Parental experiences of the impacts of COVID-19 on the care of young children; qualitative interview findings from the Nairobi Early Childcare in Slums (NECS) Project

Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic, and societal attempts to control it, have touched almost every aspect of people’s lives around the world, albeit in unequal ways. In particular, there is considerable concern about the way that stringent ‘lockdowns’, as implemented in Kenya and many other countries, affected young children, especially those living in informal settlements. However, to date, there has been little research attempting to unpack and understand how the pandemic has impacted on the care of young children. Methods In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with 21 parents/carers of children aged under five years living in three Nairobi slums between May and September 2021 exploring the ways in which covid-19, and policies to control the pandemic, impacted on their household and the care of their child/children. Results The impacts of covid-19 control measures on the care of children have been widely felt, deep and multiple. The impact of economic hardship has been significant, reportedly undermining food security and access to services including healthcare and childcare. Respondents reported an associated increase in domestic and community violence. Many people relied on help from others; this was most commonly reported to be in the form of variable levels of flexibility from landlords and help from other community members. No direct harms from covid-19 disease were reported by respondents. Conclusion The impacts of covid-19 control measures on the care of young children in informal settlements have been indirect but dramatic. Given the breadth and depth of these reported impacts, and the particular vulnerability of young children, deeper consideration ought to inform decisions about approaches to implementation of stringent disease control measures in future. In addition, these findings imply a need for both short- and long-term policy responses to ameliorate the impacts described. Key messages Young children living in slums, while at low direct risk from Covid-19, are highly vulnerable to early childhood adversity , so may be at great risk from economic and other hardships that are a likely ‘side effect’ of blunt pandemic control measures like stringent ‘lockdowns’. Parent/carers described a set of indirect impacts of covid-19 control efforts that were broad, deep and protracted . Core to these impacts was widespread economic hardship, with knock on effects on household food security, wellbeing and community safety. Considering the particular risks and vulnerability that blunt pandemic control measures present to young children, especially those in slums, needs to be central to policy discussions about if and how to implement stringent disease-control measures . In addition, more research is required to quantify the issues identified in this qualitative inquiry.