Covid: Vulnerable Cornwall families not coping, council boss warns

The most vulnerable families in Cornwall were the hardest hit by the pandemic, the council's head of family services has said

A council boss has warned that the pandemic has resulted in vulnerable families no longer managing.

Ben Davies, service director for children and families at Cornwall Council, said this has led to a rise in demand for services.

He told councillors that isolation, support systems being disrupted, rising living costs and furlough had all contributed to the increased pressure.

Families who had been doing well have also now "deteriorated", he added.

Cornwall has been contributing to government research on the impact of Covid-19 on families, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

'Mental health'

Speaking at a Cornwall Council scrutiny committee meeting, Mr Davies said: "People's emotional wellbeing has also been affected and people have found it difficult to focus on their personal health.

"Families that had been just getting by and keeping well haven't had the resilience and have suffered from the pressures that the pandemic has borne."

A report to the committee added that the pandemic "has exacerbated existing challenges for those living in poverty, with disabilities and special educational needs, and with mental health issues".

Families in Cornwall have been experiencing "increased pandemic-related pressures...which has led to increases in demand for the council's children's social care services," it said.