Perth and Kinross Council’s education chief has said the impact of the covid pandemic and lockdowns on young people could last at least a generation.
The local authority is seeing the effects on younger children who have issues with the likes of speech, toilet training and socialising and in older children with heightened levels of anxiety.
It was raised as Perth and Kinross Council’s Scrutiny and Performance Committee analysed the local authority’s Annual Performance Report for 2023/24 when it met on Wednesday, September 18.
The report stated: “The balance of care remains stable; however, we continue to monitor the emotional distress and risk-taking behaviour amongst young people due to the impacts of Covid-19.”
At Wednesday’s meeting, Conservative Strathallan councillor Keith Allan asked: “Are these impacts going to be long-term, tail off or will they continue in annual reports?”
Previously, at PKC’s Finance and Resources Committee’s June meeting, councillors agreed to award £636,000 more funding to provide extra support for the increasing number of primary one pupils in 2024/25 with additional support needs. Elected members were told covid had a “significant impact” on the development of some children who started primary school this August, who were babies and toddlers during lockdown and covid restrictions.
Perth and Kinross Council had 83 children who started P1 in August 2024 that were known to Early Years Inclusion Services. And children who were more disadvantaged in their upbringing were more likely to have been worst affected.
At the June meeting PKC’s Strategic lead for Education and Learning Sheena Devlin said a variety of sources – including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – showed “the Covid-19 pandemic did have a disproportionate impact on those who were already living in more deprived circumstances”.
And on Wednesday the local authority’s education chief told councillors they would see long-lasting impacts “for some time to come”.
Ms Devlin said: “We’re probably going to see the impact of the pandemic at least for a generational cycle in relation to some children and young people.
“For example we know the impact on young people who were born during periods of lockdown who we can see demonstrable deficiencies in acquisition of speech and language for example in comparison to some of their peers, ability to socialise, to be toilet trained, to take turns on entering school.
“And in relation to older young people who were impacted by periods of lockdown, we have seen heightened levels of anxiety. And indeed during the pandemic and since we have seen an increase in risk-taking behaviour in our young people.
“And so whilst all services are working to mitigate and work in partnership with parents, families and communities to mitigate that, there will undoubtedly be some long-lasting impacts of the pandemic that we will see for some time to come.”