COVID-19 Research Report: Children and Young People’s participation in crisis

COVID-19 Research Report: Children

This blog accompanies the publication of #ScotYouthandCOVID, our COVID-19 Research Report on Children and Young People’s participation during lockdown. The report provides the full story of our COVID-19 Project with Scottish Children and Young People.

You can download it here or by clicking on the image above.

This blog is the last in a series related to the project.

 

Project Overview

This Participatory Action Research project set out to explore changes and challenges young Scots were experiencing during the COVID-19 lockdown.

A Place in Childhood (APiC) self-funded this project on the basis that children and young people have a UN-sanctioned right to participate in the matters that affect them. This is set out in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our Board considered it especially important to uphold Article 12, when many other human rights were being temporarily restricted to slow Coronavirus transmission.

Twenty-five young Scots participated, in teams from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirlingshire, Falkirk, and Aberdeen. These Young Consultants led APiC through their experiences over the course of three youth-led online collaborative workshops. They began with agreeing the big changes resulting from lockdown (workshop 1). In turn, these changes provided a framework for discussing the big challenges they were facing (workshop 2). Then, in the third and final workshop, the Young Consultants devised a set of small changes that would make a big difference to their lives.

 

Key insights

The results offer key insights into:

  • the experience of loss of face to face social interaction;
  • drastic changes to schooling practices;
  • increasing stress on family resources;
  • an overload of screen-time; and
  • limited access to the outdoor play and recreation activities that usually underpin youth stress-coping strategies.

Remote schooling, in particular, emerged as a factor that was taking a big toll on their well-being. The Young Consultants believed direct ‘end-user’ involvement essential for improving the roll-out of future emergency strategies.

It is understandable that strategic priorities regarding children and young people change in times of crisis. However, this report demonstrates the value of in-depth qualitative projects with them about their experiences and views at these times.

The Young Consultants show they value their right to be involved in decision-making and that this has positive consequences for their well-being. Moreover, their insights show how their involvement in such decisions could have improved both the quality and outcomes of overall strategic decision-making in the early stages of the pandemic.

 

Recommendations

The report ends with recommendations for ensuring a better experience for children and young people during times of crisis in future:

  1. Develop a protocol for the early participation of groups of children and young people in emergency situations
  2. Ensure measures are in place that do not unfairly disadvantage children and young people
  3. Create a grounded contingency framework and principles for remote and blended learning which is informed by the experiences of lockdown to-date.
  4. Develop appropriate and resonant resources and messaging around COVID-19 and following crises, with children and young people

We emphasise that whilst the initial threat of COVID-19 is abating, future lockdowns seem likely. Wider existential threats such as climate change also remain.

Children and young people have both the willingness and capability to participate in all matters that affect them. We should uphold these rights, even in a lockdown situations, through online methodologies with which they are already familiar. Additionally, supporting them to develop their capacities for difficult decision-making in uncertain and complex times is paramount to ensuring they have skills needed for the future.

 

What’s next?

APiC is still committed to working further with the Young Consultants involved in this project. We want to take forward their ideas on improving remote schooling/blended learning approaches in preparation for further closures, while lockdown experiences are still fresh in the mind. Thus far, we have been unable to secure funding. However, we remain hopeful that authorities and funders will recognise the importance and value of the young consultants’ recommendations, participation and eagerness to help. It is in this spirit that we are publishing COVID-19 Research Report: Children and Young People’s participation in crisis.

  • If you would be interested in funding the continuation of this unique and important project, please email us, we’d love to hear from you.
  • Like APiC, Children’s Parliament are also keen to share how the Coronavirus Lockdown is experienced by children. Created by the Members of Children’s Parliament, the Corona Times Journal is helping adults to understand the impact that the coronavirus is having on children’s lives. They are also inviting children from the ages of 8-14 to take part in a national wellbeing survey.