Kids suffering emotionally from Covid impact

A NORTHSIDE childcare provider has raised concerns about the severe emotional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young children and the adults caring for them.

A survey conducted over the summer by St Patrick’s Mental Health services and the National Parents Council found that 70 percent of parents of young children are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their offspring’s mental health with one in four ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned.

The Government has been adamant that keeping schools open is a priority, with mental health cited as a major factor to keep pupils in classrooms. However, guidelines were changed earlier this month to allow for the closure of crèches and schools based on the situation and evidence at the time under Level 5 restrictions.

Karen Clince, CEO of Tigers Childcare, says childcare workers are witnessing how the coronavirus is affecting youngsters psychologically, and she’s calling on the Government to prioritise the social and emotional wellbeing of children when making decisions about restrictions.

“Although children and adolescents are less likely to be infected with Covid-19 or have milder symptoms if they are, they are not indifferent to the psychological distress of a pandemic,” Clince said.

“We understand that we must maintain ratios of qualified staff. However, for the extra staff required to manage queues in the morning and carry out non-childcare related activity, we would request that this qualification stipulation be removed.”

The full story in this week’s (October 28) Northside People (West) edition.