Prelims

Half Title Page

Care and Coronavirus

Endorsements

A necessary book for indeterminate times. Viewing childhood through the prism of Covid, these interdisciplinary and international contributors marry research and experience to provide intimate views of how existing health inequalities are not only brought into relief – but can be effectively addressed – to better serve young people, families, and communities in pandemic eras. Informative, provocative, and grounding for those charged with caring about the very future of care.

— Rachael Stryker, Professor, Department of Human Development and Women's Studies, California State University, East Bay, USA

Series Title Page

Emerald Studies in Child Centred Practice

Series Editor: Sam Frankel, Western University, Canada

Emerald Studies in Child Centred Practice: Voice, Collaboration and Change seeks to reposition the place of childhood studies as a discipline, highlighting its social value. This series explores the application of theories from childhood studies in practice. It highlights the place, purpose and power of these theories to inform practice and seek to shape a child-centred approach across the settings within which children live and experience their everyday lives – schools, families, the law and the care system. Uniquely, books in the series will not only draw on academic insight but also include the perspectives of both practitioners and children. The series makes the case for the need for a shared dialogue as a foundation for re-imagining practice.

This new series offers a new and valuable dimension to childhood studies with relevance for how wider society comes to engage with it. Indeed, it offers a chance for childhood studies to increase its presence in society – to demonstrate how an awareness of children's agency and the constructed nature of society can positively influence discourse and debate – with the hope that this can increasingly shape policy and practice and add value to children's everyday experiences. Proposals are welcome for the series that align to this goal and help us to develop and grow childhood studies. The series is particularly keen to explore multi-faceted aspects of children's lives, such as schooling, home lives, children's rights, child protection, activism and more.

Title Page

Care and Coronavirus: Perspectives on Childhood, Youth and Family

Edited by

Tom Disney

Northumbria University, UK

And

Lucy Grimshaw

Northumbria University, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2025

Editorial matter and selection © 2025 Tom Disney and Lucy Grimshaw.

Individual chapters © 2025 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: www.copyright.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83797-311-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-310-1 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-312-5 (Epub)

Dedication

For our families

About the Editors

Tom Disney is a Social Geographer and an Associate Professor of Childhood Studies at Northumbria University, in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing. His research centres on families and children experiencing interventions of the state, exploring how these interventions break or facilitate marginalisation. He has conducted research on residential care settings for children and young people, child protection practice and participatory arts-based research to improve local authority Early Help systems.

Lucy Grimshaw, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Northumbria University in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing. Lucy is a Social Scientist whose research examines intersectional inequalities in urban spaces, communities and institutions underpinned by feminist critical pedagogy and employing participatory methods. Recent research projects have focused on children's sense of place in relation to local heritage and inequalities among staff and students in higher education institutions.

About the Contributors

Jaden Allan is an Assistant Professor of Nurse education at Northumbria University in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health. Jaden's research and scholarly activity include peer humanistic support and development in higher education and healthcare, along with simulation-based education (SBE). Jaden also develops and delivers nursing transnational education programmes globally and is an executive board member for the International Family Nursing Association (IFNA) UK and Ireland Chapter.

Laura Bellussi has a background in psychology, and her research interests include adults' and children's mental health, domestic abuse, discrimination and social equality. Her work entails evaluating innovations and adaptations in children and families' social care using qualitative, creative, and mixed methods.

Linzi Brown has always had a passion for the early years and pursued this by training and working as a practitioner in Early Years and health settings, supporting children and families. She then continued her education and graduated from Northumbria University after studying BA Joint Honours in Childcare and Education/Early Years and Childhood Studies. Linzi studied on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) at the school she currently teaches in led by Northumbria University. Linzi has worked in a Further Education college and three secondary schools in the North East of England over the past 17 years. She has held positions in teaching and learning, pastoral and now, alongside continuing to teach, leads a Faculty of Health and Wellbeing in a large secondary school in Northumberland.

Dr Jason Burg is a historian who completed a PhD entitled ‘Remember where you are!: The use of English Cathedrals as sites theatrical performance, 1928–2015' in 2017 at the University of Birmingham. He worked for several years in academia before retraining to teach history at secondary school, completing his PGCE teaching qualification in 2020. He now works at a large rural secondary school in the North East of England teaching History and Politics.

Elaine Chaplin, a dedicated advocate for the well-being of young minds, intertwines her passion for early years and mental health in her impactful work. With a background in early years education, she creates narratives that delve into the delicate nuances of early childhood development and its profound connection to mental wellness. Elaine's commitment to fostering resilience and nurturing the emotional growth of children is evident in her works. As an educator, and mental health ambassador, Elaine Chaplin leaves a memorable mark on the intersection of early childhood and mental well-being.

