The strict measures introduced globally to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 will inevitably have economic, educational, social, health and wellbeing impacts. Most children will be able to cope over time with the help of parents, family members, school staff, and other trusted adults without being overwhelmed by fear or anxiety (Dalton et al. 2020; Wang et al. 2020). However, previous disaster research indicates that many children will experience longer-term impacts on their sense of safety and stability (Gibbs et al. 2015) and academic outcomes (Gibbs et al. 2019). Therefore, the aim is to increase understanding of home and community-based strategies that contribute to children’s capacity to adjust to the changes during and after the pandemic (particularly strategies addressing their sense of safety, calm, hope, self and community efficacy, connectedness). Secondly, we aim to identify ways in which children’s actions are contributing to the capacity of others to adjust to the changes arising from the pandemic. The potential for these activities to influence and contribute to broader social mobilisation will be examined and promoted.
This project will draw on three methodological work packages: (1) Literature Synthesis (2) Empirical Inquiry (3) Participatory workshops to co-design rapid response deliverables. This multiple method approach will generate considerable and varied types of data, requiring attentive data management and analysis. We propose to be inclusive and open to collecting data in various creative way. This will examine children’s experiences of the pandemic in their home and their community and implemented for the benefit of children and strategies enacted by and with children for the benefit of themselves and others. Rapid implementation and translation of findings into policy and practice will be co-designed, and that will guide intervention development and implementation planning to enhance the wellbeing of children during the COVID-19 pandemic and promote positive community actions/responses.
