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The Smith Family sees significant fallout from COVID-19 impacting Australia’s most vulnerable children

Media releases

29 May 2021

Leading national children’s education charity The Smith Family says the negative repercussions of COVID-19 on some of Australia’s most vulnerable families are deepening – and the ripple effect is having significant consequences for the education of young people living in poverty.

The organisation’s Emerging from COVID-19: Insights Snapshot brings together recent observations from families, schools and Smith Family teams working on the ground in some of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities, to track how they’re faring following the year of disruption and uncertainty that was 2020.

While most students supported by The Smith Family have settled comfortably back into school this year, there are areas of concern that the organisation is carefully monitoring including:

economic and employment instability impacting families in need
more young people taking on adult responsibilities to help families make ends meet
a housing crisis affecting children’s ability to learn
some students struggling to reengage in their schooling
ongoing negative impacts of the digital divide
compounding mental health issues

“Now that increasing numbers of Australians are being vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s a feeling in Australia that life is returning to some sort of normality. However, we’re very concerned by the high number of students and families we support who are really struggling, some more than at any stage since the pandemic began,” said Acting CEO of The Smith Family, Judy Barraclough.

“Economic instability, a housing affordability crisis and a lack of employment opportunities for our families are all taking their toll – and we’re really worried about the impact this is having on some children’s ability to engage at school.”

The Smith Family works with more than 740 Australian schools, supporting almost 58,000 students experiencing poverty through its Learning for Life education support program.

“Many Australians don’t realise the effect that poverty has on a child’s education. A child whose family can no longer afford the rent for example, needs to find somewhere else to live, which often means the child will have to change schools. While a family’s looking for a new home, sometimes they’re living with relatives, or in caravan parks, or even in cars,” said Ms Barraclough.

“One of our family support workers has reported that right now he’s working with 15 families in his regional community who are living in cars. He’s connecting the children with educational support opportunities to keep them focused on school. But clearly living like this can impact on a child’s ability to even get to school, and to concentrate on their learning when they’re there.

“Every day we’re in awe of the resilience of our students facing situations like this, but inevitably there are some who just can’t cope. Once a student stops going to school, they stop achieving, and this increases the likelihood they’ll drop out before completing Year 12, which harms their long-term career prospects,” said Ms Barraclough.

The Emerging from COVID-19: Insights Snapshot shows that the majority of students supported by The Smith Family across the country have re-engaged in their learning after the disruption of 2020, but some who were struggling before COVID-19, are now reluctant to go to school.

“Last year the pandemic exacerbated already challenging and stressful circumstances for our families and students. Now with families we support facing the increasing cost of housing, the end of the income support Coronavirus Supplement, and a continuing lack of employment prospects, our teams on the ground are worried. Some fear that the worst impacts of the pandemic fallout on our most vulnerable families could be yet to come,” said Ms Barraclough.

The Smith Family exists to support the education of children in need, so they can catch up and keep up at school, and go on to have better futures, she added. Today the organisation has launched its annual Winter Appeal, aiming to raise $5.1 million by 30 June to deliver life-changing learning and mentoring educational support programs to students in need.

“Right now this single-minded focus is absolutely essential so we can stand by children’s sides, and support them and their families through this pandemic and its consequences. We urge all Australians who are able to, to support The Smith Family in our mission, and help us address this challenge, which is undoubtedly one of the toughest of our generation,” said Ms Barraclough.

“Supporting children to achieve at school, year after year, is the best way to help them break the cycle of disadvantage. Not only do our programs equip young people with knowledge and skills, but they open their eyes to future study and career opportunities. This helps them build aspirations for the future and encourages them to pursue their dreams and realise their full potential.”

Funds raised through The Smith Family’s Winter Appeal will support the education of 12,107 Australian children experiencing disadvantage, including giving them access to a range of numeracy, literacy and mentoring programs. These include Student2Student, which helps schoolchildren improve their reading skills outside of school by pairing them with older reading buddies; iTrack, a program linking high school students with a mentor to help them understand how they can reach their career goals; as well as after-school Learning Clubs.

To find out more about The Smith Family’s learning and mentoring programs and how you can support. To find out more about The Smith Family’s learning and mentoring programs and how you can support its Winter Appeal click here.

Media Enquiries:

Download full report [PDF]

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Michael Tarquinio, Senior Media Advisor | 0420 407 886 | michael.tarquinio@thesmithfamily.com.au
Caitlin Dickson, Media Advisor | 0466 955 633 | caitlin.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Sophie Eaton, Media Advisor | 0447 571 397 | sophie.eaton@thesmithfamily.com.au

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 162,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome . For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au