Steps for Peace in Liverpool City region and Warrington
As part of the community match challenge #CommunitiesCan the Peace Foundation is to offer urgent support to primary schools in the Liverpool City Region and Warrington tier 3 lockdown areas. The pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the economy, health, and social care; exacerbated by the subsequent and continuing public health restrictions. The return to education in autumn has seen schools and colleges on the ‘front line’ and unearthed severe consequences experienced by children, their families and, of course, educators. The education regulator, Ofsted’s report into the impact of the pandemic finds that children who were hardest hit by school closures and restrictions have regressed in some basic skills and learning. Some children, lost stamina in their reading and writing, some have lost physical fitness, others show signs of mental distress, including an increase in eating disorders and self-harm. Concerns remain about children who were out of sight during school closures, with falling referrals to social care teams raising fears that domestic neglect, exploitation or abuse is going undetected; and there is evidence of increased exposure to conflict and violence. The Peace Foundation, supported by the Steve Morgan Foundation and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), is to launch a school based conflict resolution, and peace building education and subclinical social support to children in the tier III designated Liverpool City Region (Sefton, Wirral, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens, Liverpool) and Warrington. Programme Goals To identify primary schools that are based in the city region six districts and Warrington identified in October 2020 as tier 3 restricted areas. The schools to be reporting the most challenging behaviours in upper primary children that may lead to exclusion or difficult transition to secondary education as a result if the disruption to education and society caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. To identify children within the most ‘challenged’ schools, that are demonstrating negative determinants of health and lacking social support – measured by, but not exclusively: economic stability, educational attainment, social and community context, neighbourhood and built environment, and mental health, health & wellbeing To work with schools were conflict is high and there is a need to promote peace, community cohesion and reduce any isolation or negative tendencies such as hostility divisive culture etc (‘us, and them’ – fear/hate of the other). Programme Targets Equip young people with conflict resolution skills and confidence, as well as access to persisting and reinforcing sources of social support from local schools, community centres, and their intervention peers whom they identify with and value Promote pro-social and emotional skills to support their transition into secondary school and adolescence Prevent further escalation of anti-social behaviours and support their social, emotional and leadership (agency) development Scope The programme is a direct response to the consequences of the pandemic on education and children; targeting the region that has had most impact in terms of Covid 19 and the subsequent restrictions (first place to be under tier III restrictions); but also considering the wider health and...