Category: Covid-19

Safeguarding children and families during the COVID-19 crisis

This quick guide is for practitioners working to safeguard children and families during the COVID-19 outbreak, including social workers and those working in social care settings.

As a practitioner you are facing unprecedented challenges to support and safeguard vulnerable children and families, even given the falling infection rates and initial easing of restrictions. During this time of uncertainty, it is particularly important to safeguarding children who may be at an increased risk of abuse, harm and exploitation from a range of sources. However, it is equally important to safeguard families, with parents facing significant pressures to continue to protect and promote the welfare of their children. These parents may already be struggling and so with additional pressure the likelihood of harm or significant harm may increase.

Substance abuse

Unhealthy coping mechanisms can involve a reliance on substances that provide relief and escapism by adults and children alike. Substances alter the behaviour of parents and create a lack of safety for children and young people. It is important to understand how families are managing the stresses that they face, which are likely to be exacerbated under the current pressures – with associated worries around employment, finances and health.

Where there is an existing dependency or use of substances in the household, it is important to consider how the current context may escalate use. If a parent or individual is reliant on prescription medication, how might stretched national resources affect their capacity to stay well and abstain from using dangerous substances?

Similarly, efforts in health promotion and education with children and young people on the risks of substance abuse remains of paramount importance.

Neglect

Isolation can place children at a greater risk of neglect. This is compounded by the increased economic challenges and poverty that families may be facing, and by the increased exposure of children to neglectful environments as they spend more time in the home. Even with schools open once again, children may still have reduced contact with the usual range of professionals who can identify the signs of neglect and take steps to intervene and report concerns.

Neglect may become a source of harm for children, even if not the initial reason for social care involvement. Practitioners should maintain a professional curiosity and keep a holistic view of the family and emerging risks.

https://www.scie.org.uk/care-providers/coronavirus-covid-19/safeguarding/children

Things to do in lockdown-Covid 19

Research your family History

50 Free Genealogy Sites

1. FamilySearch: largest collection of free genealogical records in the world

2. WikiTree: enormous collaborative family tree

3. Fulton History: historical newspapers from the US and Canada

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4. Find a Grave: locate your ancestors in cemeteries across the globe

5. Google News Archive: millions of archived newspaper pages

6. US National Archives: official US National Archives site, many free genealogy databases and resources

7. Automated Genealogy: indexes of the Canadian census

8. FreeBMD: civil registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales

9. USGenWeb Project: massive free genealogy resource directory by US state and county

10. WorldGenWeb Project: genealogy resources by country and region, not to miss

11. Cyndi’s List: highly respected directory of free genealogy resources and databases online

12. Library and Archives Canada: official archives of Canada, census records and more

13. Ellis Island: immigration records, free indexes and original records, fee to download copies

14. FreeReg: baptism, marriage, and burial records from parish registers of the UK

15. POWVETS: WWII POW search for prisoners of war held in German camps.

16. RootsWeb: world’s largest genealogy community, huge amount of free information

17. Castle Garden: immigration records, pre Ellis Island

18. Chronicling America: giant database of archived US newspapers from the Library of Congress

19. Dead Fred: genealogy photo archive

20. African Heritage Project: records on former slaves, freedpersons and their descendants

21. Immigrant Ancestors Project: emigration registers for locating birthplaces of immigrants in their native countries

22. Daughters of the American Revolution: military service records and more

23. JewishGen: Jewish ancestry research

24. FreeCEN: transcribed census records from the UK

25. Access Genealogy: vast family history directories and more, good Native American resources

26. British Library, India Office: records on British and European people in India pre 1950

27. Guild of One-Name Studies: extensive surname research site

28. Genealogy Trails: transcribed genealogical records from across the U.S.

29. NativeWeb Genealogy: list of Native American genealogy resources and searchable databases

30. Viximus: member submitted biographical information

31. WieWasWie: for researching ancestors from the Netherlands

32. UK National Archives: official National Archives of the UK

33. The National Archives of Ireland: official National Archives of Ireland

34. GENUKI: reference library of genealogical resources for the UK and Ireland

35. German Genealogy Server: German ancestry research (many sections in German)

36. Preserve the Pensions: War of 1812 pension records access

37. Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System: Civil War records from the National Park Service

38. LitvakSIG: Lithuanian-Jewish genealogy databases and resources

39. Italian Genealogical Group: Italian American genealogy resources and databases

40. Internet Archive: a large amount of information useful to genealogists, but you’ll need to do some digging

41. Billion Graves: headstone records

42. Open Library: good place to find family history books, search for surnames or locations

43. GenDisasters: for researching disasters and other events your ancestors might have been involved in

44. RomanyGenes: Romanichal ancestry research

45. Patriot and Grave Index: revolutionary war graves registry and patriot index from the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

46. Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection: vast number of archived US newspapers

47. Seventh-day Adventist Obituary Database: hundreds of thousands of obituary entries

48. Släktdata: genealogy records for Sweden (in Swedish)

49. Hispanic Genealogy: wonderful list of resources for researching Hispanic ancestry

50: Free Genealogy Search Engine: search hundreds of free genealogy resources at one time on Family History Daily

Why can COVID-19 affect our mental health?

