Evening Standard comment: Ministers must help our suffering children | A vital cultural lifeline

The worrying revelations today in an investigation by the Evening Standard about the severe impact of lockdown on children, including here in London, must focus ministerial attention and action on what could otherwise become one of the most disastrous outcomes of all from the coronavirus pandemic.

As we report, leading authorities on child well-being, ranging from the Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield to charity leaders and headteachers, say that significant numbers of young people are showing signs of having suffered dreadfully as a result of being cooped up at home for long periods and being denied the ability to mix with friends and engage in other social interaction.

Sleep loss, silence, and appearing withdrawn or sad are just some of the manifestations of the mental strain that has been placed upon some, while teachers say that others had not even picked up a pen or book since their schools were shut.

These accounts are heartbreaking and bear witness to mental and educational harm that could endure unless determined efforts are made to address each affected child’s needs.

That’s all the more imperative because many who will have suffered most are likely to be from already disadvantaged backgrounds and can least afford further damage.

The absence of summer holiday activities creates new risks too.

There has, of course, been considerable discussion about catch-up schooling. That’s critical but what our reports show is an equally great need for sustained mental health support from services which are too often overstretched and lacking adequate government funding. That must change and every penny needed must be found. Ministers must not fail our children.

A vital cultural lifeline

Bravo! It was a slow burner in the first half but it’s five stars for Oliver Dowden after last night’s announcement of a £1.57 billion support package for cultural, arts and heritage organisations.

Organisations that have been staring down a barrel for the last three months and with little respite in sight due to social-distancing rules.

When audiences can access it, the arts and culture sector in Britain are an economic powerhouse.

Our creativity is celebrated the world over and has ensured our soft power status globally, never mind drawing millions of tourists and their cash to this city every year.

But art is also fundamental to us as humans. A story seen on stage or screen can change a mind. A picture or a piece of music can pierce the heart.

The devil will be in the detail, though.

The money is needed urgently, but it’s unclear when, or how it will be made available. How too will loans be repaid and how much will go to the subsidised sector and Arts Council clients and how much to the commercial sector? What about freelancers? How will levelling up to support struggling regional theatres be achieved? Another challenge will be whether pre-Covid business models are sustainable — and key to it all, when will doors be able to open? And in the end, will £1.57 billion be enough?

For now though, it’s a hit. Encore!

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We are leaving a generation behind: Watchdog warns of lockdown impact