UK COVID-19 inquiry|23 Oct 2025

Children and Young People's Commissioner's from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

NB: Contains some distressing details.

Introduction

Children’s Commissioners in attendance are Nicola Killean OBE (Scotland), Chris Quinn (Northern Ireland) and Rocio Cifuentes (Wales).

The statement will focus on Ms.Killean’s evidence.

‘‘It was clear from the very earliest days of the pandemic that decisions would have a life-long impact on a generation of children.’’

-Paragraph 15 of statement

‘‘I have grave concerns over the failures of many public bodies including both the UK and Scottish governments, and the resulting breaches of children’s rights.’’

-Paragraph 18

‘‘It is at times of emergency and crisis that hard-won human rights protections are most vital, and most at risk”

-Paragraph 56

‘‘Adults could go to the pub, or out clubbing without a mask, yet young people had to sit in lessons in school all day wearing a face covering.’’

‘‘We pointed out that masks impact on young people’s learning and their time in school. They make socialising, communicating and accessing support harder.’’

-Paragraph 113 of statement

Testimony highlights

• Children’s rights discarded.

• Human rights abandonment a public health emergency.

• Lack of ‘critical’ impact assessments.

‘‘I share my predecessors view that children’s rights as a whole were NOT sufficiently taken into account.’’

‘‘Government considered the pandemic primarilly as a public health emergency…This was a human rights EMERGENCY.’’

‘‘The most common issues that my office identified..they (CRIA’s) often failed to reflect any negative impacts.’’

‘‘My office was so concerned about this and the lack of CRIA's.’’

Disproportionate impacts

• Safety net of the most vulnerable removed. Several deaths.

• Regular concerns raised on lockdown harms to children not taken seriously.

• Lockdown made vulnerable children even more vulnerable.

‘To take away that safety net was a particular impact on the most vulnerable children .’’

‘‘Because there was no CRIAs…it meant that the impact on those most vulnerable children was not thought about in advance and mitigations were not put in place.’’

‘‘My written submission gives more details of at least three DEVASTATING child deaths…the pandemic and COVID was a factor in social workers not being able to see or hear directly from those children.’’

These tragic deaths are evidenced at paragraph 53 of the witness statement.

‘‘There were also other groups disproportionately impacted…disabled children..ethnic minority children and those from poorer backgrounds.’’

‘‘Children with disabilities were much more likely than their peers to feel worried catching coronavirus.’’

-Rocio Cifuentes

‘‘If we take children with disabilities…those children not having access to services for example was again common to each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.’’

-Claire Dobbin KC

‘‘The disadvantaged gap widened…for those children who were MOST vulnerable they were most negatively impacted.’’

-Chris Quinn

‘Devastating’ and ‘undeniable’ mental health impacts

• No government recovery plan.

• Primary school children mental health worse now that at any-time past 20 years.

• Almost 50% of teens have probable mental illness.

• Ongoing adverse impacts.

‘‘The DEVASTATING impact that the pandemic has had on the mental health and wellbeing of thousands of children in Northern Ireland and across the UK…the harm is undeniable.’’

‘‘Mental health has DIGRESSED in Northern Ireland since the pandemic.’’

‘‘Mental health among 11 YEAR OLDS is at it’s lowest point since 2010…that’s children who are in primary seven.’’

‘‘Amongst 16 year old’s nearly half of the young people are experiencing a probable mental illness.’’

‘‘A mother spoke on the radio..her children have special educational needs..they are not experiencing services and support they might have…one of her children was afraid to let Santa Claus into the house during the pandemic.’’

‘‘That’s quite shocking that children are still experiencing that fear.’’

-Chris Quinn

Mental health impacts cont..

• Negative impacts of restrictions life long.

‘‘We took AWAY children’s basic freedoms for the best part of 2 years…we took away their freedom to meet their friends..to see their grandparents..we took away their freedom to play…to exercise..to goto school.’’

‘‘That is a LIFE ALTERING… TRAUMATIC and pivotal experience that is going to have LIFE-LONG effects.’’

-Rocio Cifuentes

Statement highlights

Nicola Killean

‘‘The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every aspect of children’s lives in Scotland and across the world’’

‘‘‘It was a human rights crisis and very quickly recognised as such by international human rights organisations.’’

-Paragraph 12

‘‘On 8 March 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachele warned that;

“Lockdowns, quarantines and other such measures to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19 should always be carried out in strict accordance with human rights standards and in a way that is necessary and proportionate to the evaluated risk but..

..even when they are, they may have serious repercussions on people’s lives”.

-Paragraph 13

‘‘By April he (Bruce Adamson the then Children’s Commissioner) was raising concerns that the Scottish Government was failing to take a rights based approach and support and prioritise children’s rights.’’

-Paragraph 27

‘‘Immediate risks were identified for disabled children and young people, children in the care and justice system, young carers and those for whom there were safeguarding or child protection concerns.’’

-Paragraph 31

‘‘Although the pandemic provided a justification to limit certain rights, there was a need to be clear about the extent to which..the bill transferred power to the executive..

..and overturned or bypassed existing human rights protections.

-Paragraph 56

‘‘We received no advance notice from the Scottish Government that a lockdown was imminent; we found out at the same time the general public did. We were not consulted on this decision.’’

-Paragraph 61

‘‘We had heard of instances where older children were challenged by Police when legitimately exercising or doing essential shopping.’’

-Paragraph 77

‘‘Even relatively throwaway comments from government sources could result in significant negative impacts. For example;

…in a press conference on 28 April 2020, Jason Leitch, the National Clinical Director, had responded to a question about whether face masks could scare children by saying that children should not be in shops.’’

-Paragraph 82

‘‘We were also made aware of instances where children had been challenged, including by police, for legitimately shopping for household essentials on behalf of a parent.’’

-Paragraph 83

‘‘Shortly after schools reopened in August 2020, we received a number of emails and phone calls reporting that children were being denied access to drinking water.’’

-Paragraph 89

‘‘It is worth noting, because it appears to be much misunderstood, that..

..the Scottish Government never closed Scotland’s schools…

..Ministers had the power to do so, and would almost certainly have been justified in making an order to that effect using the powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. However..

..no Education Closure Direction was made.’’

-Paragraph 98

Thoughts

Lots to digest including the revelation schools in Scotland were under no government directive to close.

‘Limitations on rights to family life and contact, and reduced opportunities to access professional supports such as mental heaith supports, all combined to exacerbate the impact of the deprivation of liberty.

‘‘However, these concerns were not reflected in the steps taken by the Scottish Government to ensure the emergency measures complied with children and young people’s human rights…

..These children’s rights were largely forgotten during the pandemic.’’

-Paragraphs 149-150 of statement

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The ‘whitewash’ continues….

End

Additional links:

• Rocio Cifuentes statement

• Chris Quinn statement