UK government owes children apology for damaging Covid errors, inquiry hears | Covid inquiry

The government is expected to apologize to children for harmful errors and the policy errors that it made during the pandemic, the former Children’s Commissioner at England at the COVVI-19 investigation.

Anne Longfield said on Thursday that an “loop of misfortune” of fatalism among the ministers meant that the government had not done more to help children. It argued that prolonged locks and school closures were responsible for the explosion of mental health, well-being and behavioral difficulties felt by children and young people.

Lady Longfield, who was the Children’s Commissioner at the top of the pandemic, said that the government is expected to apologize for its “avoidable errors” for children whose life had been unleashed by the core and its effects.

“Children and young people who have known the cocovated pandemic – some of whom will now be adults and some of whom are just beginning – must be official apology from the Prime Minister to Parliament once the investigation has published its final report,” said Longfield.

“Excuses would give the government the opportunity to officially recognize avoidable errors and damage caused to well-being, education, health, development and safety of children, following decisions taken by the government then in 2020 and 2021.

“It would be a chance to say sorry and promise that the lessons will be really learned, if there will be another pandemic or national emergency in the future.”

This week, the COVVI-19 public inquiry began its investigation into the treatment of children and young people during the pandemic, and will later hear evidence of decision-makers and politicians, including Gavin Williamson, who was an education secretary during the period.

Longfield said that his advice or opinions were rarely sought after by the government during the pandemic and told the investigation that the interests of children “often found themselves in the queue of pubs, stores, theme parks but also adults, throughout”.

Longfield has particularly criticized the government’s decision to remove many elements of social care provision during the pandemic, in particular dilution requirements for visits to children at risk.

The restrictions on visits and the growing use of online interviews have allowed certain families to escape or hide their living conditions, suggested Longfield.

“Families, if they wanted, could see quickly how they could hold the maintenance in a tidy and very clean room, and the rest of the house may not be the same,” said Longfield.

The inferior requirements meant that social workers were unable to speak with vulnerable children without their parents or to speak with other family members who may have concerns.

Longfield said it was frustrated that the government had not used inventive thought around schools and social work than other parties of government, such as the NHS, had used to solve problems.

“There was not the kind of Nightingale moment that hospitals obtained, in schools. So many things could have been done differently while keeping the schools open, but that was not the case.

“Likewise with social care, [the government] Moved directly to a result concerning the dilution of responsibilities, ”she said.

Longfield said that the consequences of children and young people were still felt, citing the doubles in the persistent absence of the school, the 80% increase in education, health and care plans issued for children with special needs and an increase of 300% of autism in children since before the pandemic.

Longfield said that the data “is completely conclusive on the increase in almost all indicators of [increased] Vulnerability, from pre-crew to today ”.