Forgotten Children: Why the Children & Young People's Module Matters for Clinically Vulnerable Families

When the pandemic began, children were told schools were “safe.” For Clinically Vulnerable Families, reality was very different. Some children were themselves at higher medical risk from Covid-19. Many more lived with parents, siblings, or grandparents whose health conditions meant even a mild infection could be devastating.

These children faced impossible choices: go to school and risk their loved ones’ lives, or stay home and risk fines, prosecution, and being cut off from education. The upcoming Children and Young People’s Module of the Covid Inquiry is a vital chance to examine how these children were treated - and how we can ensure that their very existence and need for safety is never forgotten again.

Children’s voices tell the real story

The Inquiry’s own research (the Children and Young People’s Voices report) captures experiences too often dismissed. Children described how they took on new caring responsibilities, experienced legitimate fear due to unmanaged increased risks, and felt invisible in the serious decisions that shaped their lives.

“There were points where there weren’t a lot to eat, not because of financially, but there was no one to go, to go to the supermarket.” (Aged 22)

“People would… even go to school with Covid, and I was expected just to sit around by them, and accept it… I think there were a lot of times where I didn’t go to school because there were so many people going to school with Covid.” (Aged 15) 

"Previously, my secondary school was willing to accommodate online learning and when we asked them about it when the government guidance changed they originally were like, yep, you can continue online schooling, because you have a heart condition… But then just a few weeks later they changed their mind and decided, no, you have to go back into school... It doesn’t matter if your entire family is in danger of catching Covid and it could cause serious harm to you and your family; you have to go into school… They threatened to [fine us]. If we weren’t willing to go into school it was well over 120 pounds per person in the family per day. So... I was withdrawn from the national schooling system and then we had to look at other options. And that was a nightmare-and-a-half...” (Aged 19) 

 “I remember actually losing some friends over it because they had very strong opinions… We’re very big on free will in this country and the idea that the government telling you to stay home was very foreign and a lot of people in my life, kind of friends of friends didn’t like that… they didn’t want to get the vaccine; they were going out; they were breaking lockdown rules all the time. So my circle got a lot smaller.” (Aged 21) 

 “I remember actually losing some friends over it because they had very strong opinions… We’re very big on free will in this country and the idea that the government telling you to stay home was very foreign and a lot of people in my life, kind of friends of friends didn’t like that… they didn’t want to get the vaccine; they were going out; they were breaking lockdown rules all the time. So my circle got a lot smaller.” (Aged 21) 

Safety in schools is not optional. No child should ever face the choice between education and lives.

Key issues for children in CV families

CVF is concerned about several urgent themes based on our families' experiences:

• Education vs. safety Policies forced families to choose between protecting health and accessing education. Remote learning was often refused, even when risks were clear.

• Legal threats and off-rolling Almost half of CVF members reported their families were threatened with fines and prosecutions in advance of or for non-attendance. Some were pressured by schools into deregistering children, known as 'off-rolling' an illegal practice as it is in the interest of the school and not the child. Children lost school places permanently as a consequence.

• Unsafe school environments Airborne protections like improved ventilation and effective high-grade masks were downplayed or dismissed, leaving vulnerable households exposed.

• Mental health strain Children carried legitimate anxiety about being infected or infecting loved ones. Many took on new roles as unrecognised young carers, taking on burdens far beyond their years.

• Inequality Families faced new and significant inequalities and those already facing disadvantage were often hardest hit.

  
  

What needs to change?

The Children and Young People's Module is a chance to create lasting change:

• Safer schools Clean air, ventilation, and infection control must be non-negotiable.

• Sensible attendance policies Families with health conditions must never face fines or criminalisation for health related absences.

• Guaranteed access to remote learning High-quality online education should be a right when health makes in-person attendance unsafe, or where children face long-term health challenges.

• Mental health support Services must recognise the unique burdens children in CV families carry.

• Recognition of vulnerability Clinically Vulnerable children and households must be recognised in data collection and built into pandemic planning, not excluded from it. CVF believes that families with health conditions need to be recognised as a distinct need and their rights must be protected under the Equality Act.
  

Why this matters for all children

Making schools safe protects everyone. Investing in clean air, flexible provision, and proper support doesn’t just help CV families - it makes education more resilient for future pandemics, measles outbreaks, 'flu seasons, and beyond.

A s CVF has consistently argued, no child should have to choose between their education and their family’s health.

How you can help?

• Raise children’s voices: Amplify their voices so they are not ignored. Use our hashtag #educationANDlives as much as possible on the 29th September (the first day of the hearings).

• Follow the Inquiry hearings: Stay engaged on YouTube as evidence is heard.

• Stand with CV families: Support campaigns for safer schools, equal access to education, and recognition of vulnerability in law and policy. With your support, we can build a safer, fairer future for Clinically Vulnerable families. Please consider making a donation to support our work.
  

Children in Clinically Vulnerable families were not “ghosts” or simply over “anxious”. They were real children, living real lives, making impossible choices. This Inquiry is their chance to be seen, heard, and protected.