Generation Covid: How Oldham social services has fought to protect kids from domestic abuse, radicalisation and grooming in the pandemic
direct to your inboxThe coronavirus pandemic has piled pressure on the health system and battered the economy.But behind people’s front doors, it has also led to growing domestic abuse, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation.In Oldham – one of the Greater Manchester boroughs hardest hit by the virus, with infection rates frequently in the country’s top ten – social workers are now expecting the impact on its young people to play out well into 2021.The closure of schools, coupled with lockdown orders and restrictions on socialising, has led to more concerns for the protection of children forced to spend more time at home.Gerard Jones, executive director for children and young people, described the impact of coronavirus as a ‘complete