Help for Social Workers During COVID-19 School Closures

Help for Social Workers During COVID-19 School Closures

We are a national nonprofit organization that advocates for children who are homeschooled. In partnership with the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s Center for Child Policy, we have created a white paper designed to help social workers and other professionals who are working to support students during COVID-19 school closures.  

We centered our white paper on a simple question: How can our experience advocating for maltreated children who are isolated due to homeschooling inform and support professionals who are working to support students during COVID-19 school closures? We came up with a number of answers, including: 

• A growing body of research has focused on some parents’ misuse of homeschooling laws to isolate children and hide maltreatment. 
• Social isolation can exacerbate abuse; placing emotionally abusive parents in charge of supervising instruction can intensify the effects of this abuse. 
• Online teachers can serve as a protective factor for students; effective followup by school districts with families is important. 
• Internet access may be a protective factor for socially isolated students educated at home; families need information on internet safety. 

In our white paper, we analyze evidence on distance learning and child well-being and offer a variety of evidence-based recommendations for social workers and other professionals. 

You can view our full white paper by clicking here or scrolling below:

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