Covid-19: Children

Baroness Brinton Excerpts

Thursday 17th June 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Brinton (LD) [V]]

My Lords, I declare my interests as a vice-president of the Local Government Association, a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bullying, and a patron of the Traveller Movement.

I wish a happy birthday to the noble Baroness, Lady Morris, and the noble Lord, Lord Coaker. I offer many congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Morris, on securing this wide-ranging and important debate and for her wonderful introduction. She was right to say that Covid’s effect on children is not a competition; many others have been severely affected by it through health, wealth or disruption to the public services they receive. But we, this adult generation, hold our country and our world in stewardship for future generations—something we are not too good at, as they rightly often remind us. The support that our children get today to help them to catch up with their wealthier, healthier counterparts is vital, and this Government have a heavy responsibility to bear. The noble Baroness, Lady Blower—how good it is to have her expertise in your Lordships’ House—reminded us that 4 million children and young people are trapped in poverty and that these numbers have and will increase during the pandemic.

We have heard from others about the problems of schooling during lockdown—whether it is the experience of the noble Baroness, Lady Wyld, of home schooling her daughters, or the Minister’s announcements of free laptops not matching the reality across the country—and about the extraordinary dedication of our teachers and school staff, who ensured that children were taught online while at the same time preparing to reopen under complex, constantly changing, strict guidelines that often were not appropriate for their school settings. From these Benches, we also note that the Government had to be embarrassed by Marcus Rashford into providing school meals during the holidays and that school staff also got food and support right to the front doors of these extremely vulnerable children during lockdown. This went well above and beyond their staff responsibilities, and we salute them. Can the Minister say whether the lessons, cross-department, have been learned from the clumsy mishandling of support to the poorest people and their children, and that it will never happen again? The best way of thanking these school staff and governors is to ensure that these problems are never repeated.

The Department for Education’s recovery plan was shot down in flames within 24 hours of the funding announcement with the shock resignation of Sir Kevan Collins. The well-respected education recovery tsar rightly said that a fund that provided only 10% of the amount he estimated is needed for levelling up again is no fund. It spoke volumes about the Government’s commitment to their manifesto promise of helping the poorest children in the most disadvantaged areas—and not in a good way. As bank managers used to say about bad cheques, the words and the figures do not agree. I echo my noble friend Lady Garden’s demand for fewer words and more action, right now.

My noble friend Lord Shipley reminded us of the National Audit Office view of the Department for Education’s proposed catch-up funds, as well as other areas of unequal support—especially those in left-behind areas. He also wisely proposed that catch-up spending should be regarded as capital, not revenue spending, because of the long-term benefits to our economy, as today’s beneficiaries become the drivers of our future economy.

The noble Lord, Lord Shinkwin, and the noble Baroness, Lady Uddin, both talked about the specific difficulties faced by disabled children and young people. During a Question earlier this week, I asked the Minister if she would ensure that specialist catch-up funding for these children, as outlined by the Disabled Children’s Partnership, will include speech and language therapy, and physical and occupational therapy, which they have missed for a year. They provide the most vital bedrock of opportunity for such children to be able just to communicate, to learn and to play. To suggest that money is available in a general fund is not good enough. Unless there is specific funding, and the £400 million for the social care support needs of these children, it will never be a top priority. Those of us who live with disabilities have learned that support is always at the back end of the queue, and rarely are there funds left to help these children.

There is an urgent need for children with major underlying health conditions to have access to delayed operations and procedures as soon as possible. Waiting for these interventions often prevents them being able to participate in school and in society. There is also a backlog of the minor surgery and health appointments that are key to very young children being able to learn. Those with, for example, glue ear, who find communication difficult in class, will be held back until they are treated. This must be a priority.

One good piece of news is that evidence of in-person bullying has reduced, which is perhaps not surprising with lengthy lockdowns. But unfortunately this is balanced by evidence of cyberbullying, especially pressuring young people to take inappropriate photos of themselves which are then widely circulated online, which shows the threat of cyberbullying.

