negative impacts associated with extended periods of isolation and lack of participation in normal activities during the pandemic. This is in acknowledgement of the hugely difficult time children, young people and families across Scotland have experienced.

It is to provide opportunities for them to socialise and reconnect with peers and others during the summer through delivery of a range of activities within local communities.

Using a rights based approach will enable a broad range of children's rights to be further realised during this time. These include the right to play; freedom to meet up with friends and socialise; right to receive support to help them recover their health, dignity, self-respect and social life. It is also about making sure children and young people's views are listened to and actively inform the next stages of the easing back towards normality.

Background

Children and Young People in Scotland have experienced significant disruption to almost every aspect of their lives as a result of Covid-19. The restrictions which were put in place to respond to and manage the prevalence and impact of Covid-19 were primarily concerned with protecting the right to life, but evidence suggests that these decisions have also had detrimental physical and mental health effects for children and young people, particularly in terms of social connection and education.

It was the unanimous view of the cross-agency Covid Education Recovery Group (CERG) that a focus on wellbeing, play and reconnection during the summer, rather than a 'generic' learning catch up programme was the best approach. Improved wellbeing and mental health will ultimately support children and young people to be successful learners; confident individuals; responsible citizens and effective contributors in the autumn and beyond.

The Summer Offer is therefore a component of the overall Education Recovery work. In addition, the Summer Offer has been developed to ensure that a rights-based, stigma-free approach is at the centre.

Addressing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes

Existing evidence suggest that access to social interaction, play and activity, particularly outdoors, delivers benefits for children and young people and improves their mental and physical health. A range of interventions, pilot projects, and evaluation over the past three years have provided a body of evidence of good practice and learning on the potential for holiday programmes to help deliver a range of improved outcomes for children and families using a broad range of partners.

As noted, evidence^[2] shows that Covid-19 has had a disproportionate adverse impact on certain groups such as children and young people experiencing poverty, disabled children, shielding or clinically vulnerable children and care experienced children and young people. A comprehensive evidence base regarding such impacts is included in the Equity Audit Report^[3] published by the Scottish Government in January 2021 and reports^[4] published by the Scottish Youth Parliament, Youthlink Scotland and Young Scot in April and May 2020 provide further specific evidence of these impacts on demographics of young people including by age, gender, education/ employment status, ethnicity, those living in rural and urban areas, and in areas of multiple deprivation.

For many children and young people inequalities mean that access to food, activities and the support they need beyond formal education from early years, school or tertiary education or training depending on their age and stage which may help them rebuild, remain out of reach.

Education Recovery

Children, young people, their parents, carers, teachers and those who work within communities to support them report that what children and young people want, above all, is to reconnect with their peers and rebuild their 'offline' life through socialising and engaging in activities and hobbies. For most, online learning has continued to mean their education has progressed, albeit in a different way than it would have done in their formal learning environment. The ongoing public discourse on 'lost learning' and a 'lost generation' has further compounded the impact of Covid-19 amongst children and young people, therefore contributing to anxiety levels and potentially causing some to disengage further from education and learning.

The Scottish Government has worked with local authorities and the education sector to mitigate the worst of the impacts – for example through ensuring free school meals continued during the period of school closures and over the holidays (supported by over £50m funding) and through provision of around 70,000 devices and 14,000 connectivity packages to learners across Scotland.

In total, Scotland's Education recovery programme to date has included over £400m investment over 2020/21 and 2021/22. Reports by the Nuffield Foundation in February 2021^[5] found that, at that time, this was the highest such investment per pupil within the UK.

Scotland's Covid-19 Education Recovery Group (CERG)^[6] unanimously advised that in order to reduce inequalities for children and young people the Scottish Government's funding for Summer 2021 should focus on wellbeing, play and reconnection in the summer rather than focus on universal provision which focused on 'catch up' programmes for literacy and numeracy. CERG also advised on the need for a focus on supporting and trusting teachers to get it right for every child and young person so that they are able to be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors, assessing each individual's needs on their return to on-site learning and plan next steps, rather than focus on the deficit model of 'catch up'.

Summer Offer for Children and Young People – 'Get Into Summer'

On 24 March 2021^[7] Scotland's First Minister and Deputy First Minister announced the £20 million Summer Offer for Children and Young People which would focus on the wellbeing of children and young people during the 2021 summer holidays which would support existing provision of activities for children and young people and their families over the summer, ensuring they are provided with opportunities to socialise, play and reconnect within their local communities and environments.

