Hundreds of children have been safeguarded by police enforcement as reports of online child sexual abuse increased during the last year, information released today by Police Scotland shows.
Police Scotland’s 2020-21 Quarter 4 Performance Report and Management Information showed there were a total of 1,966 child sexual abuse crimes recorded during the year, an increase of 5.9% compared to last year (1,857) and 24.9% greater than the five year average of 1,574.
The Performance Report outlines the safeguarding of 434 children through the enforcement of 649 National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages between September 2020 and March this year.
NOCAP packages provide intelligence and evidence which underpins investigations carried out to identify and arrest online child abusers.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “The rise in reports online child sexual abuse has continued and accelerated during this period, and the Performance Report draws attention to vital work to safeguard hundreds of children through the enforcement of National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages.
“Online child sexual abuse is a national threat and tackling it is a priority for Police Scotland. The implementation of our Cyber Strategy will ensure we continue to build capacity and capability to keep people safe in the virtual space.”
The reports also provide an insight into the effect of coronavirus restrictions on the policing needs and requirements of communities during 2020-21.
Crime reports fell overall, with 6,361 fewer violent crimes reported compared to the previous year, a decrease of 10% while there were also 55 fewer road fatalities, decreasing 33% from 165 to 110.
Acquisitive crime, such as housebreakings and shoplifting, fell by 18% year on year (from 109,460 to 89,731).
Detection rates increased in a number of crime categories where reported offences had decreased, including overall violent crime (up 3.3% points) and acquisitive crime (up 0.3% points).
However reported frauds increased by 38.2% from 10,875 in 2019-20 to 15,031 during the last year, up 78.1% on the five-year average of 8,439 reported crimes.
DCC Taylor said: “The reporting year 2020-21 was truly an exceptional period, covering from just a few days after the country first entered lockdown up until the beginning of April 2021.
“While it may be years before some of the changes to how people live their lives and to the nature of crime are fully understood, this information demonstrates the significant impact coronavirus restrictions have had on reported crime, detection rates and other policing requirements during this unique time.
“Overall violent crime reduced by around 10% year on year. Year on year increases of violent crime were reported during only the months of July and August, when restrictions had been eased.
“Acquisitive crime, such as shoplifting, also declined overall by almost a fifth compared to the year before and against the five-year average.
“The number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads is down about a third on the year before.”
“While this is to be welcomed, it is important to note reductions in reported crime did not occur in every category.
“As restrictions ease, we will continue to report on changes to the policing requirements of communities and the challenge of maintaining higher detection rates in the context of reported crime which is closer to pre-pandemic levels, as well increasing demand in areas such as fraud and online child abuse.”
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: “These latest figures are further evidence of the increasing risk to children posed by child sexual offenders online.
“It is right and crucial that Police Scotland is tackling these crimes as a priority, through arresting suspects and working with partners to raise awareness of the issue. But it is clear we cannot continue with the status quo, where it’s left to law enforcement to tackle child abuse but social networks fail to do enough to proactively prevent and disrupt it from happening in the first place.
“The UK Government needs to deliver on its promise to put the protection of children front and centre of the Online Safety Bill, with tech firms being held to account if they fail in their duty of care.”
The 2020-21 Q4 Performance Report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on Tuesday, 8 June.
Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has lodged a parliamentary motion calling for the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation to accelerate the process by which it will come to a view on whether the Covid 19 vaccine rollout can be extended to children.
Mr Cole-Hamilton, lodged the motion after it was revealed that the number of Scottish children aged 0-9, hospitalised with Covid-19 has risen to 10. He is keen for the JCVI to come to a view as to whether or not it is safe to offer vaccines to young people given that it is already being rolled out to children as young as 12 in countries like Canada. This follows widespread reports various reports that the Delta strain of the virus could be more harmful to young people than previous variants.
Commenting, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:“I am in no way trying to influence the decision of the JCVI, nor am I asking them to cut corners, but I am concerned about the threat that the new Delta variant could pose to children.