In this, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, the noble Lord, Lord Bourne, was right to remind us of the particular problems that GRT children face, not only in education but in discrimination. A pre-pandemic joint meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma and on Bullying heard evidence not just of GRT children being bullied by other pupils but, shockingly, bullied by their teachers too. GRT children and adults already face extreme inequalities and this needs to be remedied, including the education of some professionals who should know better and be there to help them.

My noble friends Lady Garden and Lady Tyler, as well as other Peers, both talked about the vital importance of properly funding early years, whether in more formal settings, such as nurseries and reception classes, or childcare support for parents. Early years support must form a central plank of the Government’s Covid recovery and afterwards. It is vital if levelling up is to happen. I hope that the Minister can explain why some parents who do not earn enough are not eligible for childcare funds. All the evidence from the OECD shows that early years support for children from the most deprived backgrounds is the best start for them in their lives. It puts them on an almost equal footing with other children, and that has consequences for their qualifications at 16, 18 and at 21, as well as for their careers and their health and well-being as adults. Any Government who speak of levelling up should be investing in services from birth onwards.

Will the Government also reverse the cuts in health visitors, community nurses and, critically, school nurses? We must put investment back into these services. Can I ask the Minister if there are plans to remedy these changes, which are affecting too many disadvantaged children?

My noble friend Lady Garden also spoke of the need for extended schools programmes. Any catch-up needs to look beyond the essential but narrow academic tutoring that is provided in the Covid recovery plan. Music, dance, drama, art and sport give children confidence and essential life skills, and are life-affirming —and make them very employable.

Although we are told that many children do not get Covid, or if they do it is asymptomatic, some do get it, and an increasing number appear to have long Covid, with neurological, cardiac and lung problems. It is good that the NHS is opening so many long Covid clinics, but schools often do not understand it. Can the Minister ensure that schools are given briefings on how to help children with long Covid and remind them of their responsibilities, as set out the in Government’s statutory guidance on supporting children with medical conditions in school, which tells schools that they must follow the advice of doctors and not come to their own decisions about a child’s illness?

That goes also for a small number of children who are clinically extremely vulnerable and have had to shield since last March. There are others who are young carers for parents or family members who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and they still have to be extremely careful. I am sorry to say that some schools, local authorities and even Ministers have not understood the risk that these children and their families face, and they are not following NHS advice either. Some parents have even been fined for the non-attendance of their child who is shielding. Can the Minister ensure that schools are told how to support these children who have to continue to shield despite vaccinations and despite lockdown lifting?

The noble Baroness, Lady Morris, rightly talked about the role of the office for health promotion, which should have children’s health at its heart, including funding to local authorities for swimming pools and other sports and leisure facilities to encourage our children to learn good habits early.

My noble friend Lady Tyler talked, as did others, about the problems in children’s mental health. In coalition we set in legislation parity of esteem for mental health, but, six years on, we are still far from that happening.

The summary by the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock, of the shocking evidence on child poverty should give the Government pause for thought. They cannot level up without providing support to those children in the poorest families. She is right that the Government must will the means, because without it they will not achieve levelling-up targets.

It is not just about benefits. My noble friend Lady Tyler referred to today’s report on current arrangements for children’s social care work, which now focuses principally only on emergency actions, not on family support and intervention to prevent children being removed from their families. As she said, there needs to be a statutory duty on agencies to provide support and early intervention, with the appropriate funding. What priority will this get in the spending review?

The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Leeds was right to say that the two-child limit on child benefit needs to be scrapped. The families eligible to claim child benefit desperately need the funding, and the decision keeps children in poverty.

While everyone was relieved that the £20 a week cut to universal credit was delayed, it is still likely to happen later this year. The Prime Minister, and particularly the Chancellor of the Exchequer, must understand that any refusal to cancel the cut permanently will once again demonstrate a mismatch between their words and their figures. The cut will hit 6 million people, 38% of whom already have a job, and another 40% of whom are seeking one, and it will plunge further thousands into poverty.

Much of this debate has focused on problems but I want to end on a positive note. I watch the children in my family and I see hope, love and ambition. I see care for others and a renewed understanding of the importance of family, even after months in lockdown. So many people need extra help following the pandemic, so please will the Government ensure that their actions mirror their words? As Nelson Mandela said:

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”