Practise self-care

It’s easy to slip into the habit of sleeping late, spending all day in your pyjamas and eating junk food, but looking after yourself is essential for your mental health. Even simple tasks such as washing your face can feel difficult sometimes, but they can make a big difference to the way you feel.

“Ensure you are in a well-ventilated room and following basic self-care, so healthy eating, sleep, lots of hydration, and try to keep to  a routine,” says Pamela Roberts, a psychotherapist based at Priory’s Woking Hospital.

Buckley adds that it’s important to have supplies at home to avoid added stress. If you are self-isolating and unable to leave the house even to shop, you’ll need to make plans. “Think about getting food delivered or asking someone else to drop food off for you,” he says. “Being at home might impact your routine which can affect your appetite and when you drink water. It can help to create a new routine to make sure you are looking after yourself.”

Practise self-care

It’s easy to slip into the habit of sleeping late, spending all day in your pyjamas and eating junk food, but looking after yourself is essential for your mental health. Even simple tasks such as washing your face can feel difficult sometimes, but they can make a big difference to the way you feel.

“Ensure you are in a well-ventilated room and following basic self-care, so healthy eating, sleep, lots of hydration, and try to keep to  a routine,” says Pamela Roberts, a psychotherapist based at Priory’s Woking Hospital.

Buckley adds that it’s important to have supplies at home to avoid added stress. If you are self-isolating and unable to leave the house even to shop, you’ll need to make plans. “Think about getting food delivered or asking someone else to drop food off for you,” he says. “Being at home might impact your routine which can affect your appetite and when you drink water. It can help to create a new routine to make sure you are looking after yourself.”

Continue reading “Why can COVID-19 affect our mental health?”

First study on the health conditions of adults one month into COVID-19 lockdown

A new study provides some of the earliest pieces of evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak affected people mentally as well as physically.

The preliminary results reveal adults in locations more affected by COVID-19 had distress, and lower physical and mental health, and life satisfaction.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide, Tongji University and University of Sydney surveyed 369 adults living in 64 cities in China after they had lived under one-month of confinement measures in February this year.

Led by Dr Stephen Zhang from the University of Adelaide, the study identifies adults with existing health conditions and those who stopped working as most at risk of worse mental and physical health.

“As many parts of the world are only just beginning to go into lockdown, we examined the impact of the one-month long lockdown on people’s health, distress and life satisfaction,” said Dr Zhang.

“The study offers somewhat of a ‘crystal ball’ into the mental health of Australian residents once they have been in the lockdown for one month.”

More than a quarter of the participants worked at the office during the lockdown period while 38 percent worked from home and 25 percent stopped work due to the outbreak.

Continue reading “First study on the health conditions of adults one month into COVID-19 lockdown”

A word on Covid- 19, the use of arbitration and the Expansion of the Children’s Arbitration Scheme to include Relocation of Children

On the 6th April 2020 the much talked about expansion of the children arbitration scheme came into effect.  This is a significant change to the now well established scheme launched in 2016. The scheme has had amendments to its rules along the way but until now, it has not received an extension of its scope. In summary, the scope of scheme has been expanded to include both temporary and permanent relocation of children to foreign jurisdictions that fall within article 2.2(c) below. This development could not be timelier, serving to reinforce arbitration as a strong and worthy contender to litigation.

Arbitration now more than ever has a significant role to play in the process and administration of family justice. The ever growing delays in the family justice system, which pre-date the current crisis brought about by Covid-19, will only be exacerbated by  these national events. The family courts are adapting as quickly as possible to remote hearings but irrespective of this, very sadly many trials, (unless urgent), are  currently being adjourned into the distant future due to staff shortages.  Private law cases which are not perceived as urgent will be pushed to the back of the growing queue.

The ability for parties to jointly select an arbitrator who can determine cases promptly is a clear way to bypass the current challenges. The DFJ at the Central Family Court in guidance issued on the 6th April 2020, encouraged parties to

“please consider all alternative dispute resolution possibilities.” 1 Continue reading “A word on Covid- 19, the use of arbitration and the Expansion of the Children’s Arbitration Scheme to include Relocation of Children”

What if the resident parent won’t let me see the child[ren]?

If you accept that this is for public health reasons the resident parent should agree to facilitate alternative arrangements so that your child[ren] can still see you at the same intervals as would have been the case if you were have face to face contact.  This should be via Telephone/ Skype/ FaceTime/ WhatsApp and or Text and Email.  If you are unable to achieve agreement about this you should return this matter to court if proceedings are pending or where proceedings are not currently pending you should consider issuing a court application.

If you are of the view that the resident parent is failing to act reasonably and is relying on the public health advice inappropriately in order to obstruct you from having contact with your child[ren] then you should either return this matter to the court, if proceedings are pending or issue an application.

What if the non-resident parent refuses to return the children?

If you accept that this is for public health reasons the non-resident parent should agree to facilitate alternative arrangements so that your child[ren] can still see you at the same intervals as would have been the case if you were have face to face contact.  This should be via Telephone/ Skype/ Facetime/ WhatsApp and or Text and Email.  If you are unable to achieve agreement about this, you should return this matter to court if proceedings are pending or consider issuing a court application.

