Lockdown was put in place at probably the busiest time of the year for MCFB. Up until then, our offices on Coburg Street had been a hive of activity: we had around 15 social work students on placement, phone calls to answer, meetings to attend, visits from parents and children and after school group activities to run. With the promise of better weather, we were beginning to think about venturing outdoors and planning summer barbecues, we were holding regular supervision sessions with our students and visiting families in their homes. All of this of course has had to change and, like everyone, we have had to adapt quickly to a new way of life. We have said goodbye at short notice to all our social work students, many of whom had not finished their placements with us. Our staff team have had to adjust to working from home, quickly learning to use digital technology to stay in touch with colleagues as well as with families, most of whom were already socially isolated and have now the added aspect of being socially distanced from the support networks that have been built up around them. The challenges around working with Covid-19 have made us respond in a dynamic, more creative way.

Staff 'Zoom' meeting

Many of our families have experienced food shortages, some have struggled with having to rely on abusive ex partners to deliver or provide food. Other families have not been able to leave the house, as they have been in self isolation. Many parents are anxious about home schooling and have expressed financial concerns. We have worked alongside foodbanks to ensure families had food parcels delivered to their doors and we have reassured them and supported them through these challenges.  Many are struggling with the lack of face to face contact. Technology has allowed face-to-face video calls and opportunities to share stories or talk to the children. This is being done in a structured way to build some degree of routine into the week. We were able to access resources for arts activities prior to the lockdown and have been granted funding to continue this and link into our You Tube channel as well, with a view to providing stimulating opportunities for the children at home. Lindsay, MCFB group worker in the 4 Corners football based group for primary school aged children, tells me that each week more members are joining their online ‘Zoom’ group and, with the help of our football coaches, they are trying out football skills and activities as well as catching up with each other’s news.

Project worker, Diline Abushaban, who works with the resettled Syrian population in Edinburgh via our Safe Haven project, reports that the uncertainty and the lack of routine has triggered a reminder of the trauma many children had experienced in Syria, with some experiencing nightmares and flashbacks. She has responded by providing one-to-one video calls to the affected children. Weekly group sessions have also provided a sense of routine and Diline has noticed that the children have enjoyed seeing each other and have engaged well with the activities: a scavenger hunt, a quiz and general chit chat. This contact, albeit virtual, has allowed the children to reconnect and go back to their Friday afternoon routine, providing reassurance, familiarity and a sense of security.

Drawing sent in from Syrian children in our Safe Haven project

Video conversations with our weekly young carers group, the self-penned ‘Yolo Sistas’, have mostly centred on how everyone was coping with being at home and inside for long periods of time during the day, what each of the girls was doing with their time and suggestions about what could be helpful to enjoy this time at home. Reading, drawing, painting, developing vocabulary of another language, tidying and domestic tasks as well as helping to care for family members were among the things that the girls were doing. There are plans to do some of the activities they might have done in the group on Zoom and to make that possible by getting materials sent to the girls for activities they will be choosing. Anna, who runs the group with Wei says it has been reassuring to see that the Yolo Sistas have been managing the isolation and using creative ways of doing that (with only odd comments about being bored) and also that they are enjoying seeing each other and building on the strength of their relationships. The conversations have been thought provoking and helpful in terms of making sense of the feelings and experience at this time as well as extending compassion to people who are suffering illness and loss of life. The groups are fun, lively and interesting, opening up creative solutions and ideas to the current situation.

One of our service users writes, “I worked in the catering industry and I lost my job and that has been difficult for me – I lost more than just my income, I lost social contacts, too. It’s different for people with mental health issues, such as myself. You hang on to personal contact so much, you need people around so it’s so difficult when you are on your own and nobody is around. I did not prepare myself for lockdown so when it happened, I was not ready. I did not have any savings or food at home and when I went to buy stuff, there was nothing there. You stepped in and arranged food and toiletries delivery when I began to show symptoms of COVID-19 and needed to self-isolate. I always felt I can rely on you, but during this difficult time you gave me hope and showed me I am not alone.”

Painting by service user: "You are like an umbrella to me in this storm. The lady with the umbrella is me, the umbrella above her is you."

Another woman who has been supported by our Bright Choices project writes: “The main challenge during this situation is that our children are always around each other and not seeing their friends and enjoying being in a group. They are managing it by doing stuff they like and reading books and watching lots of DVDS provided by MCFB. I have not been seeing Jana (Bright Choices project worker) once a week in person and not going to Women’s group which was making me feel more lonely, but Jana is constantly in touch with me so I am trying to cope with situation. This is a really hard time for all of us but we should all really look at the positive side.. I think we were so troubled in our lives and we were hardly managing to give time to our families. So now we have a chance when we can make a good bond with our families. We can rethink our lifestyle, change our habits which are interfering in our abilities and make positive choices for future. If during this time of isolation we can't make positive changes, gain some knowledge and skills and be kind to others and ourselves, we aren't short of time..When life gives us a hundred reasons to breakdown and cry, we should stand up and show life thousand reasons to smile. Stay strong and protect yourself.”

Project worker, Deidre Payne, says it has been a case of recognising the resilience that families already have, and capitalising on this as they navigate these new and difficult circumstances. “Much of what we have been doing has been a reaction to an unprecedented event. We have as a staff team come together in an unfamiliar technological space, recognising the need for these supportive relationships in a time of uncertainty. We know that the families that we work with are in all likelihood going to be among the most impacted by the longer term impact of the virus, and will be working with the families, and the wider community to mitigate this as best we can.”