'Vulnerable' families in a time of pandemic

This project will explore the experience of isolation and quarantine of families during covid 19 pandemic of 2020. Focusing on families who might be regarded as 'vulnerable' or who have social care involvement, the project considers the impact of restricted social interaction on children and young people's experiences of wellbeing and on family life, their own perceptions of need, and the responses of social care and voluntary sector services to those needs.

We will focus on several different family challenges including: those experiencing domestic abuse; those where poverty (and potential consequent neglect) is an issue; refugee, asylum seeking and migrant families; children and young people with significant learning disabilities in residential and day facilities; and children and young people in residential care, or fostering placements.

This will be achieved through a pluralistic methodological approach, incorporating a rapid evidence review on the impact of Quarantine and social isolation on children, an online survey capturing parenting experiences for the families the project has targeted, individual online interviews and visual methods with children and carers, and individual online interviews with key workers and other members of social care and voluntary sector organisations.

Key outcomes from the project include: an understanding of how families under strain respond to crises like the pandemic; an understanding of the potential long term impact of self-isolation and quarantine; an understanding of service needs and what kinds of services are helpful during times of such extreme social strain.