“There is international data to support the benefits of some vaccines in children. If it’s is possible to safely vaccinate our children and young people I would like to see that done as quickly as possible.
“Canada is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating children, and they are confident enough to do so based on the existing data and the view of their own regulators. I’m not for a minute suggest that we follow their lead for the sake of it, but we do need to treat the potential threat of the Delta variant on young people for what it is- a matter of urgency.”
“The sooner we have a decision from the JCVI on use of the Covid-19 for children, the sooner we can put a plan in place for how best to protect them.”
The British Psychological Society is today urging the government to reconsider its emphasis on the idea that children and young people need to ‘catch up’ on their education, and that supporting the wellbeing and educational needs of all children should be a priority.
Psychologists are concerned that focusing on lost learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic misses the mark, particularly for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
With extended school days and potential summer schools being floated as potential solutions to address the perceived educational attainment gap created by the pandemic, educational psychologists from the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology are instead advocating for a phased return to regular schooling, combined with a quality-over-quantity approach to key learning.
Where additional school time is a strategy, it should focus on supporting children through socialisation and play.
Psychologists are also highlighting the importance of focusing on what children have learnt and achieved over the past year – thanks to the home-schooling efforts of parents and caregivers and remote-learning provision delivered by teachers and other educational professionals throughout the pandemic.
Dr Dan O’Hare, co-chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology said: “It’s absolutely understandable that parents and caregivers are concerned that children have been missing out on many aspects of their formal education over the past year.
“However, the notion that children need to catch up or are ‘behind’ at school due to the pandemic reinforces the idea that children have ‘one shot’ at their education and puts them under even more pressure to perform academically after what has been a challenging and unprecedented time for everyone.
“It’s important to celebrate the progress, learning and development children have made in the last year and ensure that they feel proud of what they’ve achieved so that they can build upon their strengths and continue their key learning moving forward.
”Together, parents, caregivers and teachers have done an amazing job of continuing children’s education outside the school environment, and its vital that this work isn’t diminished.”
The impact of the lockdowns on children’s wellbeing and mental health must be considered as part of the decision-making around the return to school plan.
“Some children will have had positive lockdown experiences, but we also mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the pandemic has had a huge impact on all children’s everyday lives,” continued Dr O’Hare.
“Many children may have seen their families struggling with sudden unemployment, loss of earnings or grieving the death of a loved one. Vulnerable children and families from disadvantaged communities may have spent the lockdowns wondering where their next meal is going to come from, or how they’re going to keep a roof over their heads.
“Whatever a child or young person’s circumstances, we can’t assume that the right thing to support their recovery and wellbeing is for them is to be in lessons for longer each day. The voice of children and young people has been noticeably missing from this debate and it’s essential that they are consulted and their thoughts and feelings considered as part of the decision-making process about the return to school.”
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation looking at the effect of extending the school day and summer schools on educational attainment, has found that these measures have a low impact but moderate associated costs, suggesting that it is not an effective way to address gaps in children’s learning created by the pandemic.
Evidence also indicates that these interventions aren’t effective in meeting the needs of the vulnerable children who need support the most.
Dr O’Hare, said: “What really makes a difference in children’s attainment is high-quality instruction and high-quality feedback, delivered by teachers, who are best placed to assess children and young people’s gaps in knowledge.
“It’s important that children know that education and learning is a lifelong skill, not a sprint and it’s vital for their psychological wellbeing that the rhetoric around ‘catch up’ doesn’t detract from their achievements and progress during lockdowns.
“It’s also essential that this conversation doesn’t detract from the many real issues facing the most disadvantaged children that more urgently need to be addressed by the government, such as food poverty, access to green spaces, use of digital learning equipment and access to high-speed broadband.
“The government mustn’t lose sight of where they can make a high-impact and tangible difference to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and subsequently their education.”
Budding garden designers are invited to enter exciting competition
A nationwide competition has been launched by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful to find pupils from across Scotland to participate in the sixth annual Pocket Garden Design Competition.