The Summer Offer has sought to specifically target those children and young people most impacted by Covid-19, including:

• children from low income households;
• children from those priority family groups identified in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: larger families; families with a disabled child or adult; young mothers; families with children under one; and minority ethnic families;
• children from families who have been shielding during the pandemic and whose ability to engage in activities and socialise will have been very limited;
• children with a disability or additional support need;
• care experienced children and young people;
• young carers;
• children in need of protection;
• children supported by a child's plan and
• children who have undergone significant transitions during lockdown or will experience them this year, including starting in ELC, starting primary school, moving to secondary school and leaving school.

The objectives and intended outcomes of the Summer Offer are set out in at the "Summary of policy aims and desired outcomes" section.

Scope of the CRWIA, identifying the children and young people affected by the policy, and summarising the evidence base

The Summer Offer for Children and Young People intends to offer opportunities to Scotland's children and young people, with a specific focus on supporting children and young people most likely to be experiencing continued disadvantage and who will therefore have been particularly adversely affected by the pandemic. The age range this support is intended to reach is 0 – 25, recognising that support for care leavers extends beyond 18. Several groups of children and young people have particular wellbeing needs which require targeted support.

Opportunities include engagement in person as well as digitally, which broadens the reach to more than target groups.

The Scottish Government published guidance^[8] on enhancing activities for children, young people and families in the 2021 school summer holidays for Local Authority partners.

The key areas for specific focus are:

• reaching children and young people most likely to be experiencing continued disadvantage and who will therefore have been particularly adversely affected by the pandemic;
• reaching children and young people in the age range 0 – 25, recognising that support for care leavers extends beyond 18;
• reaching groups of children and young people who have particular wellbeing needs which require targeted support as set out below and
• reaching children and young people in remote / rural areas, where the range of existing provision could be more limited and geographic barriers to access services may be considerable.

Children and young people's views and experiences

Throughout the Covid-19 and associated restrictions, the Scottish Government have been gathering evidence collected from children and young people in what they see as the impact of Covid-19 and related mitigations on their lives. In addition to qualitative research and several focus groups undertaken with children and young people and parents and carers, evidence sources include:

• Covid-19 Early years resilience and impact survey (CEYRIS) (1)
• Covid-19 Early Years Resilience and Impact Survey (CEYRIS) – round 2
• Children's Parliament national wellbeing surveys
• Scottish Youth Parliament, YouthLink Scotland and Young Scot survey Lockdown Lowdown
• TeenCovidLife survey
• Survey on In isolation instead of in school (INISS)
• Covid-19 Education Recovery Group statistics
• Education Scotland National overview of practice: Supporting the quality and effectiveness of the delivery of remote learning
• NSPCC Childline data
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): impact on equality research
• Child Poverty Action Group survey no the cost of learning in lockdown
• IRISS Insight: Outcomes for people through the COVID-19 pandemic
• Covid-19 Shielding Programme (Scotland) Impact and Experience Survey

Key messages emerged on a range of aspects including:

• mental health and wellbeing
• relationships;
• physical health and wellbeing;
• views on Covid-19;
• play;
• education;
• child protection and
• poverty.

In April 2021 the Scottish Government commissioned focus groups with children and an young people specifically regarding their vision as part of Covid recovery. Key messages emerged which confirmed overall themes from national data, which includes:

• support would be valued to combat anxiety about moving back into society and meeting others;
• a desire to reconnect again with family and friends in ways which does not exclusively involve a digital channel and
• a sense of losing their 'place' in the world, particularly with the move to online learning.

The aims and objectives for the Summer Offer for Children and Young People were considered based upon the evidence and consultation outcomes and informed the Guidance issued to all delivery partners.

Extensive consultation with children and young people had been undertaken by each local authority, which directly shaped and informed the development of summer activity offers.

Key Findings, including an assessment of the impact on children's rights, and how the measure will contribute to children's wellbeing

Accompanying guidance was published alongside the funding awards to support the aims of the Summer Offer which set out the focus as follows:

• Activity should provide opportunities to (re)connect with friends, peers, wider community and the outdoors, as well as with trusted adults (General principles: Articles 2, 3, 6 and 12)
• Providing opportunities for children and young people to play, be active and enjoy themselves. Such activities will provide key learning opportunities and help support children's return to school in the autumn by boosting wellbeing and confidence. Activities should be wide ranging and inclusive as possible to cover all interests, backgrounds and circumstances and shaped around a theme of fun and play with a view to providing positive experiences. Activities may include: sports; expressive arts; crafts; outdoor learning; trips and visits. Time outdoors should be optimised. (Education, leisure and cultural activities: Articles 28, 29 and 31) (Disability, basic health and welfare: 18, 23, 24,26,27 and 33)
• Equity - Activities should be accessible to target families and barriers to participation such as transport should be mitigated as far as possible. Consideration should be given to how to meet wider needs, including through the integration of food, childcare, financial inclusion, family support and referral on to wider services where needed. Principles of dignity and human rights should be applied, promoting non-stigmatising provision of services and supports. (Violence against children: Articles 19 28, 34 and 39) (Family environment and alternative care: Articles 5, 18 and 27)
• Engagement – It will be important to build on existing trusted relationships and communication methods so that children and families know about the offer and are encouraged to engage with it. Communication and promotion of the summer offer should be coordinated locally in order to maximise engagement among target groups. A national marketing strategy has also been developed to support this and includes a stakeholder toolkit that local partners can use to promote their own activities.^[9] (Civil rights and freedoms: Article 17)

