why a lockdown would be catastrophic for vulnerable children

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I just wanted to highlight a few reasons why a lockdown would be life threatening for some children.

i work in a role where i deal with vulnerable families

A huge portion of these don't have the internet, don't have any food in their cupboards and rely on the support of social. services.

their children would not eat if they didn't get free breakfast and free school meals

their parents would not be able to survive if they did not have alcohol (withdrawal is deadly) and be very sick if they with drew fro. drugs

needle exchanges and drugs programmes are needed for face to face support daily

if social services stopped a lot of child neglect and abuse would sky rocket.

You're right OP. These are the people who aren't represented on here.

MN was summed up for me by the thread about Ocado and Waitrose online crashing.

The benefits class will be eradicated through poverty, not coronavirus.

@tegucigalpa13 how awful. I knew it couldn't just be us with potential risks like the for some.

I can't help but wonder though if any other countries have thought of and/or solved this that we can copy.

Does the solution lie maybe in food banks creating an online presence/forum where people of any age can flag a problem and can request help and others can deliver food parcels and leave them at the door or something. Or maybe community fb groups

Or maybe something else entirely. There must be something communities can come up with

I agree OP and I find it heartbreaking people wont acknowledge this. People are saying what about their elderly relatives, well what about these children too? They matter just as much.

People are scolding others for being "selfish" whilst they are refusing to acknowledge the huge numbers of people who will be massively at risk due to any potential lockdown. The hypocrisy is unbelievable.

Do bear in mind that school is only compulsory for five year olds and older.

At my school I've diverted pupil premium money to an emergency fund so that we can buy emergency food to make hampers (think food bank) for our most vulnerable students and I've asked my teachers to create work packs that they can hand out rather than rely on parents having printers. Once they've completed that "extension" tasks are things like "help your parents around the house today-strip your bed" "Hoover the lounge" "learn how to clean a toilet", things that will keep them busy but aren't relying on parents being able to get them out or on parents having money.

Oh! And if and when we get the instruction to close any fresh fruit/veg in our kitchens and perishables that can't be frozen will be going with the most vulnerable kids too.

In certain parts of the country there are higher numbers of children at home on Care Orders than there are in other parts of the country. This is already a questionable/ controversial use of the Children Act, those areas could well find themselves in hot water if any of those children come to harm during a shut down.

Well done chilledparent! I will see if our school is doing anything similar and mention it, hopefully it will help somebody.

@chilledteacher

Love this! what a great idea

OP, a lock down IS coming. You rightly identify a real social concern.

Please can you advise how best we (general population) can help vulnerable children? Is there anything practical MNers could do to ease this?

This is heartbreaking to contemplate. We are isolated from this really living in rural area with a small local school. I don’t think schools should shut down, I think they should ask everyone who can do to keep children home to free up resources for those that need them. I wonder what can be done to help these children really though? I can just see so many falling through the gaps with no one to help. Will suggest to our school we have a mass food bank drive next week, wish there was more that could be done now to help. Any ideas?

What do people think happens before children reach school age, or during school holidays?

It is a real concern, but schools should not be what holds a family together.

Goodname, I'm afraid that whilst obviously well meaning, your post demonstrates the extent of the lack of understanding .

In usual circumstances, one of the biggest challenges in supporting these children is getting them into school in the first place, how would you propose we do that when "everyone" else is staying at home?

OP, this worries me so much too. All I hear is close the schools, close the schools...but so little thought for the consequences of doing that.

We are going to face a mental health crisis epidemic as well as Coronavirus epidemic.

@ chilledteacher That sounds like a great idea.

My sons primary school have made support boxes, some for the elderly and some for families with children in need. Along with easy food like smash, pasta sachet meals etc they have a bar of soap, toilet rolls, laundry tablets etc.

For some people something small can make a huge difference. It’s times like this that donating to food banks is more important than ever.

What do people think happens before children reach school age, or during school holidays?

I think DC are left in cots it in front of the TV and eat cereal because no one gets out of bed to feed them and they have no one to talk to about how worried they are that mum has cancer and they burn themselves using a kettle and no one gives them first aid and mums boyfriend gets drunk and hurts them and they have no one to tell. And that's just in one class in a reasonably nice area.

Right. So doesn’t that strongly indicate to you that the systems we have in place for child protection are ineffective?

The systems we have in place in schools are effective.

The system in society is not effective. It could be more effective if more money were put in...free childcare for all, children's parents Centers, more social workers, more support for those with mental health issues, alcohol and drug problems. Schools are where many children come to be safe. School is where some one will stop what ever they are doing and listen to a child when they say "Daddy's worried mummy won't get better and he won't be able to go to work because he'll have to stay at home and look after us" or the first thing a child says when they've been at school for a whole term without speaking is " Mummy hits me. A lot" What society has in place isn't great, so taking the safe environment of school away isn't going to be great for some kids. Schools deal with the tip of the iceberg, and no one will even see the tip of the iceberg of schools are closed.

The drug addicts and the alcoholics are the ones that are gonna die from this disease.

No, I’m sorry - I’m not stating some of the cuts aren’t cruel and wrong, but if children are being left with parents who don’t bother to feed them - as an absolute minimum - that is when the child should not be left with the parents.

There are already reports that China has seen a surge in domestic violence incidents since the shut down. It's reasonable to assume this would be the same for neglect/abuse of children at home.

www.globaltimes.cn/content/1182484.shtml

Like PP I don't know what the answer is but these may be some of the behavioural science considerations when looking at timing of a lockdown. It's easy to not consider this if you have not been affected by DV/abuse. I haven't either but I came across this when reading up about China's lockdown and I can now see some of the social implications with lockdown.

Miilymaud, in all but the most extreme circumstances it really isn't that parents "don't bother" it's that they simply don't have the capacity, for a wide range of very complex reasons. Even in the most heartbreaking situations the vast majority of parents really are doing their best, as they see it. It's shocking how many people have no idea.

Also millymaud, where do the children who shouldn't be left with parents go? The cuts mean there is nowhere.

I know. I worry about this too. Some children (and adults) will be in desperate situations because of abuse and neglect. It is so scary. I hope plans are underway to support them somehow.

it's a vicious circle the abused children often (not always) grow up to have children young and follow their parents footsteps. lots of them literally never have a chance.

the problem is a social one, a generational one