Children, from as young as three, are being challenged to design a colourful and sustainable garden that could feature at the Scottish Gardens Show at Scone Palace in late May if restrictions allow, and if not in an interactive online garden showcase.
Many people have found joy as they rediscovered the nature on their doorsteps during lockdown, and the competition encourages young people to celebrate that through their designs.
Following the great success of Pocket Gardens in past years, schools from across Scotland are being encouraged to take part and develop designs for a tiny garden which reflect the four interlinked 2021 themes.
These themes include The Year of Coasts and Waters, One Planet Picnic, Wildlife Gardening and Health and Wellbeing through noticing nature.
Eve Keepax, Education and Learning Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful,said: “It’s a great competition with new opportunities! This year an Activities at Home sheet is available to inspire children to get involved while learning at home.
“We are excited to work with Scotland’s brand-new national gardening event – The Scottish Gardens Show at Scone Palace – to celebrate and share the innovation and creativity of Scotland’s young garden designers.
“This competition over the years has inspired entries from across the country and we hope that in 2021 it gives parents and educators a new focus as we continue a blended mix of home and in school learning.”
Anthony McCluskey, Chair of the Garden for Life Forum, who will be involved in the judging, said:“2020 winners, that were not able to display their pocket gardens last year when the event was cancelled due to lockdown, will join winning Pocket Gardens from 2021.
“Double joy – winning designs from two years to see!”
Brian Cunningham, Head Gardener at Scone Palace and organiser of The Scottish Garden Show, commented:“One of the aims of The Scottish Gardens Show is to showcase approaches to gardening that benefit the health of both people and the planet and it is crucial to involve children and young people as part of the life blood of the show.
“The Pocket Gardens are a perfect fit and I’m looking forward to the inspiration and fun they will bring to the show.”
More than 250 offences of communicating indecently with a child in Scotland in four months after lockdown began
UK Prime Minister told bring forward tough Online Harms legislation that combats crime and brings in meaningful sanctions for rogue tech firms
Online grooming crimes in Scotland were more than 30% higher while children were not at school during the Coronavirus pandemic compared with the same months last year, the NSPCC can reveal.
The new data shows Police Scotland recorded 268 offences of communicating indecently with a child from April 1 to July 31 this year compared to 203 crimes in the same period last year, with the true scale of the problem likely to be much higher.
Yesterday, Police Scotland revealed that it had seen an 18% rise in all online child sexual abuse crimes between April and September this year compared to the same period last year.*
The findings have led to renewed calls for Boris Johnson to get tough on tech firms that fail to do enough to prevent offenders exploiting their sites and abusing children.
Offences have also increased annually in the three years prior to lockdown. In total, there were 1,661 offences recorded by Police Scotland from April 2017 to March 2020, with experts saying poorly designed social media sites are putting children at risk.
The NSPCC warned the pandemic had created a perfect storm for online offenders and believes these figures could mark the start of a surge in online grooming crimes.
With ongoing Coronavirus restrictions across the UK and children spending more time at home and online, the charity believes that the risk of online abuse will continue to spike, and many more offences may come to light when children report them at school.
One girl who contacted Childline during the pandemic said: “I am 12 and I don’t have social media but I wanted to get online and chat to people since my friends had done it and told me it would be fun. It started off fine with the occasional ‘hi’ and then men started sending d*** pics and saying really personal things.”
The new data comes as the UK Prime Minister makes vital decisions about online harms legislation that will create a Duty of Care on tech firms, with an announcement expected within weeks.
It’s understood the Online Harms White Paper consultation response has been signed off by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the Home Office and is sitting with Boris Johnson.
The Prime Minister is being urged to ensure companies and named managers can be held criminally responsible for failing to protect children from avoidable harm and abuse.
The need for a bold and ambitious response from Government has been heightened by the knock-on effects of the pandemic.
Criminals are exploiting the fact that children are spending more time online and high-risk video chatting and livestreaming services have become more popular.