If you are of the view that the non-resident parent is failing to act reasonably and is relying on the public health advice inappropriately in order to obstruct you from having your child[ren] returned then you should either return this matter to the court, if proceedings are pending or issue an application. Continue reading “What if the resident parent won’t let me see the child[ren]?”

What if the “other” parent or I have a new partner?

The new ruling means that couples who do not live in the same household should not see one another. That means that if one parent has started a new relationship, they should not continue to see their new partner. If the other parent is already living with a new partner, it is acceptable to ask questions to reassure yourself that they are also adhering to the Government’s ruling, for example, are they only going outside for reasons the Government has indicated would be acceptable.   These are all identified in the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.  For the sake of clarity these are all listed below:

Section 6.—
(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—

(a ) to obtain basic necessities, including food and medical supplies for those in the same household (including any pets or animals in the household) or for vulnerable persons and supplies for the essential upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household, or the household of a vulnerable person, or to obtain money, including from any business listed in Part 3 of Schedule 2;

(b) to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;

(c) to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;

(d) to provide care or assistance, including relevant personal care within the meaning of paragraph 7(3B) of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006(1), to a vulnerable person, or to provide emergency assistance;

(e) to donate blood;

(f )to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the place where they are living;

(g) to attend a funeral of—

(i) a member of the person’s household,

(ii )a close family member, or

(iii) if no-one within sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) are attending, a friend;

(h) to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

(I )to access critical public services, including—

(i) childcare or educational facilities (where these are still available to a child in relation to whom that person is the parent, or has parental responsibility for, or care of the child);

(ii) social services;

(iii) services provided by the Department of Work and Pensions;

(iv) services provided to victims (such as victims of crime);

(j) in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of, the child;

(k) in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship;

(l) to move house where reasonably necessary;

(m) to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the place where a person is living includes the premises where they live together with any garden, yard, passage, stair, garage, outhouse or other appurtenance of such premises.

(4) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any person who is homeless.

You will have seen that some Government advice has been for couples who are living apart to move in together at this time.  However, where there are children involved, and the “other” parent plans to arrange for their new partner to move in to live with them and the child[ren] or if they have already done so, you may want to know about the new partner and in particular their background and suitability to live with your children.  In such circumstances, you should not hesitate in asking reasonable child focused questions which should be on the advice of your solicitor if you are legally represented. Continue reading “What if the “other” parent or I have a new partner?”

COVID 19 Lockdown: what this means for the separated parent

Am I entitled to see my children during this period of lockdown?

The short answer to this is YES.  Although in strict family law terms, your children are entitled to see you subject, of course, to any agreement you have reached with the “resident” parent and or any court order which exists in relation to your child[ren] arrangements.

How and where am I entitled to see my child[ren]?

On 26.03.20 Parliament introduced The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.

Regulation 6 provides 11 examples of what is a “reasonable excuse” to be outside.  The ones that are likely to be relevant to family cases are as follows:

Para h: to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

Para j. in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of, the child;

Para m. to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm.

What this means is that, where agreed, or where court ordered, the non-resident parent may continue to have contact with their child[ren] and or have them live with him or her for the agreed or court ordered specified time.

Either parent may leave their home in order to facilitate such contact, for example for collection and return of the children, whether this is from each other’s homes or at an agreed or court ordered meeting place. Continue reading “COVID 19 Lockdown: what this means for the separated parent”

How can I support someone’s mental health during the Covid-19 outbreak?

Lots of us are feeling worried about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. While the focus is often on physical health, it’s important to remember the impact on our mental health too. You don’t need to be an expert on mental health to be there for someone. Think about using our three top tips:

1) Check in

You might not be able to meet face-to-face, but picking up the phone, having a video call, starting a group chat or messaging someone on social media lets them know you are there to talk and ready to listen.

2) Listen and reflect

Whether you have a mental health problem or not, this will be a challenging time for our mental health and wellbeing. If someone opens up to you, remember that you don’t need to fix things or offer advice. Often just listening, and showing you take them seriously, can help someone to manage.

3) Ask questions  

Ask how people are managing, and ask again if you’re worried they aren’t sharing the full picture. Asking again, with interest, can help someone to open up and explore what they’re feeling.

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/coronavirus?utm_source=General+Updates&utm_campaign=d036a0e448-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_09_18_08_24_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_955679e7d2-d036a0e448-69445783

Coronavirus Crisis: The Unexpected Gift to Narcissists | Psychology Today

The period of lockdown Is helping her to reset her demand for physical perfection (in truth, right now nobody gives a damn), and she is, for the first time in her life, volunteering to deliver food to the elderly in her neighborhood.

The COVID-19 horror is affording self-involved, entitled, unempathic individuals an extraordinary opportunity to pause, to take the foot off the self-aggrandizing pedal, and to take a good, hard look at themselves and what their lives really could be about.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-wise-therapist-guide-healthy-thinking-and-doing/202004/coronavirus-crisis-the-unexpected

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