‘In the circumstances I think we've all managed really well’ an exploration of the impact of the COVID‐19 restrictions on a Child Development Advisor (Portage) Service

Abstract

Background The Child Development Advisor (CDA) (Portage) service provides developmental support to children with significant developmental delays and emotional support for their families through fortnightly home visits. However, the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions imposed to control its spread prevented services from providing face‐to‐face sessions with families and caregivers, thus removing the CDA (Portage) service's primary means of supporting children and their families. This article aims to explore the impact of those changes on a team of CDAs. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six CDAs representing the CDA (Portage) service within one NHS Health Board. Findings The CDAs expressed feeling an initial negative impact of the COVID‐19 restrictions on the service, but in the longer term they noticed a number of positive impacts, including caregiver empowerment and improved working with other professionals. Conclusion Despite having their primary means of providing support removed as part of the COVID‐19 restrictions, the service has been able to adapt to continuously support families and promote child development throughout the pandemic and inadvertently developed a service offer that may be more beneficial for both families and professionals in the future.