After years of failed self-regulation, many platforms were easily exploitable for groomers during lockdown, with many seeing the crisis as an opportunity to commit abuse.
The NSPCC wants the upcoming Online Harms Bill to compel firms to consider child protections when they design their sites to prevent harm rather than react once the damage is done.
But it is warning tough deterrents will be needed to make some of the world’s biggest companies stand up and listen, and is concerned the UK Government may not go far enough.
NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless said:“Families have long paid the price for big tech’s failure to protect children from abuse, but the Prime Minister has the chance to turn the tide and put responsibility on firms to clean up the mess they created.
“As the pandemic intensifies the threat children face online, bold and ambitious action is needed in the form of a world-leading Online Harms Bill.
“This means legislation that is tough on online crimes against children and regulation that holds tech companies and bosses financially and criminally responsible if they continue to turn a blind eye to entirely avoidable harm.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Samantha McCluskey, head of Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit, said: “The digital world opens up massive opportunities for us all.
“As a society it has become integral to our daily lives, particularly for children and young people, whose key means of communication during this pandemic has been online. It is important that we take every opportunity to ensure young people stay safe and are protected.
“Online predators will infiltrate those platforms and apps most used by children. Tech companies and service providers have a key role, and a responsibility, in ensuring young people can access their services safely and that predators are identified and dealt with before they can groom or abuse children in the virtual or real world. Working together we can make the online world safe for all children.”
Last month the NSPCC laid out six tests the UK Government’s regulation of social media will be judged on if it is to achieve bold and lasting protections for children online.
The charity said in order to make the UK a world-leader in child protection online, regulation must:
Create an expansive, principles-based duty of care
Comprehensively tackle online sexual abuse
Put legal but harmful content on an equal footing with illegal material
Have robust transparency and investigatory powers
Hold industry to account with criminal and financial sanctions
Give civil society a legal voice for children with user advocacy arrangements.
Instagram was the most used platform in child grooming crimes during lockdown, research by the NSPCC suggests.
New data shows there were more than 1,200 online grooming crimes recorded against children in the three months from April to June, with the true scale of the problem likely to be much higher.
The figures reveal how Instagram is increasingly being exploited by offenders. It was used in 37% of cases where the platform was recorded, compared with 29% over the previous three years.
The findings have led to renewed calls for Boris Johnson to get tough on tech firms that fail to do enough to prevent offenders exploiting their sites and abusing children.
Freedom of Information responses from 38 police forces in England and Wales show that 1,220 offences of Sexual Communication with a Child were recorded in the first three months of lockdown.
Facebook-owned apps (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp) were used in 51% of instances where the means of communication was recorded. Snapchat was used in 20% of instances for which data was available.
‘we may want to consider refining the testing criteria for children to include GI symptoms’
Over 1,000 children from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, known as ‘COVID Warriors’ have had their antibodies measured in the UK-wide trial called ‘Seroprevalence of SARS-Cov-2 infection in healthy children’.
The findings were published on Friday (28 August) as a pre-print on the server medRxiv.
The study is led by Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Northern Ireland and Public Health England.
The aim of the study, which began in May and is ongoing, is to assess the number of children who have had COVID-19, the symptomatology of infection and if those children have antibodies that may be able to fight off the infection.
To conduct the study, the researchers are measuring children’s COVID-19 antibodies via blood tests at baseline, with further tests planned at two months and six months.
The researchers have found that following the first wave of the pandemic, seven per cent of the children tested positive for antibodies, indicating previous infection with COVID-19.
Half of the children with COVID-19 reported no symptoms, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (such as diarrhoea and vomiting) were also more common than cough or changes in the children’s sense of smell or taste, which may have implications for the testing criteria used for children.
The findings also showed young children under 10 years of age were just as likely to have evidence of prior infection as older children, and that asymptomatic children were just as likely to develop antibodies as symptomatic children.
Dr Tom Waterfield, researcher from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and lead on the study said: “Following the first wave of the pandemic in the UK, we have learnt that half of children participating in this study are asymptomatic with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and those with symptoms do not typically have a cough or changes to their smell/taste, with GI upset a far more common symptom.
