Care in the Time of COVID, 2020

Aimed to understand the mental health and lived experiences of adults with care experience during the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown.

Data were collected during the first UK lockdown, between 20 May and 19 June 2020, through an online Qualtrics survey. Participants were asked to self-identify as care-experienced by confirming they had spent some time in the care of a local authority (foster care, kinship care, residential or group home) before 18. They were asked about their: level of education, occupation (current and, prior to, 16 March 2020), access to outdoor space, whether they had been identified by the NHS as vulnerable to COVID-19, and whether they had suspected or confirmed COVID-19. The survey also included three validated measures: the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment (GAD-7), and the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS).

Participants were also asked to submit a diary in response to one of four prompts. Two of the prompts remained the same throughout the project, and two prompts were changed weekly and were selected by the research team to encourage participants to reflect on a wide range of experiences.

The survey was completed by 204 people. Most participants completed the survey once (n=178), a small number took part twice (n = 22) and four people completed the survey three times. At least one diary entry was provided by 140 people. Some people submitted more than one diary entry. Diaries also include pictures of participants' artwork, photographs and other materials.

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