Published by the First 1001 Days Movement and the Institute of Health Visiting, the report highlights how those born in the pandemic continue to have delayed social skills and are at more risk of harm.
It is based upon analysis of existing research and data, as well as a survey of 555 professionals and volunteers who work with babies and their families in health visiting, mental health, maternity, early education and other services.
Key findings from the survey include:
- An overwhelming majority, 95 per cent, said they are seeing an ongoing negative impact on babies’ and young children’s social skills due to the pandemic.
- 92 per cent believe the pandemic has had a negative impact on children’s communication, speech and language skills, emotional wellbeing and development.
- Almost half of respondents said that ‘many’ babies they work with are affected by parental anxiety, stress or depression due to the pandemic, which is affecting bonding and responsive care.
- More than 4 in 10 (44 per cent) said that ‘many’ of the babies they work with are currently affected by increased exposure to domestic conflict, child abuse and neglect – higher than the proportion of professionals making the same observation in summer 2020 (29 per cent).
- A total of 40 per cent of survey respondents reported that ‘many’ babies they worked with had been affected by the loss of family income or increased risk of food poverty.
The report, ‘Casting Long Shadows: The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on babies, their families and the services that support them’, also reveals how services are responding to the needs of families and their children.
It finds that services have still not returned to normal. Nearly 6 in 10 respondents who reported that their service is operating differently, said the change was not beneficial for families. A significant number of survey respondents raised issues relating to low staff numbers and poor staff wellbeing, with some talking about services being in ‘crisis’. The majority of respondents did not feel that national or local governments had taken sufficient action to help families recover from the impact of the pandemic.
The First 1001 Days Movement and Institute of Health Visiting are now calling for the Government to make supporting families impacted by the pandemic a priority and appoint a cabinet member to drive this forward to ensure there isn’t a lasting impact on future generations.
'The pandemic and its impacts are not over.'
Georgina Mayes, policy and quality lead at the Institute of Health Visiting, said, ‘This new report clearly shows that the pandemic is having a lasting impact on many children’s health, wellbeing and development, and on the ability of services to meet their needs. More children are falling behind, inequalities are widening, and some services are reaching a crisis point. While many professionals are working hard to support the families that they work with, this report clearly shows that demand is outstripping the workforce’s capacity to meet the scale of need.’
Keith Reed, chief executive of the Parent-Infant Foundation and secretariat of First 1001 Days, said, ‘The pandemic and its impacts are not over. It is having a lasting effect on many thousands of babies’ and children’s wellbeing and development, and on the ability of services to meet their needs.
‘Changes implemented during the pandemic, such as virtual health visits, in many instances have been retained, and playgroups that closed haven’t re-opened. There are some Government initiatives underway such as Start for Life and Family Hubs, but the relevant programmes are not joined up and there is not enough urgency. There needs to be a cabinet member who can coordinate across departments to make this happen.’
- The full report is available here