“This study has shown that we may want to consider refining the testing criteria for children to include GI symptoms.”
Health and Social Care Research & Development Division (HSC R&D Division) of the Public Health Agency plays an ongoing role in supporting the conduct of high-quality health and social care research and has provided funding to support the delivery of this important study.
Professor Ian Young, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of HSC Research and Development said: “Research studies are vital at this time, and thanks to efforts such as the COVID Warriors study, we now know more about COVID-19 in terms of the exposure of children in the UK to the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the pandemic began.
“These significant findings can now be explored further as this research continues to monitor community transmission in children, to help tackle the spread of COVID-19.”
The study is supported by funding from HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency, The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and is also subsidised by a donation from the Queen’s Foundation thanks to a past graduate of the University through a charitable gift in their will.
It is being delivered in partnership with The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Public Health England, the Ulster Independent Clinic, NHS Glasgow and Greater Clyde, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Children will need significant emotional support as they return to school, Barnardo’s says, as a poll for the leading national children’s charity suggests hundreds of thousands of children could refuse to go while others feel nervous, upset and scared.
The new poll suggests that the children of more than 440,000 parents across the UK could be refusing to return to school.
Almost a quarter of GB parents of children aged 18 and under surveyed (23%) say their children are nervous about going back to the classroom, and 4% say their children are refusing to return.
A tenth of the 1,000 parents surveyed by YouGov said their children were scared about it and 5% said their children are upset about going back to school.
Barnardo’s says it is vital for all schools to be allowed to have a “readjustment period” of at least a term where teachers can prioritise staff and pupil wellbeing, instead of being back to ‘business as usual’ from day one.
The charity also says the Government must ensure schools have the tools, skills and resources to support children and give a higher priority to their mental health and wellbeing in the longer-term.
Barnardo’s is calling on teachers to talk to their pupils about how they are feeling and what they need to make their return to school easier. To help with this the UK’s leading children’s charity has produced two booklets of wellbeing exercises to help children reflect on life during lockdown.
There may also be children who need additional support from Barnardo’s See, Hear, Respond partnership which brings together all the people required to help a child or young person return to school to identify the practical and emotional support they need.
Covid-19 outbreak, as well as side effects of the measures to contain it, have exposed the country’s children and young people to an unprecedented level of trauma, loss and adversity.
Some children and young people will have experienced domestic abuse, poverty or child abuse for the first time. Others will be grieving for loved ones, and we know the virus has disproportionately affected BAME communities.
Some children will be fearful of catching the virus and others will be experiencing separation anxiety after spending so much time at home with their family.
The Barnardo’s pamphlets are useful resources to help teachers work with their pupils on how they are feeling, managing change, and changes to their routine and relationships. Both are available to download from the Barnardo’s website.
Barnardo’s See, Hear, Respond (SHR) programme, funded by the Department for Education, and delivered in partnership with more than 70 national and local charities, is aimed at children and young people in England who may have become vulnerable because of coronavirus.
It supports them with issues around bullying, hate crime and racism or anxiety. It also works with children moving into secondary school, or who have been excluded or suspended, and who may also need significant help.
Trained therapists work closely with children, parents or carers, and their school, to help them get back in the classroom.
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said:“Returning to school for the first time in months will undoubtedly be nerve-wracking for many children, their parents and their teachers.
“The pandemic and lockdown have been hugely traumatic for young people – separation from friends, anxiety about the virus and financial pressures at home have taken a serious toll on their mental health.
“It’s vital that children go back to the classroom, but with so much continued uncertainty about the virus, it’s natural that some will be fearful – above and beyond the usual first-day jitters.
“The Government must now work with schools to reassure children and their families that schools are safe – otherwise some pupils may simply not return. Messages also need to be culturally sensitive, reflecting the heightened concern amongst BAME communities, who have been hardest hit by COVID.
