In September 2023, Long Covid Kids were honored to participate in a Stakeholder discussion event organised by the Children, Young People, and Education Senedd Committee in Wales. The Committee was assembled to deliberate on the topic of whether disabled children and young people have equitable access to education and childcare.
The report was published on July 16th, prompting the committee to urge the Welsh Government to address the five primary conclusions and 32 recommendations resulting from the year-long investigation.
We express our gratitude to the Committee for acknowledging in the report the insufficient understanding among teaching staff in Wales regarding Long Covid in Children and Young People. It is evident that there is a need for enhanced comprehension among medical professionals concerning this age group.
"We have spoken to families from across Wales, as well as practitioners, and representative organisations. What we heard was stark and concerning. Many of the individual stories will stay with me forever. We heard of how families have to battle for even simple and basic support. The impacts of these inequities across Wales are significant. Not just for the individual children or young person, but for their families, the wider community and for Wales more broadly"
Buffy Williams MS - Committee Chair
The report outlines numerous detailed recommendations, which encompass the following:
The Welsh Government commissions the development of a mandatory training module for all school staff on disability awareness. This should cover the social model of disability, and equip all staff in a school with a basic level of awareness, as well as signposting them to other resources if they want to develop their skills and expertise. It should also be in line with the latest research and clinical knowledge, and is kept up to date to reflect any subsequent changes or developments.
The Welsh Government working with the EHRC should develop practical guidance for all schools on understanding the social model of disability and how to ensure this approach can be adopted across all aspects of school life. This guidance should be as practical as possible, and should be developed in conjunction with children, young people and their families, as well as disability organisations. The guidance should be regularly updated to take account of developments. Estyn should undertake regular monitoring and evaluation to see how schools are implementing this guidance, and the impacts it is having on the experiences of children and young people.
The Welsh Government commissions research into the use of reduced timetables, which includes the length of time children and young people are on them, the reasons for them being used, and the steps that are taken to return children and young people to a full timetable. This research should also review the mechanisms that are used when the guidance is not being followed, to ensure that reduced timetables are only used when appropriate,and that a child centred approach is taken when making decisions upon their use.
Findings
The primary finding of the report was:
A significant number of children and young people’s rights to an education as set out in Articles 28 and 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are currently being breached in Wales. These children and young people are being fundamentally let down.
They further elaborate:
Many of the people we spoke to have formed their own networks, or joined already existing networks, which have been established by families in similar situations. While the support of peers who have shared experience can be incredibly powerful, it also means that the emotional labour that goes along with that has to be borne by people who are often already close to burn out by the daily fight in securing support that should be available easily and without any battle. We hope that our report can start a broader public discussion about the support that is available.
The report is available here - Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? (senedd.wales)
There is a vast amount of information available for review, and we have merely included a brief overview to complement the main message.
Long Covid Kids anticipates the feedback from the Welsh Government and is eager to participate in a more extensive public discourse within Wales.
Thank you to our lovely Wales Rep Kate Davies for attending.