Alison Ní Charraighe is an Assistant Professor of Childhood and Youth Studies at Northumbria University. She has a professional background in Youth Work and Community Development work, having worked for 17 as a youth worker and manager in the North East of England. She has recently completed her training as a Counsellor, specialising in working with young people.

Kelly Coates, Shannon Devine and Elisha Sanchez are practitioners are from Projects4Change a youth work project based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Stephen Crossley is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at Durham University. He rejoined the university in June 2020, having previously worked at Northumbria University. He completed an ESRC funded PhD at Durham in 2017, examining the UK Government's Troubled Families Programme. Prior to entering academia, Stephen worked in a number of public sector and voluntary sector roles in the North East of England, working on issues such as estate-based youth work, community cohesion, tenant participation, health inequalities, and child poverty. He has published extensively on issues relating to ‘troubled families’, child poverty and social justice and his research interests revolve around policy responses to social disadvantage and inequality and the symbolic power of social policies.

Dr Lucy Currie is an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University, Newcastle. With an education career that started in Secondary Schools in Zimbabwe and Botswana, Dr Currie has worked in Higher Education in the United Kingdom since 2003, mainly in Special Education and Inclusion, Work Based Learning and Professional Learning. Dr Currie's interests are in educational equity, inclusive practice, widening participation and professional development. As such, her research interests focus on examining the relationship between culture, heritage and learners’ educational experiences and outcomes.

Dr Kirsty Deacon was a Research Officer at the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration while carrying out the piece of research contained within this book. Her background is in criminal justice and her research interests focus on imprisonment, particularly in the context of families and relationships.

Fabio Dovigo, PhD, is a Professor of Education at the Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing Department of Northumbria University, UK. He has held the UNESCO Chair in ‘Supporting Early Years Care and Education’. His research interests lie in the fields of Early Childhood Education and Care and inclusive education. He is a convenor of the Special Interest Group Sustainability in ECEC of the European Early Childhood Research Education Association. He has coordinated several EU International Research Projects, including ‘Building High-Quality Early Childhood Education Systems Supported by International Evidence’ and ‘Enhancing Quality in Family Day Care’. His recent publications include ‘Educator identity in a neoliberal context: Recognising and supporting early childhood education and care educators’ (EECERJ, 2020), ‘Early Childhood Care and Education teaching staff and educators: Challenges and Opportunities, WCECCE Global Thematic Report’ (UNESCO, 2024), and ‘Promoting transformative practices for sustainability in Early Childhood Education and Care’ (EECERA Praxis Series, Routledge, 2024).

Jill Duncan is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northumbria University, former Teacher and Leader across different school settings including international activity. Jill's research and scholarly activity focuses upon an ethic of care, specifically focusing on holistic provision for postgraduate trainees within initial teacher education (ITE). She works in close collaboration with local partners such as The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and is a member of national organisations such as the British Educational Research Association (BERA).

Charmaine Agius Ferrante, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Education, Children and Young People, Northumbria University. She is currently the Director of Education for Undergraduate Programmes in the Department of Social work, Education and Community Wellbeing. She is Senior Teaching Fellow HEA and the Programme Lead for BA Childhood and Early Years Studies. She is also a consultant Developmental Educationist and has advised policy around inclusive education in Malta where she was involved in supporting the development and provision of inclusive practice. Her research interests are the politics, policy and practices of inclusive education with respect to the education of disabled children. Research themes include developmental education, early intervention, early years teaching and learning, creating spaces and places for all children, sexuality and relationships in young disabled people, the relationship between disability theory and the local and global disability movements together with the possible connections between inclusive education and disability studies. She is a committed advocate for inclusive education, assisting parents, individuals, schools and communities to work towards building inclusive communities of practice.

Lucy Grimshaw is an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Northumbria University in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing. Lucy is a Social Scientist whose research examines intersectional inequalities in urban spaces, communities and institutions underpinned by feminist critical pedagogy and employing participatory methods. Recent research projects have focused on children's sense of place in relation to local heritage and inequalities amongst staff and students in higher education institutions.

Frances Gunn works in a Health and Social Care Partnership in Scotland as a Service Manager with responsibility for Health Visiting. Prior to this, Frances was a Child Protection Health Advisor, Health Visitor and Midwife. Frances is also an Associate Tutor and a PhD student in the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, University of Stirling. Frances's doctoral research study title is ‘An exploration of professionals and families understanding of child neglect using an ecological framework perspective, with data from Ayrshire & Arran providing a geographic case study’.

