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19 May 2020updated 06 Oct 2020 9:45am

Social workers speak out on protecting children in the pandemic

By Samir Jeraj

Social workers are facing tough challenges in protecting the UK’s vulnerable children under lockdown. Spotlight speaks to frontline workers about how they are coping, with some staff feeling there is a lack of guidance and others struggling to keep safe while trying to do their jobs. 

Calls to Childline have increased more than 20 per cent since the start of lockdown, and the experience from other countries points to a rise in domestic abuse within the home. However, according to the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), residential children’s homes are also struggling, meaning councils will be placing children in care further away than before. “You are trying to keep a level of security and stability for children in unstable times,” says Andy Gill from the BASW. 

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