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Policy and practice recommendations for services for disabled children during emergencies: Learning from COVID-19

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Hannah MerrickORCiD, Professor Jeremy Parr, Professor Lindsay Pennington, Kulwinder Bola, Dr Susan Carr, Dr Laura Gray, Dr Shona Haining, Pauline Heslop, Dr Victoria Grahame, Dr Ge YuORCiD

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Abstract

© 2024 The Author(s). Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Mac Keith Press.Aim: To seek consensus on recommendations for the delivery of services to disabled children in England during future emergencies. Method: Candidate recommendations were drafted based on our related mapping review and qualitative research related to experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Iterative workshops with professionals and parent carers helped to refine the recommendations. A Delphi survey, rating the importance of each recommendation, was conducted with (1) parent carers of disabled children, (2) disabled young people aged 8 to 19 years, and (3) health, education, and social care professionals. A consensus meeting was convened online to discuss the findings and ratify the recommendations. Results: Twenty-eight recommendations were included in the Delphi survey. There were 141 participants in round 1 and 91 in round 2. Seven recommendations reached the agreed consensus criteria for being critical across all stakeholder groups, while 21 recommendations did not reach consensus across all groups. Fourteen participants ratified 23 recommendations, which when aggregated and refined further produced our final 19 recommendations. Interpretation: Reductions in services for disabled children and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic had serious and lasting consequences. This study enabled parent carers, disabled young people, and health, education, and social care professionals to agree recommendations on services for disabled children during future emergencies.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Merrick H, Morris C, Allard A, Parr JR, Pennington L, Bola K, Carr S, Gray L, Haining S, Platts L, Heslop P, Grahame V, Teare D, Yu G

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology

Year: 2024

Pages: epub ahead of print

Online publication date: 26/10/2024

Acceptance date: 13/09/2024

ISSN (print): 0012-1622

ISSN (electronic): 1469-8749

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.16126

DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.16126


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