The main message of this report is that urgent action is needed to attend to the many inequities that people with disability and their families and carers face on a daily basis. Without movement on these issues, any future widespread emergencies will again produce substantial destabilisation for these households, with similarly detrimental impacts.
This report sets out the key findings of a survey that captured the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people and their families and identifies unmet needs for resources and information as well as identifying areas requiring responses and future research priorities.
Summary of key findings:
- Survey responses clearly demonstrated that people felt like there was a general lack of information about the coronavirus targeted to children and young people with disability and their families, with 82% stating they lacked information. Moreover, lack of information targeted to the particular needs of households exacerbated distress and uncertainty.
- Uncertainty about education was a prominent theme, including school closures and challenges with learning from home, and that progress gained by children and young people with disability would be lost during this period.
- Half of survey respondents experienced a decline in their mental health either for themselves or for the child or young person with disability. This increased over the period of the survey.
- Topics:
- Emergency management, Funding and Data, Systemic Advocacy
- Author:
- Helen Dickinson, Sophie Yates
- Source:
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia
- Date published:
- Fri 29th May, 2020