The Improvement Service have just published a report on the impacts of Covid-19 on children and young people. Rebecca Spillane, National Co-ordinator of Local Child Poverty Action Reports at IS, introduces this report and confirms local authorities need to be at the heart of the response.
The impact of COVID 19 is felt in every part of society. However, the mantra that we are ‘all in this together’ should not distract from the reality that the impact for those living in or close to poverty will hit harder and deeper. While the impact of the situation brought by Covid-19 for children is broad, a briefing by the Improvement Service highlight that children already living in poverty are likely to experience a greater impact of Covid-19; and the number of children now likely to experience poverty will increase.
The response to this starts locally.
Local authorities and health boards are at the heart of it. They know their communities, they understand their communities and therefore their response will play a huge part in the aftermath of Covid-19. They are also required to produce plans which demonstrate how they can work to reduce child poverty in Scotland. While this has always been a challenging task, they now face an even greater challenge ahead.
The Improvement Service’s briefing focuses on the impact of Covid-19 in relation to child poverty, and seeks to support the local response to give them the information they require, and to draw their attention to potential drivers and levers that could be used in a bid to reduce the risk of causing long term damage to children.
For more information contact the National Coordinator Child Poverty Action Reports, Improvement Service: rebecca.spillane@
