There are several recommendations that this report would like to make. These recommendations are based on the what participants explained would be helpful, not only during the Covid-19 pandemic, but moving forwards into the future.
Ongoing support for digital access is recommended. The three aspects- digital devices, data and digital skills need to be met. A central point where surplus data can be donated and distributed would help link excess data cards with people in need of data.
A mixture of online and offline provision is preferable, for example, online classes, activities and access to services can be more accessible for some, but less accessible for others, thus both are needed in order to capture the widest amount of people.
Collaboration between schools, services and organisations is key in ensuring a families’ holistic needs are met, so it is recommended that there be a mechanism- be it a person with oversight, an annual forum, or a website- that brings the different avenues of support together and raises awareness of these between schools and organisations.
Families would like more information from schools on how to best support their children’s education at home.
Ensuring that vulnerable families had a strong relationship with a named, trusted person they can approach for help was mentioned as vital component of families’ ability to thrive. The organisations spoken to in this project provide such support, however, there needs to be some thought into how families who require this can be facilitated to be made aware of such support and access it.
Further research into the challenges that VCOs and asylum-seeking families face in connecting with and engaging with each other, and a compilation of the successful strategies that VCOs use to overcome these challenges.