The Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health and Well-being of Care-Experienced People

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on care-experienced people has been the subject of research, but important gaps remain in our understanding of how care-experienced people felt their mental health and well-being were affected by the pandemic. Care-experienced adults from across the UK were invited to complete a survey and submit a diary during the first lockdown. Responses were received from 140 people, aged eighteen to sixty-nine years. Most respondents reported that their mental health deteriorated due to the pandemic and lockdown. However, a substantial minority thought that either there had been no change or the lockdown had helped them make positive improvements. Improvements were attributed to stable housing and employment, support from services and transferable skills they had learnt in care. A minority of respondents referred to their care status in their diaries. Most diarists presented their experiences as being common to other, non-care-experienced, people. This article showcases the resilience of many care-experienced people, including some who made explicit reference to the benefits of coping strategies developed while in care. The findings of this study reveal that when provided with the right support, the care system can assist people to develop important life skills. Care-experienced adults are people who spent some of their childhood in the care of a local authority. This research project aims to understand how this group of people felt their mental health and well-being were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The project also explores whether people felt that being care-experienced directly informed their mental health and well-being during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Care-experienced adults from across the UK were invited to complete a survey and share a diary during the first lockdown. Responses were received from 140 people, aged eighteen to sixty-nine years. The diaries ranged from music videos and poetry to drawings and creative writing. Most participants reported that their mental health deteriorated during the first COVID-19 lockdown. A substantial minority, however, believed either there had been no change in their well-being or the pandemic was associated with positive improvements. The study also found that most respondents did not refer to their care status in their diaries. Instead, most diarists presented their experiences as being common to other, non-care-experienced, people. This research highlights the diversity of care-experienced people's experiences and shows that when provided with the right support, the care system can assist people to develop important life skills.