The Child Welfare League of Canada, the Canadian Consortium on Child and Youth Trauma, and the Canadian Foster Family Association, have jointly released a discussion paper on the impacts of the pandemic on children and youth with disabilities and their families in Canada, with recommendations to address impacts and improve outcomes.

The discussion paper notes, “Families who need the most help may be reluctant to reach out because of stigma or because they fear that letting agencies know they are struggling might lead to heavy-handed child welfare interventions….Families are doing their very best to cope on their own, but emerging evidence confirms they are not doing well at all.  COVID-19 risks increasing the number of children who come into care because their family is unable to meet their needs.  Much can be done to help young people with disabilities, as well as their families and caregivers get through a difficult and frightening time.” The authors note that supportive efforts must include young Indigenous, black and racialized families who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a catastrophic crisis for children and youth with disabilities and their families, the paper states, “The prolonged, cumulative impact of the loss of social care infrastructure will not easily be reversed.  Families who were already struggling to meet their needs and their children’s needs are now having to manage in extraordinary circumstances.”  The impacts of COVID-19 include:

·       Dramatically reduced and delayed access to healthcare and specialized services.

·       Decreased in-person attendance in school.

·       Parents and caregivers very or extremely concerned about children’s loneliness, isolation, and mental health.

·       More sedentary, less reading, fewer games and activities, less physical activity.

The paper notes that families and children affected by disability are likely to have already experienced some aspect of their life as traumatic, which may be exacerbated by current experiences, and that trauma-informed approaches will be needed for COVID-19 response and recovery.

The paper offers a variety of recommendations for service providers, foster families and alternative caregivers to use trauma-informed approaches in dealing with clients and participants being offered support, and for being an advocate for families by ensuring the extraordinary challenges and unmet needs you are hearing about are shared with your employer and with government.

The paper offers 9 recommendations for provincial/territorial governments:

·       Declare families of children and youth with disabilities as essential workers to allow them access to critical services during pandemic lockdowns.

·       Give priority for vaccines.

·       Streamline approval processes for all funding streams and emergency benefits.

·       Provide easy access to free PPE as required.

·       Provide flexible options for culturally-sensitive respite benefits.

·       Create flexible and responsive program to help families and caregivers cover the cost of culturally safe therapies, early intervention programs, equipment and housing.

·       Implement a flexible and comprehensive system of family caregiver pay for in-home caregiver supports.

·       Allow families to receive the federal Child Disability Benefit without clawing back the amount from social assistance.

·       Ensure workers in health, social services, and child and family services receive training on developing and implementing disability-informed and trauma-informed policies, programs and services.

The recommendations for the federal government focus on addressing the significant financial stresses experienced by families of children and youth with disabilities:

·       Adopt the Spirit Bear Plan, end discrimination in public services for First Nations children, youth and families, and extend Jordan’s Principles beyond the age of 18.

·       Include families and caregivers of children and youth with disabilities in the federal Disability Inclusion Plan and the proposed Canada Disability Benefit

·       Double the Child Disability Benefit and request provinces not to claw it back from social assistance.

·       Examine and improve tax measures for people with disabilities.

·       Put in place a Guaranteed Livable Income to meet the specific need of families of children and youth with disabilities.

The paper references the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, stating, “These rights are considered to be interrelated rather than a hierarchy of needs, which is why they need to be supported to the extent possible even when public health protection becomes a predominant consideration.

While some limits on the rights of children, youth and families may be necessary in a state of emergency – such as the COVID-19 pandemic – these restrictions must be reasonable, justifiable and based in judicious decision-making.  All situations must be evaluated individually and any limits should be time bound, with regular review periods put in place to modify, ease or release restrictions as soon as possible.  There should be exceptions made on a case-by-case basis where possible.”

The paper concludes the essential need for families of children and youth to be able to feel safe and hopeful, which “can only be facilitated by creating the conditions under which relationships and meaningful connections can be maintained and nurtured.”