Kay Heslop is the Department Head of Education within the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing at Northumbria University. Kay has worked with people of all ages in her professional roles over four decades. She has endeavoured to develop inclusive, authentic and motivational educational activities which meet personal interests and build upon current skills. As a Researcher, Kay favours a participatory approach which has an impact on practice and for people.

Andrew James, Ciara Waugh and Zodie are Board Members of Our Hearings, Our Voice; an independent children and young people's Board for the Children's Hearings System. It exists to ensure that the voices of children and young people are included in decisions about meaningful change within the Children's Hearings System and to ensure that any proposed changes are implemented in a way that does not disadvantage the Rights and participation of children and young people. Since becoming Board Members Andrew, Ciara and Zodie have played an active role in trying to improve the experiences of children and young people coming to Hearings. Information about the range of work that Andrew, Ciara and Zodie are involved in can be found at www.ohov.co.uk

Dr Siân Lucas is a registered social worker and has research interests in perinatal support, migration, linguistic discrimination and social justice. She has worked on various research projects to explore dimensions of well-being and service delivery using creative, qualitative, visual and participatory research methods.

Dr Sandra Lyndon is a reader in Childhood and Social Policy at the University of Chichester, UK. Sandra is the programme coordinator for the BA Hons Early Childhood Studies Level 6 top up and teaches across a range of Childhood programmes within the Institute of Education and Social Sciences. She is the Childhood Research Champion and takes a lead on research within the team. Sandra has many years' experience working with children in a variety of settings; she is a qualified Teacher and an Educational Psychologist. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Sussex and her research interests include poverty, homelessness, intergenerational practice and narrative methodologies.

Clare Matysova, University of Leeds, UK – Clare Matysova is a PhD Researcher at the University of Leeds focusing on gender equality and exploring the impact of the United Kingdom's shared parental leave policy from the perspective of couples' decision-making. She also works as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion practitioner in Higher Education, currently at the University of Aberdeen, previously Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Cathryn Meredith has practised and taught mental health social work for 25 years, and none of this prepared her for parenting through the pandemic. She leads Northumbria University's Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) and Best Interests Assessor (BIA) provision within the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing. Her scholarly interests lie in social approaches to mental distress and the emerging discipline of Mad Studies. She collaborates with people with lived experience to undertake ethnographic, naturalistic enquiries.

Athenkosi Mtumtum is a HPCSA Registered Counsellor and Co-Founder of Sizakala Wellness Counsellors in South Africa. Her passion for philanthropy has its origins in the belief of the innate resilient spirit we all possess. She believes that the act of empathy shown in our interactions with others serves as a subtle reminder to people in need of their resilience. This reminds them that even though they may be victims of circumstances, the will and power to overcome their challenges rests within them. Since her B-Psych Honours (2012) completion Athenkosi has acquired a BA Honours in Community and Health Psychology (2017).

Kirstin Mulholland is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northumbria University and former Primary Teacher and School Leader. Alongside her role at Northumbria, Kirstin is a Senior Associate for the Education Endowment Foundation and also collaborates closely with a number of national organisations, including the Maths Hub Network and Research Schools Network. Her research interests centre on educators' professional learning, including the use of research evidence to inform professional practice.

Dr Sarah McGarrol is a Senior Research Fellow with the NIHR funded Aberdeen Health Determinants Research Collaboration, based at Aberdeen City Council. Her research interests include social and geographical inequalities in health, ethics of care, the impact of adverse childhood experiences for children in conflict with the law and critical reflections on health inequalities fieldwork.

Dr Catherine Nixon is the Research Manager at the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration. Her research interests focus upon the lived experiences of children and young people who are care- and/or hearings-experienced. She is particularly interested in how changes in practice and policy affect the Rights and participation of children and young people.

Cuong Nguyen was living with Fiona Ranson when COVID first appeared in the United Kingdom; he is Fiona's foster son and was a care leaver, still living with her at the time. In this chapter he reflects on how COVID impacted on his time at home. Cuong was attending college and had a part time job, which both came to a halt during COVID. He recalls monitoring responses from elsewhere in the world and comparing these to what was happening in the UK, which made him more anxious about Covid. Later he returned to work, where there were robust COVID measures in place.

Vikki Park is an Assistant Professor of Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) at Northumbria University in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery & Health. Vikki's research and scholarly work explore collaboration and interprofessional learning between health and social care professions within educational and practice environments. She has an established national and international profile in the field of IPECP, and recent projects relate to IPECP in the pandemic and strategy and policy development within UK universities, national and international organisations.

