Compounding education disengagement: COVID-19 lockdown, the digital divide and wrap-around services
Journal of Children's Services
ISSN: 1746-6660
Article publication date: 20 October 2020
Issue publication date: 15 December 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to share reflections on the frontline delivery of a wrap-around secondary school re-engagement programme on compounding digital inequality during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a deliberative reflection on practice and policy lessons learned while negotiating the digital divide during the COVID-19 lockdown in the delivery of the yourtown education youth engagement programme.
Findings
Frontline youth worker practice lessons highlight the compounding effect of digital inequality on vulnerable young people who are already disengaged or disengaging from secondary education and the necessity for a reflexive, agile and adaptable practice response, particularly during unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originality/value
This paper presents a wraparound service perspective and outlines important practice lessons gained from adapting an education re-engagement programme to respond to the COVID-19 lockdown in the Greater Brisbane area, Australia.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the staff, young people and families whose stories are represented in this paper.
Conflict of interest: Two of the authors work for yourtown, the parent company of the youth engagement programme profiled in the viewpoint paper.
Citation
Seymour, K., Skattebol, J. and Pook, B. (2020), "Compounding education disengagement: COVID-19 lockdown, the digital divide and wrap-around services", Journal of Children's Services, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 243-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-08-2020-0049
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited