‘Return to status quo’ not good enough after vaccination, says Children's Ombudsman

Children's ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon says the Government 'must take swift and meaningful action to protect our most vulnerable children'. He is addressing the Children's Future campaign today. 

Children’s Ombudsman, Dr Niall Muldoon, has said a “return to status quo” once Covid vaccines are rolled out would be abandoning a huge cohort of vulnerable children.

Dr Muldoon says it is the responsibility of the Government to protect the most vulnerable children who have been “cast adrift” from education, and who deserve to reach their full potential.

In a specially-organised online event to mark one year on from school closures, Dr Muldoon and Professor Mary Horgan from the Royal College of Physicians Ireland will address the Children’s Future campaign today on what the State's national recovery plan should look like for young people affected by Government restrictions.

The campaign will publish its urgent actions for Government document in light of the Living With Covid-19 plan, and the solutions it proposes to limit the worst impacts of the school closures on children and young people.

Dr Muldoon says the Government has a responsibility "to take swift and meaningful action to protect our most vulnerable children at this crucial time. They can do this by offering a living wage to those currently in consistent poverty, by developing an ambitious plan to eliminate homelessness in the next five to ten year, and by allocating resources to improve the social structures in communities with Deis schools.” 

'Attending school has a huge positive impact on the wellbeing of children,' according to Prof Mary Horgan, president, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and consultant in infectious diseases at CUH. Picture: Denis Minihane

Prof Horgan said that vulnerable children, in particular, have been severely impacted by not being able to attend school, saying “while it’s extremely challenging to balance the health risk during a pandemic, children are our future". 

It’s our duty to protect them and raise our voice to protect them.

“Attending school has a huge positive impact on the wellbeing of children. This is particularly the case for children with special educational needs and those in Deis schools,” she added.

Children’s Future member, Rosie Bissett, has said young people have “paid a heavy price” due to school closures and asks that the Government take on board the group's urgent actions as a roadmap towards recovery.

The five urgent asks by the group relating to the Government's Living With Covid plan are:

• Schools stay open in line with public health advice; 
• A policy is developed and approved that will ensure in-school provision continues to be available to all marginalised and vulnerable children, including Travellers and Roma, children living or at risk of poverty, and children with special educational needs, in line with other jurisdictions if public health requires school closures again in the future;  
• Clear plans are developed in advance on how to overcome delayed reopenings if Covid numbers increase, particularly for marginalised and vulnerable children in third- to sixth-class in primary schools, and for all second-level students who won’t yet have returned to education; 
• All interim solutions, particularly the enhanced, comprehensive programme of summer provision is developed within weeks rather than months and offered to all children with an identified need with schools encouraged and supported to provide a school-based summer programme;  
• The Government continues to emphasise that school reopening is a priority and requires ongoing adherence to Covid-19 measures by the public.

Reopening education

The Government's Living With Covid plan is set to fully reopen primary schools by March 15, the Early Childhood Care and Education (Ecce) programme by March 8, with full early learning and childcare services resuming from March 29.

Yesterday, in a letter to primary principals from the Department of Education, it reminded schools that “all unnecessary travel should be avoided, and that, in the interests of minimising the spread of Covid-19, schools must make every effort to avoid organising events that could lead to the congregation of pupils."

The letter also asks schools to remind parents and pupils not to congregate on the school grounds or at school gates.