Contents
How can I support my child?
What support should my child receive from their education/childcare setting?
Will my child qualify for additional support for their exams?
I’m worried about my child’s mental health as a result of long COVID, what support is there for them?
Impact and studies of long COVID
More information
This information is aimed at young people aged 12 years and above and their parents/carers. We recommend that children read this information with their parents/carers. Parents/carers may find the information useful to help younger children by adapting the strategies to suit a younger age group.
If your child has had COVID, they might have symptoms that last for more than four weeks or several months. This is sometimes called long COVID, which is commonly used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after an acute COVID infection for over 4 weeks that cannot be explained by an alternative medical diagnosis.
The information below is aimed to support you in helping your child/children in your care, manage their symptoms.
How can I support my child?
If you think your child may have ongoing symptoms that are impacting their daily life and that may be related to having a COVID infection, you should consult their GP or school nurse, who will be able to refer them for assessment and further support if appropriate.
What support should my child receive from their education/childcare setting?
Your child’s education/childcare setting should be treating long COVID in line with any other medium to long-term health needs that may affect a child’s attendance or ability to fully take part in education/childcare activities. This means appropriate support should be offered by your child’s education/childcare setting if your child needs it, either when absent or when they are returning to school/childcare.
Regular school attendance is vital for children and young people’s educational attainment, life chances, and mental health. Your child should be encouraged to return to their education/childcare setting once they feel well enough to do so.
Those returning may require some reasonable adjustments to support a smooth and successful return. Adjustments may include, but are not limited to:
- Regular check-ins with your child
- Increased pastoral support
- A gradual return (regularly reviewed)
- Modifications to lesson plans/activities where appropriate
- Referrals to the school nurse, Educational Psychologist and other school-based therapists for advice and support
- If your child already has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or support plan, the inclusion or special needs co-ordinator at the setting will be able to ensure any planned intervention and support for your child is linked into these.
If you have any concerns about your child’s ability to take part in their usual activities, you should arrange a meeting with your child’s education/childcare setting and any health and/or social care professionals (if appropriate). In this meeting you should discuss possible adjustments that could be put in place to ensure that your child can attend their education/childcare settings as normally as possible
Further information on how schools and local authorities are expected to manage school attendance, including illness absence, can be found on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance
Will my child qualify for additional support for their exams?
Some students, including some students with long COVID, might need access arrangements to help them access exams. Access arrangements include a wide range of adjustments such as rest breaks during exams or modified enlarged paper for visual impairments. You should speak to relevant staff at your child’s setting (for example the Special Educational Needs Coordinator [SENCo]), or a member of the school’s senior leadership team) ahead of exams for advice on what support might be available for your child.
If you need help understanding your child’s rights under the Equality Act, you could contact an organisation like the Equality Advisory and Support Service for advice.
I’m worried about my child’s mental health as a result of long COVID, what support is there for them?
Children and young peoples’ wellbeing was impacted by the pandemic, and some may still be experiencing a range of moods and emotions. It is important to listen to children and young people about this.
Further wellbeing support for children and young people can be found at Every Mind Matters – NHS (https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/).
You should contact your school if you are worried about your child’s mental health. Schools have access to useful links and sources of support on promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools, which you can also access at the following website address: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges
If help is needed for a mental health crisis or emergency, you should get immediate expert advice and assessment. Guidance on where to get urgent help for mental health can be found on the NHS mental health services website: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/
Impact and studies of long COVID
Further studies on the impact of long COVID in children are being carried out. The government-funded CLoCK study being undertaken by the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health aims to provide a better understanding of the impact of long COVID in children and young people.
The University of Oxford’s “Understanding and using family experiences of managing long COVID to support self care and timely access to services” study aims to improve understanding of how parents and young people from diverse communities have experienced long COVID and care relations in the family, and develop new resources for self-care and improved communication.
More information
Just like adults, most children and young people who develop COVID recover within a few weeks and return to their usual daily activities and interests without experiencing ongoing problems related to the illness. However, recovery will be different from one child to the next. For more help with long COVID symptoms, you can signpost children and young people to the following wellbeing resources on the ‘Your COVID recovery’ website: