The pandemic affected every single person in the UK and, in many cases, continues to have a lasting impact on lives. Every one of our experiences is unique and this is your opportunity to share with the Inquiry the impact it had on you, your life, and the other people around you.
- Were you caring for or working with children and young people during the pandemic?
- Were you a parent looking after your family?
- Were you in school or university during the pandemic?
- Were you a young person trying to start your career when the pandemic struck?
- Were you working in the education sector? Were you a social services professional?
If you are 18 or over, we need to hear from you on how the Covid-19 pandemic affected children and young people.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s 8th investigation (Module 8) is investigating the impact the pandemic had on children and young people across all of the UK, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and from a diverse range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
Help us to get a full picture of what happened during that time, and how the decisions made affected children and young people under 18, and the lessons you think could be learned.
By sharing your story you can help shape recommendations for future generations.
I’ve shared my story because…
Sofia, a Youth Practitioner in Bradford, shares the experiences of the young people she worked with and how the pandemic affected them.
Sam, a student during the pandemic, talks about his experience of finishing his A-levels, starting at university and the extreme challenges students faced throughout lockdown.
We believe every young person’s voice is valuable in shaping the future. To do this effectively, we also need to learn the lessons of the past, especially when it comes to understanding the impact of Covid-19 on education and opportunities for young people.
Why should I share my experience?
Your experience matters and every story is unique. This is your opportunity to share the impact it had on you or the children and young people around you. Every story shared will help us learn lessons that could make a difference to someone in the future.
You can share as much or as little information as you feel able. We understand it can be hard to tell your story. You can start the form, save your progress and come back to finish it when you feel ready.
What happens after I’ve shared my experience?
Every story shared will help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand the full impact of the pandemic. Your experiences and learnings are fed into the Inquiry’s investigations as evidence and brought together to create recommendations and a record of the pandemic to protect future generations.
Your stories will be collated, analysed, and fed into the Inquiry’s investigations through summary reports. Whatever information you choose to share will be protected in line with legal requirements, which means any details that could identify you will be removed before analysis and publication.
The animation below shows how your story will help inform the UK Covid-19 Inquiry recommendations.
Who can share their experience?
Listening to children
You must be aged 18 or over to use this form.
The inquiry understands the importance of listening directly to young people, to hear their experience of the pandemic and the impact it has had on them. A bespoke research project is collecting experiences from children and young people under 18. The results of this will work alongside the stories shared via Every Story Matters to inform the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations.
You can follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter or following our social channels.
Support
Help is available if you need it
Sharing an experience may trigger some difficult feelings and emotions, and we have information on organisations that can help you on a support page on our website.
Easy Read
Every Story Matters is also in Easy Read format.
Accessible versions
Ask for a different format
If you need this form in another format, please tell us what you need by emailing us at contact@covid19.public-inquiry.uk. Please do not use this email address to share your experience with the Inquiry.
Or you can write to us at:
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UK Covid-19 Inquiry