Government must do more to protect children from ‘devastating’ impact of pandemic, watchdog warns

Exclusive: Coronavirus 'exacerbating existing inequalities’ as more children pushed into poverty and educational gaps widen, says Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

The EHRC warns more families now risk being pushed into economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, and that groups who already faced poverty are likely to see their income reduced further

The government must prioritise children’s rights and do more to protect them from the devastating impact of the pandemic, the UK’s human rights watchdog has warned. 

In its latest report to the UN children’s rights committee, seen by The Independent, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the coronavirus crisis was “exacerbating existing inequalities” and having a “devastating” impact on children’s rights and wellbeing.

The number of children living in poverty in Britain was increasing before the pandemic hit, with the latest government figures, published in 2018/19, show 4.2 million under-16s live below the poverty line – 30 per cent of the child population, and 600,000 more than the figure in 2011/12.  

The EHRC said more families now risk being pushed into economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, and that groups who already faced poverty were likely to see their income reduced further, with households with children among those who will be hit the hardest. 

School closures and inequalities in home-learning environments also risk exacerbating growing attainment gaps for disadvantaged groups, and the shift to online learning risks undermining the right to education and may have a long-term effect on attainment, the watchdog said. 

It also cited challenges affecting special educational needs support in schools, with staff shortages, social distancing rules and the need to concentrate resources on the pandemic resulting in local authorities reducing this provision and, in some cases, ceasing it all together.

Although the effect of the pandemic on children’s mental health is not yet fully understood, the EHRC warned that the combined impact of limited capacity within the mental health service and children being cut off from support at school could be “severe and long-lasting”.

Other areas of concern raised in the report include increased risk of abuse during the pandemic, worrying trends such as the high levels of violence experienced by children in the criminal justice system and the detention of children with learning disabilities.

Tulip Siddiq, shadow children’s minister, urged ministers to “stop treating children like an afterthought” and focus on supporting their development and wellbeing, warning that many more families were “teetering on the brink of poverty”.

“Children may be less likely to get sick from Covid-19, but the government has still allowed them to become the victims of this pandemic,” she added.

In a series of recommendations, the EHRC said the UK and Welsh governments should “urgently” conduct a critical analysis of the short and long-term impact of the pandemic on children, while the UK government should develop a comprehensive child poverty strategy for England.

It said ministers should also make some changes to the welfare system, including permanently reducing the five-week wait for a first universal credit payment and scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap, as well as extending the coronavirus emergency £20 per week uplift to the child element of universal credit.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the EHRC, said the repercussions of the pandemic for children had “extended into every single aspect of their lives”, and warned that the decisions being made now to mitigate the impact would have a “long-lasting effect” on their futures.

“We are asking the government to put children’s rights at the heart of its decision making so that the next generation can be supported to overcome the challenges and barriers that 2020 has thrown up,” she added.

Javed Khan, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said that while the government had taken some important steps to address the impact of Covid-19 on children, a long-term strategy aimed at improving outcomes for the most vulnerable was “sorely needed”.

“This should include making sure families don’t have to decide between feeding their families or heating their homes, addressing the gap in educational attainment, protecting children at risk of harm and the crisis in children’s mental health – all of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” he said.

Azmina Siddique, policy manager at the Children’s Society, welcomed the report, saying the challenges facing children were not only from the pandemic, but also from “years of austerity and cuts to vital services” and a “shocking” lack of support to overcome them.

“It is vital the government sits up and takes more action to help. Boris Johnson talks of building back better, this is his chance to ensure this is more than just a slogan,” she said.

A government spokesperson said:  “We want to make sure all children get the best start in life and have consistently supported low-income families, including boosting welfare support by £9.3bn and providing over £400m in funding to help them stay warm and well-fed this winter.  

“With more than 99% of schools open every week since term began, we have also expanded the Holiday Activities and Food programme from Easter 2021, providing healthy food and enriching activities to children.”