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The former child welfare advocate has told the pandemic investigation that the administration must apologise to children for the harmful mistakes and flawed decisions it made throughout the health crisis.

'Doom Loop' Within Ministers Led to Inability to Help Children

Giving testimony to the investigation's open session, Anne Longfield stated that a cycle of fatalism among ministers meant the administration failed to do enough to support children.

Longfield claimed that the prolonged restrictions and education shutdowns were responsible for the surge in psychological, welfare and conduct issues continuing to affect children and young people.

“The young individuals who experienced the coronavirus crisis – many of them will now be grown-ups and others are just starting school – are owed a official sorry from the government leader in the legislature after the inquiry has released its concluding findings,” she stated.

Formal Apology Would Recognise Avoidable Mistakes and Damage Caused

“An apology would provide the government an chance to formally acknowledge the avoidable mistakes and the harm that was caused to many children’s wellbeing, education, physical condition, development, and security, following decisions that were taken by the administration at the time in the pandemic years.

“It would be a chance to say sorry, and to promise that insights really will be taken on board, should there be another pandemic or public crisis in the years ahead.”

Young People's Needs Were Secondary to Pubs, Stores and Adults

The former commissioner said her advice or views were rarely sought by the administration throughout the health crisis, and told the inquiry that the interests of young people often “were placed after in the queue to pubs, retail outlets, theme parks but also grown-ups, the whole time”.

Social Care Support Dropped During Pandemic

Longfield was particularly disapproving of the administration's decision to drop many elements of social care provision during the pandemic, including weakening requirements for check-ins to at-risk youngsters.

Limitations on home checks and the growing use of online interviews allowed certain households to evade or conceal their home situations, Longfield indicated.

“Households, if they wanted to, could quite quickly see how they could hold the interview in a tidy, spotless area, and the rest of the house might not be the same,” she remarked.

The lower requirements meant welfare professionals were not able to speak with vulnerable young people without their guardians there, or to consult additional family members who might have worries.

Absence of Creative Solutions in Education and Social Work

The former commissioner said she was frustrated that the government did not manage to use any form of creative problem-solving around educational institutions and social work that different sectors of government, like the NHS, had utilised to solve problems.

“There was no the sort of Nightingale moment that medical facilities received, in schools. So many things could have been handled in another way concerning keeping schools open but they were not.

“Similarly with social care, [the government] moved straight to an result involving diluting duties,” she said.

Long-Term Impacts Still Being Felt Children

Longfield stated the consequences on children and young people were still being felt, citing the doubling in long-term non-attendance from school, the significant rise in education, health and care plans provided for children with special needs, and a 300% increase in autism in youngsters since prior to the health crisis.

She commented the evidence “clearly demonstrates on the increase in almost all measures of [increased] risk, from before the pandemic to today”.