“When classes do begin, teachers must be supported to focus on mental health and wellbeing, so children can address feelings of trauma, bereavement and anxiety, and readjust to being in the classroom.
“Lockdown has been especially hard for vulnerable children who are now facing not only an ‘attainment gap’ but also a ‘trauma gap’ compared to their classmates. Barnardo’s specially trained staff are available through our See, Hear, Respond service to support them, and I urge teachers and parents to get in touch.”
Any teacher, child, young person, parent or carer can call the support line on 08001 577015 to request help.
Ask them to write down some words about how they are feeling and either draw or write what their face looks like – Ask them whether their feeling is comfortable, uncomfortable, a bit of both – Ask them to explain why they think they feel this way Remind them it is okay to feel all feelings. There is no such thing as a bad feeling.
Tell them if they are feeling sad, angry, worried or frustrated they can take steps to calm down. – Ask them to write down some things that make them feel calm
Talk to them about some of the things that have changed because of the pandemic like not being able to hug and keeping a safe distance – Ask them to list which ones are in their control and which ones are not
For secondary school children
Ask them to keep a monthly mood tracker to see how they are feeling in the morning and evening of each day. – Remind them all feelings are okay but if they notice a pattern of low mood it can be helpful to talk to someone about it
Ask them to write down their go-to strategies for when they are feeling stressed.
Ask them to write down what they do, or how they feel, when they are at their best. – Remind them if they are not feeling at their best they could talk to someone they trust and see if they could help make a change.
Statement from the Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening:
This is a consensus statement from the Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the current evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening.
It takes into account UK and international studies, and summaries of the scientific literature from SAGE, the DELVE Group of the Royal Society, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and data from the Office for National Statistics.
The current global pandemic means that there are no risk-free options, but it is important that parents and teachers understand the balance of risks to achieve the best course of action for their children.
Children
We are confident that multiple sources of evidence show that a lack of schooling increases inequalities, reduces the life chances of children and can exacerbate physical and mental health issues. School improves health, learning, socialisation and opportunities throughout the life course including employment. It has not been possible to reduce societal inequalities through the provision of home-based education alone. School attendance is very important for children and young people.
We are confident in the extensive evidence that there is an exceptionally small risk of children of primary or secondary school age dying from COVID-19. The infection fatality rate (proportion of those who are infected who die) for those aged 5 to 14 is estimated at 14 per million, lower than for most seasonal flu infections. Every death of a child is a tragedy but COVID-19 deaths in children and teenagers are fortunately extremely rare and almost all deaths are in children with significant pre-existing health conditions.
We are confident that there is clear evidence of a very low rate of severe disease in children of primary and secondary school ages compared to adults, even if they catch COVID-19. The percentage of symptomatic cases requiring hospitalisation is estimated to be 0.1% for children aged 0 to 9 and 0.3% among those aged 10 to 19, compared to a hospitalisation rate of over 4% in the UK for the general population. Most of these children make a rapid recovery.
We are confident that there is clear evidence from many studies that the great majority of children and teenagers who catch COVID-19 have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
There is reasonable, but not yet conclusive, evidence that primary school age children have a significantly lower rate of infection than adults (they are less likely to catch it).
Evidence that older children and teenagers are at lower risk of catching COVID-19 is mixed. They are either less likely to catch COVID-19 than adults or have the same risk as adults.
Transmission of COVID-19 to children in schools does occur. On current evidence it is probably not a common route of transmission. It may be lower in primary age children than secondary age children.
Control measures such as hand and surface hygiene, cohorting to reduce number of daily contacts, and directional controls to reduce face-to-face contact remain key elements of maintaining COVID-19 secure school environments and minimising risk.
Children and young people who were previously shielding were identified on a precautionary basis at a stage when we had less data on the effects of COVID-19 in children than we do now. Based on our better understanding of COVID-19 the great majority have now been advised they do not need to do so again, and that they should return to school. A small number of children under paediatric care (such as recent transplant or very immunosuppressed children) have been or will be given individual advice about any ongoing need to avoid infection.