Fiona Ranson fostered young people who were unaccompanied and seeking asylum in the United Kingdom (known as UASC). The young people were in her care and remained in her care as ‘care leavers’ during COVID. Having previously worked as an education improvement adviser with responsibility for the achievement and provision of ethnic minority children in schools, including those seeking asylum in the UK; Fiona undertook her PhD in Northumbria University where she examined experiences of care of UASC, via participatory arts based research with carers and carried out a policy review.

Rachel Rosen is a Professor of Sociology at the UCL Social Research Institute. Her research focuses on unequal childhoods, stratified social reproduction and migration in neoliberal border regimes. Methodologically, she is interested in the ethics and politics of ethnography and participatory research with children and other marginalised social groups and is committed to change-orientated research for social justice. Rachel is the co-author of Negotiating Adult-Child Relationships in Early Childhood Research (2014, Routledge) and the co-editor of Reimagining Childhood Studies (2019, Bloomsbury Academic), Feminism and the Politics of Childhood: Friends or Foes? (2018, UCL Press), Childhood, parenting culture, and adult-child relations in global perspectives (2020, FRS) and Crisis for Whom? Critical global perspectives on childhood, care, and migration (2023, UCL Press).

Ms Sibusisiwe Tendai Sibanda is a qualified Counsellor, Co-founder and CEO of Sizakala Wellness Counsellors in South Africa. Her journey into mental health began after watching her grandmother battle with dementia. Her need to understand mental health issues drove her to pursue a B-Psych degree at Midrand Graduate Institute. After obtaining her degree in 2012 and through her voluntary work, Sibusisiwe realised that there was a crucial need for the provision of affordable mental health care services in disadvantaged areas. That is when Sizakala Wellness Counsellors was created: An organisation dedicated to providing vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals with free psycho-social support.

Dr Donald Simpson is a former Primary School Teacher with an early years specialism. He is now a Senior Lecturer in Education at Teesside University (UK) where he has taught early childhood studies for many years. Donald has conducted several research projects with an early years focus. His work has explored professionalisation of the early years workforce as well as preschools' responses to poverty across England and the United States. He has published many research articles with an early years focus including contributions to several respected international journals. These include: Journal of Early Childhood Research, European Early Childhood Research Journal, Early Years and International Journal of Early Years Education.

Julie Spray, University of Galway, Ireland, is an interdisciplinary Medical and Childhood Anthropologist who researches children's perspectives on health and illness, public health policy and interventions and health inequalities. Integrating biosocial, ethnographic and visual arts-based methods, her work advocates for greater inclusion in health policy of those marginalised by dominant social structures and values, particularly children, young people, and racially or economically disadvantaged communities. Her research has been based in Aotearoa New Zealand, the United States and Ireland with analyses focusing on intersecting issues of rheumatic fever, asthma, stress, infrastructure, nutrition, self-harm, mental health, COVID-19 and health policy. She is the author of The Children in Child Health: Negotiating Young Lives and Health in New Zealand (Rutgers Series in Childhood Studies, 2020).

Judy Thomas completed her practice-based PhD at Northumbria University, with her area of study concentrating on the Artist Facilitator role and collaborative practice within the context of artist-led learning programmes. She is the current Head of Department at Teesside University for the School of Arts and the Creative Industries. She has worked in academia since 2010; her previous roles include Learning Manager at Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), Learning Manager at Waygood and Programme Manager for Learning and Inclusion at Liverpool Biennial. Before this, she was Acting Head of Education and Public Programmes for Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead.

Christopher Warnock is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northumbria University in the Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing. Chris works predominantly across Post-Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice and Initial Teacher Education programmes, supporting colleagues in achieving HEA professional recognition and students in their journey towards QTS. His research interests focus primarily on the professional identity of the teacher as an academic and the academic as an educator, utilising narrative methodologies to explore the perceived tensions and dilemmas experienced during transition between these established roles.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank the participants and presenters at our conference ‘Childhood Care and Coronavirus’ held in December 2022 at Northumbria University, UK, from where the idea for this book and some of the chapters originated.

Thanks also to the Social Policy Association (https://social-policy.org.uk/) which awarded us an Opportunity Grant to fund the conference.

We would like to thank the team at Emerald for their support and the anonymous reviewers for their comments on the book proposal.

We would also like to thank our colleagues Dr Stephen Crossley, Dr Lewis Mates, Prof Liz Holt and Prof Tim Rapley.

Final thanks go to all the authors for their contributions to this book and their patience during the process.