Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on young people across the UK: An evidence synthesis

Tender description

The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) monitors progress towards improving social mobility in the UK and promotes social mobility in England. It is an independent statutory body created by an Act of Parliament. The SMC was looking for a supplier who could fulfil the following invitation to tender: The overall aim of this project is to establish a rapid evidence base around how young people affected by poverty and/or with poor social mobility prospects are experiencing the COVID-19 crisis and how it will affect their futures, and to provide a synthesis of policy options based on both the current and previous crises. It will provide the evidence base for the UK Social Mobility Commission and Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission to develop recommendations for the governments of the four nations to ensure that the futures of young people affected by poverty, and at risk of poor social mobility, are protected. This project should draw out any specific differences between the nations of the UK, where the evidence indicates that relevant differences in outcomes exist. Broad research questions are set out below. These questions are provided as a guide of what the Commissions are interested in, but we also anticipate bidders will use their own expertise to inform the scope of these questions. Evidence review topic one: • How are young people affected by poverty and/or with poor social mobility experiencing the crisis in each of the four nations? • How has the crisis affected their education and employment? How has it affected their wellbeing and mental health? • How has the crisis impacted on young disabled people, young women, and young people from minority ethnic groups and people with combinations of these characteristics? • How do young people feel about their future, particularly their education, employment and social mobility prospects? What support do they think they need from the government? • What do they think of the different support measures that governments have put in place so far? Evidence review topic two: • What has the impact of previous comparable crises been on young people? • What have previous policy responses been to past crises? What has been effective in improving the prospects for young people in post-crisis recovery? What lessons should policy makers be learning for the recovery?