Nursery World - Families struggling before lockdown face even more pressure after the coronavirus pandemic

Early years and education professionals are warning that the recovery phase from Covid-19 will have a knock-on effect for early help services for young children and their families.

Only as the lockdown eases will the full extent of the impact of Covid-19 on children and families become apparent

A joint report from the Early Intervention Foundation and Action for Children, published on Tuesday, warns of a rise in the demand from families that don’t meet the criteria for support from statutory services, but are struggling to cope with the strain of lockdown, or the effects of previous support being withdrawn.

The report predicts a huge surge in demand for services, with many families seeking help who had not previously received support.

The findings are based on interviews with a range of professionals providing early help services between March and May this year.

Respondents included head teachers, managers, and directors of children’s services, representing local authorities, schools, not-for-profit organisations, and midwifery services from all nine regions of England.

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