Our overall consensus is that, compared to adults, children may have a lower risk of catching COVID-19 (lowest in younger children), definitely have a much lower rate of hospitalisation and severe disease, and an exceptionally low risk of dying from COVID-19. Very few, if any, children or teenagers will come to long-term harm from COVID-19 due solely to attending school. This has to be set against a certainty of long-term harm to many children and young people from not attending school.
Teachers, other school staff and parents
Data from the UK (Office for National Statistics (ONS)) suggest teachers are not at increased risk of dying from COVID-19 compared to the general working-age population. ONS data identifies teaching as a lower risk profession (no profession is zero risk). International data support this.
Transmission of COVID-19 to staff members in school does occur, and data from UK and international studies suggest it may largely be staff to staff (like other workplaces) rather than pupil to staff. This reinforces the need to maintain social distancing and good infection control inside and outside classroom settings, particularly between staff members and between older children and adults.
If teachers, other school staff, parents or wider family catch COVID-19 their risks of severe illness are similar to those of other adults of the same age, ethnicity and health status. Younger adults have a much lower risk of severe COVID-19 than older adults. The greatest risk is to those over 80 years old.
Current international evidence suggests transmission of COVID-19 from children of school age to parents or other adult family members is relatively rare compared to transmission from adults, but this evidence is weak. Teenagers may be more likely to transmit to adults than younger children.
Children and young people should be engaged in the process of establishing COVID-19 secure measures as key participants and promoters of safe communities to help protect their wider families, teachers and other school staff and other social networks. This will help reduce the risk of school outbreaks.
Impact of opening schools on wider transmission (R)
Because schools connect households it is likely opening schools will put some upward pressure on transmission more widely and therefore increase R. We have confidence in the current evidence that schools are much less important in the transmission of COVID-19 than for influenza or some other respiratory infections. Other work and social environments also increase risk and are likely to be more important for transmission of COVID-19.
The international real-world evidence suggests that reopening of schools has usually not been followed by a surge of COVID-19 in a timescale that implies schools are the principal reason for the surge. There has, however, not been sufficient time to say this with confidence.
On the other hand, a local or national surge in transmission in the community may lead to an increased risk of school outbreaks occurring.
Opening schools may be as important in linking households indirectly as through direct transmission in school. For example allowing parents to go back to work, or meeting at the school gates, on public transport or in shared private vehicles, via after school social or sport activities or wrap-around care may be as important as what happens within the school.
It is possible that opening schools will provide enough upward pressure on R that it goes above 1 having previously been below it, at least in some local areas. This will require local action and could mean societal choices that weigh up the implications of imposing limitations on different parts of the community and the economy.
Early identification and quickly managing outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools is essential as part of a local response to COVID-19. Clear advice for pupils and staff not to attend school with symptoms, and prompt availability of testing, appropriate isolation advice, and careful public health surveillance and monitoring of educational establishments are key to support the safe return to schools.
From:
Prof Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, England
Dr Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer, Northern Ireland
Dr Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer, Scotland
Dr Frank Atherton, Chief Medical Officer, Wales
Dr Lourda Geoghegan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Northern Ireland
Dr Nicola Steedman, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Scotland
Prof Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, England
Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, England
Prof Chris Jones, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Wales
Dr Naresh Chada, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Northern Ireland
Dr Aidan Fowler, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, England
Prof Marion Bain, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Scotland
New Carers Trust Scotland survey shows pandemic’s dramatic impact on wider wellbeing of young carers in Scotland:
45% of young carers and 68% of young adult carers in Scotland say their mental health is worse as a result of Coronavirus.
71% of young carers and 85% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey were more worried about the future since coronavirus.
51% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are spending more money due to coronavirus.
58% of young carers in Scotland who responded to the survey say their education is suffering as a result of Coronavirus.
42% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey say they are unable to take a break from caring as a result of Coronavirus.
