Supporting Children and Young People with Worries about COVID 19
In response to COVID-19, a team of researchers in the University of Limerick has launched a new study https://tinyurl.com/UL-COSPACE to explore how students and their families are coping during COVID-19. This survey is directed at parents/carers of young people aged 4-18 years, it has full ethical approval from UL and is completely anonymous for parents to complete.
From this, we can learn about the needs of children and young people and ensure that better and more effective supports are available in real time. For more information on this study, please click here.
As with all research studies, the more participants who complete the survey, the more accurate a picture we get on the current situation for families and how best to support them during this time.
We would sincerely appreciate if you would share a link of the survey with your parents/guardians. For your convenience, we have attached a draft of an email and a text that can be sent to the parents/guardians in your school. We have also compiled a resource for parents and carers on how to support their children which can be found here.
If you have any queries in relation to the study, please email jennifer.mcmahon@ul.ie.
Relaxation Techniques Text for Podcast
Covid-19 (Corona Virus):
A Guide for Parents on supporting children and young people with daily routines while schools are closed
The Government has made a decision to close all schools in Ireland in order to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 virus and keep as many people as possible safe and well. We have not been in this situation before, so this is new to us all, but if we follow the right advice we will get through this, and in time we will be proud of how we responded and worked together to support our country. This decision has impacted on all of our lives and changed everyone’s daily routines.
Some children and young people may be coping well with social/physical distancing and completing school work at home whereas others may be struggling with these changes. There will be challenges in the weeks ahead as your child will miss their friends, school and their extra-curricular activities. We are all in a period of adjustment and it will take time for us to adapt to being at home so much and spending more time together as families. There are things that can help you and your children to get through this challenging time.
During this time children and young people need your support to create new routines that will keep them busy and give them a sense of control of their lives. This will become more important as time goes on. Routines and schedules are key to helping them through this unprecedented phase in their lives. By having a structured and predictable day they will feel more secure and reassured.
Children and young people can help themselves to get through this time by creating a Plan for the Day every evening for the day ahead, and they may need your help with this, particularly younger children. The Plan for the Day should include where possible: