Charles: young face devastation from virus
Open letter from 1,500 paediatricians demands children return to school as soon as possible
THE Prince of Wales today warns of the “potentially devastating” impact of coronavirus on the young, saying it is essential now to “prevent this crisis from defining the prospects of a generation”.
The Prince, whose Prince’s Trust is dedicated to helping the young, has spoken of his fears of a “terrible downward spiral” for those facing the “double disaster” of the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions.
Saying “desperately high numbers of lives and livelihoods” are already being lost, he warns young people are often hardest hit in times of economic strife.
The Prince says the problems facing children today are worse than when he set up the Prince’s Trust in 1976, the year of the IMF bailout that preceded the 1978 Winter of Discontent, and his comments come amid growing concern over the repercussions of the lockdown, particularly for young people.
Around 1,500 paediatricians signed an open letter yesterday to the Prime Minister to warn of the “enormous” suffering through lack of access to school, which risked “scarring the life chances of a generation of young people”.
Yesterday, private schools offered to open classrooms to state schoolchildren over the summer. The Independent Schools Council said it hoped to help “close the disadvantage gap”.
The Government is increasingly concerned about its inability to reopen schools fully. It was the subject of fiery exchanges yesterday between Mr Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson criticised councils, in particular Labour-run ones, for failing to open schools, and urged Sir Keir to tell them to do so.
Mr Johnson is expected to announce measures tomorrow to help children over the summer, which are likely to include online summer schools.
In a message to his trust, the Prince of Wales said: “Young people now need your support more than ever. Their future is on the line. But together we can prevent this crisis from defining the prospects of a generation.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics showed unemployment among those aged 18-24 had doubled between March and May, with the young four times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the working population.
The Prince’s Trust is running a relief fund, job search board and “coronavirus support hub” to offset the damage caused by the pandemic. Offering his “heartfelt wishes to young people”, he said: “In times of economic hardship it is often young people who are hardest hit and we know that many under-25s work in sectors such as hospitality and tourism, which have borne the brunt. We also know the difficulties faced by a disrupted education, the loss of entry level jobs, and rising unemployment.
He continued: “I know only too well that youth unemployment can cause a terrible downward spiral, impacting mental health and leading to chal- lenges such as low self-esteem, poverty, homelessness or worse.
“When I founded my trust 44 years ago, the problems facing young people through unemployment and a lack of support were serious. Now, I fear, those problems have gone from serious to potentially devastating.”
MORE than 1,500 paediatricians have signed an open letter to Boris Johnson calling for a clear plan to get children back to school as soon as possible or “risk scarring the life chances of a generation of young people”.
Consultants have warned that although few children are affected by coronavirus, many are “suffering enormously” from not having access to physical activity, vaccinations, mental health support and free school meals.
They call for clear plans for reopening schools, warning that the effects of the pandemic will linger far longer than the virus itself, and limit the life chances of pupils.
The letter was sent to Uk-based members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and is the first time the college has asked members to address the Prime Minister.
It warns: “School is about much more than learning. It is a vital point of contact for public health services, safeguarding and other initiatives.
“This includes access to mental health support, vaccinations, special therapies, free school meals, physical activity and early years services that help children get the best start in life.
“For many children and their families, these interventions are the difference between surviving and thriving. In their absence, our already frayed safety net cannot function, and we risk failing a generation.”
The Government originally planned to have every primary pupil back in school for at least one month before the summer holidays but has since shelved the ambition over the social distancing problems. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has admitted that not all children may return in September.
There have also been concerns that councils and parents have kept children off school even when classes have returned, while teaching unions have been accused of failing to act in the best interests of children by campaigning to stop schools reopening.
The letter to the Prime Minister was signed by more than 500 members within an hour of being sent out.
Prof Russell Viner, the RCPCH president, said: “The response to this letter in such a short time shows the very real concern paediatricians have for the mental and physical health of children who have now missed many months of education and the broader
‘For many children and their families, these interventions are the difference between surviving and thriving’
benefits schools bring.”
Dr Liz Marder, a Nottingham consultant community paediatrician, added: “Up until now, very few children have been directly affected by Covid-19. But, indirectly, many children and young people have suffered enormously from the impact the pandemic
has had on their daily lives. Getting children safely back into education as soon as we can has to be a priority if we are to avoid further damage to the health, wellbeing and life chances of so many young people.”
The letter warns that for many children from disadvantaged backgrounds, the health and well-being interventions schools provide alongside education “are the difference between surviving and thriving”. It notes: “Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are twice as likely to leave school without GCSES in English and maths compared with better-off peers. Left unchecked, Covid-19 will exacerbate existing problems and deepen structural social and health inequalities.”
The RCPCH is calling on the Government to urgently publish a plan for getting children back to school, together with resources to implement it, as the first step in a recovery programme for children and young people.