“[Coronavirus] has made me more anxious, lost, unconnected, unsure and very sad that we can’t hug our dad, nanna, aunts/uncles, cousins and friends. Future so uncertain.” – 15-year-old female carer in Scotland
The results of a new Carers Trust Scotland survey, published yesterday, point to a steep decline in the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Scotland who provide unpaid care at home for family members or friends.
The survey is the first of its kind to provide a base of evidence for how worries relating to Coronavirus and increased isolation caused by the lockdown has affected the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s young people with caring responsibilities.
It is part of a larger Carers Trust survey of young carers from across the UK. Young carers aged 12 to 17 and young adult carers aged 18 to 25 responded to the survey.
Coronavirus increases caring hours and pressures on young carers
Even before the outbreak of Coronavirus, young carers and young adult carers were all too often spending significant amounts of time caring for a relative in addition to the time they needed to spend on education, work and time for themselves.
Coronavirus has significantly increased those pressures. The survey found that 10.6% of young carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said that they had seen the number of hours they spend caring per week increase by 30 hours.
A similar proportion of young adult carers reported the same increase in caring hours per week.
Most disturbing of all, 6.4% of young carers and 10.59% of young adult carers who responded to the survey, said that they are now spending over 90 hours a week caring for a family member or friend.
When asked what difference Coronavirus had made to them, 58% of young carers in Scotland said their education was suffering and 45% said their mental health had worsened. Asked the same question, 68% of young adult carers said their mental health had become worse and 42% said they had been unable to take a break from caring.
Responding to findings published today, Director of Scotland and Northern Ireland at Carers Trust, Louise Morgan, said:“This is the first snapshot of how Coronavirus is affecting thousands of young people with caring responsibilities across Scotland.
“And the results are extremely concerning. It’s clear that the pandemic has made what was already a very worrying picture for young carers in Scotland far, far worse. That’s why we are calling for more support and more services to ensure that young people with caring responsibilities get the support they need.”
Other key findings from the survey:
69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey felt less able to stay in touch with friends since coronavirus.
74% of young carers and 73% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said they are feeling less connected to others since coronavirus.
69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said they are feeling more stressedsince coronavirus.
59% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are struggling to look after themselves.
56% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are feeling overwhelmed by the pressures they are facing now.
See below a series of quotes from young carers and young adult carers in Scotland on how they have been affected by Coronavirus:
The voices of young carers in Scotland
All the responses below were given in response to the following question in the Carers Trust survey: “What difference has coronavirus made to your life as a young carer or young adult carer?”
“It’s made it harder. I don’t get any respite, no time away or family support.” 12-year-old female carer in Scotland
“Coronavirus has made it harder to get a break from my caring role and has made me feel more unsafe at home” 14 year-old-female carer in Scotland
“Has made me more anxious, lost, unconnected, unsure and very sad that we can’t hug our dad, nanna, aunts/uncles, cousins and friends. Future so uncertain.” 15-year-old female carer in Scotland
“I’m stressed with having to care and take care of myself as well as struggling to sleep” 17-year-old male carer in Scotland
“I feel as if it has made it more difficult to care for my father as I have been unable to take care of myself properly” 18-year-old male carer in Scotland
“The difference now is that I can’t get out of the house for a day and we can’t afford to do or get anything. We are just getting by with only making 80% of our wages. It’s a lot harder to keep on top of the rent and we spend more money on alcohol and cigarettes which makes it harder to afford electricity and some foods.
It’s harder to eat fresh and healthy because we can’t afford it at the moment. I have gained a lot of weight since lockdown and it really affects my mental health. Everyone in my household including myself are sick of constantly seeing each other and cabin fever is really bad as well.” – 19-year-old female carer in Scotland
“I have no help or support whatsoever now – I’m caring 24/7 and I’m exhausted and mentally drained. My young carers service is closing before lockdown ends so I now won’t have any support and I don’t know how I’m going to cope” 22-year-old female carer in Scotland
“It has made my caring role more pronounced/taken away other outlets of my life such as study. It has made me feel more isolated from my friends who don’t have caring responsibilities.” 24-year-old female carer in Scotland