The guiding principles to underpin this approach are:

• Co-creation with children, young people, and families: The summer offer has children's rights and wellbeing at its heart, founded in the UNCRC and GIRFEC. It is important that, as far as possible, any local offers are shaped around what children and young people of all ages say/have said that they want and need, and what would help them to recover and re-engage in their local communities. The particular priorities of those in the target groups outlined above should help shape delivery plans to ensure that support reaches those who would most benefit. (General measures of implementation: Article 4)
• Building on existing services, assets and knowledge of what works. Much activity will already be in place at a local level, many local authorities and other local third sector and community partners, including faith groups, deliver holiday activities and holiday childcare currently and plans may be underway for this summer. The aim of this investment is to enhance any such existing work, building on and learning from existing good practice. It is anticipated that this funding will support improved coordination of existing provision, fill gaps and create new opportunities, led by local knowledge and experience. (General measures of implementation: Articles 43-54)
• Partnership working and coordination: It is expected that existing and new local partnerships will play a key role in ensuring the coordination and reach of provision. In particular the Children's Services Strategic Partnerships will take the leading role in planning to ensure a joined up whole system approach to its development and delivery. Working with the existing childcare sector (ELC and school age childcare), outdoor education providers, activity providers (including sports clubs) and the youth work and CLD sectors will ensure a broad range of interests can be supported. (General measures of implementation: Articles 43-54)

The objectives of the Summer Offer for Children and Young People are:

• to address the negative impacts on children and young people associated with extended periods of isolation and lack of participation in normal activities; (Nurtured: UNCRC articles 4, 5, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27)
• to have children's rights and needs at its heart; (Respected: UNCRC articles 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18)
• to seek to provide opportunities to connect and socialise while accessing a range of activities combined with broader supports where needed; (Safe: UNCRC articles 11, 19,22, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
• a focus on improving children's health and wellbeing; (Healthy: UNCRC articles 3, 6, 24, 39) (Achieving: UNCRC articles 4, 18,28, 29)
• to improve outcomes for children who have been disproportionately affected by providing targeted support to children from low income households and those priority groups as identified in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan;
• to offer additional opportunities for all children (across all ages) to engage in a range of play opportunities and activities within their local communities, based on what they tell us is important to them; (Active: UNCRC articles 31)
• to involve a coalition of national partner organisations and local authorities;

The intended outcomes of the Summer Offer for Children and Young People are:

• to help restore the wellbeing of all children and young people through opportunities to reconnect; play; be active; have fun and an opportunity to engage;
• that all activity provided by partners support the aims of The Programme
• that The Programme be effectively monitored and evaluated;
• that the views of children and young people directly inform and be evident in The Programme's delivery; (Responsible: UNCRC articles 3, 12, 15, 15, 40)
• that the Programme is fully accessible to all children, young people and their families, particularly the target groups; (Included: UNCRC articles 3, 6, 18, 23, 26, 27)

Monitoring and review

The Scottish Government is undertaking a national evaluation of the Programme. To inform the evaluation, Local Authorities and national organisation delivery partners will provide light-touch reporting, providing information on delivery and reach of the funding and help inform future policy and practice, as well as equalities monitoring.

Integrating opportunities to learn and adapt throughout project delivery is encouraged and will help inform reporting and any next steps.

This document is an initial assessment of the impact of the Summer Offer for Children and Young People and Scottish Government will continue to review and update this document if required. Any future iterations will reflect an increased understanding of these impacts as the amount of data and research available continues to grow.

This impact assessment should be read in conjunction with impact assessment developed in parallel; which relates to the Summer Offer for Children and Young People, including:

• Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) and,
• Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA)

CRWIA Declaration

Authorisation

Policy lead: Becky Robb - Team Leader, Covid Recovery for Children and Young People, Directorate for Children and Families, DG Education and Justice, Scottish Government

06/08/2021

Deputy Director: Julie Humphreys - Deputy Director, Covid Recovery for Children and Young People, Directorate for Children and Families, DG Education and Justice, Scottish Government

06/08/2021