Every Story Matters: Children and Young People – Easy read

দ্য UK Covid-19 Inquiry is finding out about what happened during the Covid-19 অতিমারী.

ক অতিমারী is when an illness spreads quickly over a big area, and a lot of people get sick.

The Inquiry is divided into topics called মডিউল. Each module has hearings, where people talk to us about their experiences. This is called evidence.

At the end of each module there is a report. The report says what we found out, and what should be different in the future.

As well as people speaking in the hearings, we listened to people at events all over the UK. People could also contact us through our website.

There is an Every Story Matters রেকর্ড for each module.

রেকর্ডস are about people’s experience of the pandemic. The Records are used as evidence.

This is an Easy Read version of the Every Story Matters record for মডিউল 8. Module 8 was about children and young people.

Every Story Matters website:

www.everystorymatters.co.uk

This document talks about death, abuse and neglect.

If you are upset by this, ask for help from friends, family, support groups or health professionals.

There is a list of organisations who can help on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/support-whilst-engaging-with-the-inquiry/

Children and young people had lots of different experiences in the pandemic.

For some there were good things. For others it was very difficult. It had a big effect on everyone.

It affected their health, education, family relationships and friendships.

The experiences in this record were shared by parents, carers, professionals and young people aged between 18 and 25.

Some of the things people told us:

Some families spent more time together, doing things like walking and playing games.

Some parents had to work, so they did not have more time to spend with their children.

Some children and young people had to do more at home: cooking and caring for younger brother and sisters.

Children in care could not have visits from their birth families. They had video calls instead.

Young carers did not get enough support.

ক young carer looks after a parent or another family member who is unwell or disabled.

Children whose parents live in different places were kept apart from a parent and sometimes brothers and sisters.

Many children did not see their grandparents.

The number of children and young people who were abused at home went up.

Some of the things people told us:

Lockdowns made some children and parents feel lonely and isolated.

Some children were online more. This made online bullying, exploitation and seeing sexual images more likely.

Some children were bullied less, because they were not at school.

Children who moved to new foster families found it hard to meet new friends.

Some of the things people told us:

Schools did online learning in very different ways. Some started online learning quickly. Others sent paper worksheets to people’s homes.

Many children found it hard because they didn’t have a laptop or internet. Some schools tried to help with this.

Many children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities missed school routines and support with learning.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is sometimes called SEND.

When schools opened after lockdowns, people struggled with things like masks and social distancing.

সামাজিক দূরত্ব স্থাপন meant small classes and keeping away from other people.

Moving to a new school or to university was difficult.

Many children’s learning and development was affected. For example:

• children starting school not knowing how to use a toilet
• not speaking as well as they should.

Some of the things people told us:

People had to wait longer for health appointments, and missed check-ups.

Parents struggled to get health appointments and diagnosis for children with SEND.

Online consultations did not give people the same quality of care as in- person appointments.

Diagnosing serious illnesses like asthma, diabetes, and cancer took longer.

Many more young people needed help with mental health. Online appointments limited how much help they could get.

Children and young people did not all get the same access to health care. This is called স্বাস্থ্য বৈষম্য.

Young trans people found it especially hard to get the care they needed.

Social workers could not visit people at home.

It was harder for children and young people to report abuse and neglect.

Some of the things people told us:

Many children and young people were anxious about things like school, hand washing and food.

People in the criminal justice system had to wait longer for cases to go to court. This made them more anxious.

Children and young people felt lonely and isolated. They felt they were missing out, and lost hope for the future.

Some young people thought about killing themselves. Some children and young people took their own lives.

Some of the things people told us:

Coping with someone dying was very hard. People couldn’t visit friends and family in hospitals and care homes. There were limits on who could go to funerals.

Children in care lost parents and other relatives. Sometimes they hadn’t seen the person for a long time. This made them feel insecure, abandoned, depressed and anxious.

There was not enough support for people who lost friends and family. Many children and young people had no support at all.

 Some of the things people told us:

The pandemic affected children and young people’s physical health.

This was because of things like:

• spending more time using screens
• spending less time outdoors

Some children and young people kept active by joining activity-based clubs online or going for walks with families.

Some children had home-cooked meals. Other families couldn’t afford enough food.

Some parents struggled to buy enough formula milk. Some mothers enjoyed having time to breastfeed.

The times that children and young people went to bed and woke up changed. This was partly because they spent more time using screens.

Children had fewer dentist appointments. This led to tooth decay and lost teeth.

Fewer children had vaccinations. This may have led to illnesses that could have been prevented.

Some of the things people told us:

More children and young people had post-viral illness.

Post-viral illness means being unwell for a long time after a virus. Long Covid is a post-viral illness.

These illnesses have a big effect on physical and mental health. They can be life-changing.

Parents felt very upset and frustrated. Sometimes health staff diagnosed the wrong illness or did not understand. This made everything harder.

To help people in future pandemics:

Do more to help children and young people. This will help their health, wellbeing, and development.

Keep schools and other services open as much as possible. Schools should be ready with the right technology, training and staff to do online learning.

Offer support in-person, instead of putting everything online.

Support vulnerable children with in- person meetings.

Give more help to children with SEND, children in care and in the criminal justice system.

Get a full version of this record, or other accessible formats here:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/every-story-matters/records/