Family still isolating after Covid

[CaptainAwkward]

Bit of a strange one but I've been concerned

A family I know locally have four children, one of them with disabilities which obviously made them vulnerable during the pandemic

However, after taking all four children out of school to be home schooled, have seemed to have withdrawn completely since then

Oldest child (now 16) hasn't physically seen any of her friends for four years and has refused meet ups and contact with them. There's no meet ups with other home schooling families or groups and the only other children they see are each other

The parents no longer work and the children hardly ever leave the house (only to get in the car occasionally)

Shopping is delivered and they seem to have developed a bunker mentality, completely isolated from the world

We (me, friends, school friends' parents etc) have been ghosted after trying to offer support and contact during the first year or so

I'm equally perplexed and worried about the kids

Just to be clear there is no point contacting social services AND NSPCC. All NSPCC do is send long winded password protected referrals to social services.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/the-danger-within-extensive-evasion-9644409

Another child who paid the ultimate price for schools being closed from Covid and being pulled out to be "home educated" which conveniently kept him out of the "prying" eyes of agencies that could have protected him.

The situation OP is describing may well not be so extreme, but if nothing else, the children are being denied their human rights to socialise- that is a neglect of their needs. In person matter to children. They can not learn all the skills they need to flourish in a strictly online existance. Their development will be impaired. OP is suggesting a tendency to fall for consiracy theories. This again can be harmful. If the children have no healthy external influences, they can't learn healthy critical skills and are being left very vulnerable to exploitation in the future.

Please contact social services. The children deserve to have external agencies looking out for them and checking that their needs are being met, that they are safe, well and being prepared for adult life.

Why are you telling us and not social services and the police?

I’d report them. Isolating kids rings alarms bells to me.

I know of a family who were like this for a very long time after Covid. Thankfully, they have relaxed a bit now and do go out - but only to quiet places. They still share every single news article about Covid on Social Media though. Some people are still very scared due to underlying health issues but after 4 years they really need to seek help to deal with their anxieties.

I think you really need to keep rattling Social Care's cage until they take this seriously for the sake of the children. Sadly with overstretched caseloads, they may not feel this is a priority.

I'll be flamed for this OP but you can request a welfare check by police or a neighbourhood PCSO. In fact social services will likely either suggest you do so or will themselves ask police to do so. I've had to call SS about something fairly similar (re: an involuntarily isolated elderly person) and that was the very first thing they asked me to do. PCSO went round.

Police are increasingly not doing welfare checks unless there is fear of death or extreme harm. Perhaps it’s just my area.

when were they last seen OP?

That's really sad.

One of the kids saw the dad in the front garden the other week
My kid waved and the dad hurried one of their boys back inside (they seem to do this when people come past and their DC no longer play in their front garden like they used too pre Covid)

You could go to your Local Authority and ask for the Safeguarding Team OP. That would be what so would do.

I wonder what is really going on, they sound afraid. I would go and knock on and see if they'll let you in. Have you reported this yet? I'd call 101 and SS personally.

I think they are afraid and that’s affecting the kids and their outlook too

If I was whisked away from being within 3 metres of any other person by my parents for a big chunk of my childhood then I’d be shitting it about the ‘outside’ world

One of my DC said the kids have accidentally become like Rapunzel in Tangled but by their parents’ fears not maliciousness

Ok so have you reported yet?

Yes, I sent an email to the local council safeguarding one stop type thing when I got home earlier

I'm glad, there's something seriously weird going on there.

I'd go round there and ask if they are all OK. I'd ask them round for coffee and then ask why they weren't going out. Then I'd tell social services and maybe the police if they were super weird. But I am nosy and not afraid to ask anyone anything.

Who have these many people who are concerned reported these concerns to? From your post it sounds as though lots of people are concerned for their welfare, so I would expect them to have reported it to SS.

Do they at least have a huge garden? On top of all the other worries pointed out, are these kids getting any fresh air and exercise? That is a big worry too.

@2dogsandabudgie Who have these many people who are concerned reported these concerns to? From your post it sounds as though lots of people are concerned for their welfare, so I would expect them to have reported it to SS.

Loads of people don't report though. Especially family members. You can see by the amount of people on here who say myob. I feel so sorry for these poor children and absolutely would report, and I'd keep reporting.

There are all kinds of reasons that people don't report to SS and assuming someone else will have done it is one of them, I'd work on the opposite basis that no one else has done it as there's no downside, they either get to know something new or have more concerns about something existing

I wouldn't want to ever think too late that I should have made a report

They have a small back garden but I know that they used to drive somewhere secluded. and during quiet weekday times, to take the kids for a walk or go on their bikes?
Used to be able to hear kids playing due to the acoustics of the road's layout but us and neighbours haven't heard anything for years

The trips to secluded woodland was probably about once a week/fortnight but might've changed

Have you considered calling 101? I think if I were you I'd want to take this a bit further than a one off email which will go to some mailbox somewhere and probably never get actioned. I'm getting third hand heebie jeebies from this, I feel like something is seriously wrong.

Ok at least they sound like they might be getting some fresh air and fun then. That is a bonus. Odd that they don’t play outside any more though and are only allowed out in public in secluded places.