PM SHRI JAWAHAR

NAVODAYA
VIDYALAYA
UDHAMPUR

ENGLISH PROJECT

(2023-2024)

TOPIC- "Corona pandemic and the

fallout on families"

Guided by:- Submitted by:-

Mr.Ashwani Kumar
(PGT-ENGLISH).
 Index
1) Acknowledgement
2) Certificate
3) Introduction
4) Financial Impact
5) Non-Financial Impact
6) Sources of Support
7) Recommendations
8) Reference
Acknowledgement

It is pleasure to
acknowledge my gratitude to the
people involved, directly or
indirectly in completion of this
project.
Firstly, I would like to
express heartfelt gratitude to my
teacher Mr.Ashwani Kumar PGT
English for guiding me immensely
through the course of this project.
My sincere thanks to Hon’ble
Principal Sh.Ajeet Pratap Singh for
his co-ordination in extending
every possible support for the
completion of this project on
"Corona pandemic and the fallout
on families".
 Certificat
e
This is to certify that, this project has
been satisfactorily completed by
Class Academic Session 2023-24
studying in PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalaya Udhampur(J.K.) as per the CBSE
guidelines for the same.

INTERNAL EXAMINER PRINCIPAL

INTRODUCTION:-
Coronavirus has turned the lives of
families with children upside down. Many
parents have lost jobs or been furloughed
and many schools and childcare facilities
have largely been closed, leaving those still
in work facing the impossible task of
balancing work with childcare and home
schooling. These challenges are particularly
acute for low-income families.
Based on an online survey of 285 low-
income families and in-depth interviews with
21 of these families between May and
August 2020, this report offers an important
insight into the day-to-day struggles that
families have been dealing with, as well as
their strength and resilience in managing
such an array of
challenges on a limited income.
Financial impact:-
Overall, around 8 in 10 respondents to our
online survey reported a significant deterioration
in their living standards due to a combination of
falling income and rising expenditure. Families
who responded in July and early August were less
optimistic about their financial situation than
those who responded in May or June.
Even among those families whose
employment had not been disrupted – including
those who were not working prior to the
pandemic – the majority reported a worsening in
their financial situation.
Most of the families we interviewed are
already living close to the poverty line.
Therefore, it only takes a relatively small fall in
income or rise in living costs to push them
into poverty and debt. For the minority of
households who were previously on relatively
high earnings and are now reliant on the social
security system, the income shock has been very
sudden and severe. How these families cope in
future will depend on how long the crisis
persists.
For single parents, in particular, the
challenge of balancing work and childcare is
likely to be even more difficult than usual
over the coming months.
Nearly 9 in 10 families who responded
to our online survey said they faced
additional costs as a result of coronavirus, and
were spending substantially more on food,
electricity, and other essentials. Low income
families spend a much higher share of their
income on these items, so this has a
disproportionate impact on their overall standard
of living.
The most commonly cited reason for this
was that families were spending much more time
at home; as a result, they were using more
energy for cooking and home entertainment and
their children were eating more. Quite a few
families also commented that the cost of food
had gone up significantly during the early part of
lockdown. Some families have expanded during
lockdown, as older children returned home or
elderly relatives moved in, placing an additional
financial burden on household finances.
Lowincome families were acutely aware of these
extra costs, because they were already living on
such a tight budget.
 My husband is the highest earner in our
family. He was working as a manager in a hotel
that sadly
can no longer afford to keep him on. He found
out today that he has been made redundant
 earn any money from the last day of this month.
Now I'm petrified that I'm going to struggle to
pay our bills and mortgage without help... we've
never claimed anything in our lives and have
always worked so this is a new situation for us.”
(Couple with two children, South East)
“It's been extremely stressful, I haven't
been able to get any discount off rent or council
tax so am paying 100% bills with 80% wage plus
extra More
food than
and electric costs.” of
three-quarters (Single with onesaid
respondents
that the coronavirus has affected their ability to
pay for food and utilities, and around half
said it has affected their ability to pay for
housing and child- related costs.
Some commentators have talked about the
benefits of living a simpler lifestyle under
lockdown with more time to nurture relationships
and enjoy nature, but for nearly all of the parents
we spoke to life has been a constant struggle to
make ends meet and manage the additional
pressures on family life.
Families have employed a range of
coping strategies to manage the financial
squeeze, including running down their savings;
borrowing from family and friends; cutting
spending, including buying cheaper and often
less healthy food; juggling bills and missing
payments; relying on charitable support; and
accessing the government’s income support
schemes or claiming new benefits where they
could.
Non-financial impacts
In addition to being financially affected by the
pandemic, interviewees and survey respondents told us
they had been affected in many other ways, too.
Almost half reported physical or mental health
problems. For many, this was caused by worries about
money, the rising cost of food and utility bills, not being
able to buy their children what they needed, and issues
with their benefits. Many parents told us they had pre-
existing stress or mental health conditions, which had
either been aggravated or reactivated by their current
circumstances.
Some interviewees, particularly single parents,
were stressed as a result of feeling lonely or socially
isolated, and because of the extra caring
responsibilities they had taken on during the pandemic.
These were exacerbated by financial pressures and, in
some cases, overcrowded accommodation. Survey
respondents also commented on the difficulties of
home-schooling their children.
The difficult living conditions that many families
experience have been highlighted by the lockdown.
Many families had no outdoor space, and others were
painfully aware of the poor quality or overcrowded
accommodation in which they were living.
When asked about how they dealt with stress,
interviewees told us they had a range of coping
strategies. Some relied on their partners or children to
help them with managing stress. Others went for walks
or practised gratitude, faith or positive thinking to get
them through particularly difficult periods.
Sadly, some parents told us that their children
were also suffering from mental health problems as a
result of the pandemic. In most cases it seemed to be
teenagers or young
adults who were most affected – perhaps because they
were old enough to understand what is going on and
worry about the impact on their future. However, our
interviewees made clear that younger children were
also affected.
“I am single mother with depression and anxiety, I
lost my job beginning of March and been unable to find
a new job as my son’s nursery closed to the pandemic.
My health has deteriorated and I have become very
lonely and suicidal. I am in more debt and struggling to
pay bills and feed my son and myself.” (Single with one
child, Yorkshire and the Humber).
“We live in a flat with no garden, but it is extremely
hard. I don’t get anything from my little zero-hour
contract part time job and all the expenses have
doubled due to us being home constantly. There is too
much pressure with school work and the effects overall
have been very damaging. We’re in rent arrears and not
sure if we
Thewill have we
families a place to to
spoke live after
were all this.”
very (Single
conscious of the
disruption to their children’s school work. In some
families, children were struggling to stay engaged
with their work or were anxious about their results.
Other parents told us that their children were
struggling with online learning because they could not
afford the technology, or that the technology they had
was broken.
Another common theme among parents was the
knock- on effects of having less money on children’s
birthdays and entertainment, which left parents feeling
guilty that they were unable to provide what their
children needed or wanted, particularly on special
occasions such as a birthday.

