Covid pandemic disproportionately affected children in BAME families by exacerbating inequalities

Image from copower report Black and ethnic minority communities experienced great anxiety over work, education and disproportionate attention from police during the Covid-19 pandemic, finds a new report by researchers at UCL, Goldsmiths and Royal Holloway. The £2.5million research project, titled The Consortium on Practices of Wellbeing and Resilience in BAME families and Communities (Co-POWeR), details an 18-month investigation exploring the impact of the pandemic on people of Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME). The report looked at those who experienced a disproportionate socio-economic and psychosocial impact, and examined the effects on their mental and emotional health and well-being, alongside the psychological and social implications. The team found that black and minority ethnic communities relied more on social networks and community support than formal support services borne of a pre-existing lack of trust and fear of racist responses. The inequities of Covid-19's impact on BAME communities were already reported soon after the virus hit - with data revealing that while making up only 3.8% of the population in England, BAME people made up 5.8% of Covid-19 deaths.  The Co-POWeR report goes deeper, reviewing the impact of efforts to stem the transition of the virus on family life, education and parenting. Through engaging with young people and parents from BAME communities across England and Wales, as well as BAME professionals in social services, the report shows that the disproportionate impacts of the disease were exacerbated by pre-existing racial and structural inequalities.