Pandemic Social Work with Children and Youth

Abstract

The purpose of the study, Pandemic social work with children and youth is to analyze the behavioral and psychological challenges that children and youth encountered during the Covid-19. The study focuses on a new emerged group of easily neglected children and youth due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the children and youth of frontline healthcare workers. Social work as a profession plays a role in assisting the children and youth of frontline healthcare workers to overcome their behavioral and psychological challenges during Covid-19. Mediation, counseling and advocating for the children and youth were some roles that the social workers applied in assisting the children and youth of frontline workers. The type of research used was qualitative research and snowball sampling type was used in the research. The researcher managed to conduct five interviews with social workers who work with children and youth of frontline workers in England. Semi-structured interviews were used in the research. The interviews were conducted online using Zoom platform and ethical issues were observed during the interview. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The research results outlined that the children and youth were facing behavioral challenges such as online sexual behaviors and criminal behaviors and psychological challenges such as mental disorders and sense of isolation/withdrawal. The results concluded that Covid-19 pandemic caused a negative change and impact in children and youth lives and need for intervention of professionals such as social workers to assist them to overcome their behavioral and psychological challenges. The study recommends prioritizing children and youth well-being during the time of Covid-19 because every child or youth is vulnerable in the time of a pandemic. Protecting frontline healthcare workers during the Covid-19 so that they won‘t be overworked or feel burnout and will be able to spend more time with their children and meeting their needs and addressing their worries during Covid-19.