Sources of support
Although record numbers of people have
lost their jobs as a result of the crisis, it is clear
that the Job
Retention Scheme and Self Employment Income
Support Scheme have protected millions of
people from the full economic impact of the
crisis, including quite a few of the families we
interviewed for this study. For low income
families, however, the loss of 20 per cent of their
income has left many of them unable to cover
their essential costs. Furthermore, several
families did not qualify for these schemes, for
example because their employer refused to
furlough them. And some were furloughed at 80
per cent of their usual pay and were then hit by
the benefit cap.
Free school meal vouchers were highly
valued by the parents who received them,
although some families experienced problems
with accessing the scheme at first due to
operational issues, while others were ineligible
even though they were living in poverty.
Some families were positive about their
experience of claiming new benefits and about
changes to their existing benefits that had been
made as a result of the pandemic, including the
£20 a week uplift to universal credit (UC) and
working tax credit (WTC). However, the majority
of interviewees, and survey respondents who
commented on their experience of claiming
benefits/changes to their existing benefits as a
result of the pandemic, highlighted problems
they had experienced when interacting with the
social security system, due to:
• The inadequacy of benefit levels to cover basic
living costs, especially for those who had
previously been working and those on legacy
benefits who missed out on the increase in UC
and WTC.
• The impact of the benefit cap on families
who had been furloughed at less than their full
pay, taking them below the income threshold.
• The long waiting period and additional
delays in receiving the first universal credit
payment, coupled with the variability and
uncertainty in the amounts then received.
• Difficulty in knowing where to look for
advice on claiming benefits and other support.
Even families who had benefited from the
uplift in benefits did not generally feel better off,
because the change did not take into account the
additional needs of children and was offset by
increased living costs.
Although the Westminster government has
given councils in England extra funding to
support residents who are struggling
financially,5 none of the families we interviewed
and only six online respondents said they had
received additional council tax support. Only one
interviewee and one online respondent said they
had received help through a local welfare
assistance scheme, highlighting the need to
publicise these schemes more widely where
they exist. Family support workers and other
practitioners were often instrumental in
signposting families to local services and
ensuring
they get the support they need.
Some private companies have been assisting
customers who are experiencing financial difficulties as
a result of coronavirus, by offering payment holidays,
being flexible with (re)payments, or allowing them to
cancel contracts without a penalty fee. However, other
companies have been less accommodating, putting
more financial pressure on families.
Trussell Trust statistics6 show that families with
children are accessing food banks in larger numbers
than ever, and this was borne out in our survey – this
being the most widely accessed form of support
outside the social security system.
Many of the families we interviewed have turned to
family and friends for financial support in difficult times.
Some, however, felt uncomfortable about this or were
unable to do so, because their relatives or friends are
also struggling financially.

“I lost my job in a cafe at the beginning of

lockdown. I was not offered furlough as the business
was closing. My benefits have also decreased [due to
benefit cap]. After bills have been taken out, I am left
with under £50 a week for food or other essential
items for myself and 3 children. Struggling to see how
I will be able to afford new school uniforms.
Especially for my oldest who is moving into senior
school.” (Single with three children, East Midlands)
“COVID-19 has impacted us greatly. I cannot
work as I am at home looking after my children. Food
prices have rocketed. My partner’s income has greatly
reduced because the clients can’t afford to pay him…
It’s been so stressful. Only just got universal credit but
that’s not enough to live on.”(Couple with three or
more children, East of England)
Recommendations:-
Based on what families told us about the
support they would value most at this time, we
make the following recommendations:
• Child benefit should be increased by at
least £10 a week and an extra £10 a week should
be added to the child element within universal
credit and child tax credits.
• Free school meals should be extended to
all families who are in receipt of universal
credit or tax credits, with a view to introducing
universal FSM for all children in the longer
term.
• The benefit cap should be abolished,
or at least suspended for the duration of the
pandemic.
Without a radical change in policy
direction, the prospects for many families are
likely to deteriorate further through the
remainder of this year, as unemployment rises
and the support provided by the Job Retention
Scheme is phased out and replaced by a much
less generous social security system for those
who lose their jobs or businesses.
References :-
• www.google.com
• The Times of India
• The Hindu

Thank you!