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

Area of Science:

• Child health services
• Emergency preparedness
• Disability services

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic highlighted service gaps for disabled children.
• Previous research informed initial recommendations.
• Qualitative data from the pandemic provided context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve consensus on service delivery recommendations for disabled children in England during emergencies.
• To ensure continuity of care and support for vulnerable children.

Main Methods:

• Drafting recommendations based on prior research and qualitative data.
• Refining recommendations through workshops with professionals and parent carers.
• Utilizing a Delphi survey with diverse stakeholder groups (parent carers, young people, professionals) to rate recommendation importance.
• Convening a consensus meeting to ratify final recommendations.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight initial recommendations were evaluated.
• Seven recommendations achieved critical consensus across all stakeholder groups.
• Nineteen final recommendations were ratified after aggregation and refinement.
• Participant feedback from over 141 individuals in the Delphi survey informed the outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Service reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic had severe, long-term impacts on disabled children and families.
• The study successfully established agreed-upon recommendations for future emergency service delivery for disabled children.
• Collaboration between parent carers, disabled young people, and professionals is crucial for effective emergency planning.