Published: Tuesday 21 April 2020
Children and families in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster are continuing to access a super range of services thanks to the creativity of bi-borough Children’s Services specialists.
With the COVID-19 lockdown bringing most normal activities to a halt, officers have come up with a host of innovative ways of delivering their essential services, including:
- Setting up virtual children’s centres complete with weekly age-appropriate activity packs and online parenting programmes
- Providing vulnerable children and families with laptops and internet allowing them to maintain contact with key professionals.
- Working with schools to provide activities during the Easter holidays and ensuring 9,000 eligible children receive a weekly school meal voucher
- Creating a sustainable offer for the children of key workers and the vulnerable
- Redesigning the short breaks service to offer home care
You can learn more about these services and additional resources here.
The community has also been playing its part, with children making bags for Personal Protective Equipment, care leavers volunteering to support vulnerable residents and other youngsters drawing rainbows in support of the NHS or clapping for carers every Thursday evening.
Sarah Newman, Bi-Borough Executive Director for Children’s Services, said:
“I have been inspired by the resolve of the children’s workforce to stay home, protect the NHS, keep safe and to continue to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of our vulnerable children and families.
“There is much attention and praise for our brave NHS colleagues right now, and rightly so, but this is an additional shout out to all the teachers, social workers and care staff who are also doing a grand job at this troubling time.”