key: cord-0734975-h9ykbma2 authors: Morata, Txus; López, Paco; Palasí, Eva; Hodges, James C.; Calvo, Rocío title: After‐school programmes response to the COVID‐19 pandemic: Lessons learned from Barcelona, Spain date: 2022-04-26 journal: Child Fam Soc Work DOI: 10.1111/cfs.12925 sha: 46b9cbacc0045d1051c11aeeafacf910f330ed33 doc_id: 734975 cord_uid: h9ykbma2 This article explores the role of after‐school programmes (ASPs) in serving underserved families in Barcelona, Spain, during the lockdown phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using a mixed‐method approach, this exploratory study surveyed 31 directors of ASPs administered by the Pere Tarrés Foundation. These ASPs serve almost 2000 children living under the federal poverty level in Catalonia, Spain. Results showed that the primary needs of children and their families revolved around: a digital divide that prevented them from accessing education remotely, financial difficulties, mental and behavioural problems and difficulty navigating pandemic‐related information. The study also explores the ASPs' contributions to address such needs, like engaging families, schools and social and health services to meet the urgent needs of the families, reinforcing school learning, providing support for managing emotions and providing guidance to families to help them better understand health information and gain access to available social and financial resources. . The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare these systemic inequities. Families with children at risk of exclusion experienced disparate financial hardship because of the pandemic, which increased the proportion of children living below the poverty line to 37% nationally (Alto Comisionado contra la Pobreza Infantil, 2021). In Catalonia, where a third of children lived at risk of poverty in 2020 (Statistical Institute of Catalonia, 2021), Open Centers helped these children, and their families, navigate the lockdown phase of the epidemic. The purpose of the current study is to explore the lessons learned from this experience in Barcelona, Spain. Open Centers or "Centros Abiertos" are after-school programmes (ASPs) for underserved children aged 3 to 18. ASPs are part of the Spanish social protection system and are thus subsidized by the government (Spain, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, 2007) . There are 289 ASPs in Catalonia. Most are run by the government (72%). The remaining 28% are run by non-governmental organizations like the Pere Tarrés foundation. The foundation runs 50 ASPs in the Catalonian region. The state provides most of the ASP funding (66%) followed by the federal government (20.5%) and local governments (10%). ASPs obtain the remaining funding through gifts and grants from private foundations (Generalitat de Catalunya, Department of Social Rights, 2022a). Besides enhancing children's academic skills, the ASPs mandate includes the promotion of children's positive development by providing case management and preventive services, such as socioemotional learning (SEL), counselling, work readiness and leisure activities, and by helping families navigate social support services in employment, health care, education, housing and nutrition (Avellaneda et al., 2019) . To achieve these goals, ASP professionals, most of whom are social workers, collaborate closely with schools, other public social services (i.e., health care, housing etc.) and the Department of Children and Families, as it represents an important referral source for ASPs (Spain, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, 2003 , 2010 . Interagency collaboration is crucial to provide interventions that address the needs of children and the systemic barriers that interfere with families' progress. Particularly important is the collaboration with schools. Social workers at ASPs meet periodically with school social workers and teachers to coordinate children's academic goals and progress, testing and special education services, as well as to strategize interventions for behavioural and disciplinary issues (Bas & Pérez, 2017; Longás et al., 2018; Ruiz-Román et al., 2018) . ASPs work with children between age 3 and 18, distributed by age groups: 3-6, 7-11, 12-16 and 17-18. Programmes run from Monday to Friday after school dismissal for 3 h on average, depending on the age group and the type of activities, as well as full time during the summer months and school vacation weeks. During their time at the ASPs, children engage in structured academic activities including homework and in hands-on, participatory enrichment activities such as science and art projects, sit-down games, educational computer use, performing arts, sports and trips to parks, museums and other local attractions (Avellaneda et al., 2019 ; Xarxa de Centres Socioeducatius de la Fundaci o Pere Tarrés, n.d.). Besides these core activities, ASPs provide career development and work readiness learning experiences by engaging teens in teamwork projects designed for learning interpersonal skills, cooperation, time management, punctuality and entrepreneurship (Marzo et al., 2019) . All children and youth are assessed for learning disabilities and behavioural and socioemotional needs and, in collaboration with schools, receive appropriate services to address their specific needs (Generalitat de Catalunya, Department of Social Rights, 2022b; Iglesias & Morata, 2019). To mitigate the impact of family poverty on children's development, ASPs hold weekly meetings with the children's caretakers to facilitate access to essential resources such as employment, education or housing and to engage caretakers in activities that foster positive parenting, including effective parental supervision. Studies show that ASPs are effective in promoting positive child and youth development in children and youth in urban, low-income communities. There is evidence that these programmes improve classroom behaviour (Brock et al., 2018) and academic skills (Cappella et al., 2018) and reduce the risk of social exclusion by increasing graduation rates (Hopson & Lee, 2011) and enrolment in postsecondary education (Marzo et al., 2019) . A meta-analysis conducted by Apsler (2009) showed that participation in ASPs improved participants' self-perception and sense of belonging to the school, fostered positive social behaviours, improved academic performance and reduced behavioural problems. Using a sample of 35 programmes, Lauer et al. (2006) found that ASPs "may have positive effects on the performance of students who are at risk at academic level" (p. 303). Their study found significant progress in reading and mathematics skills among primary and secondary students, mainly through the use of individualized tutoring. Other studies have found that ASPs enable at-risk children and adolescents to develop and apply new personal skills and talents through adult-supervised activities. The key mechanism by which these activities foster learning includes the provision of structured environments, opportunities to form strong social bonds with peers and adults and motivation to complete tasks (Eccles & Templeton, 2002; Mahoney et al., 2010; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2002) . The COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency caused by the state of alarm and subsequent lockdown had negative psychosocial and educational impacts on children, particularly among those from lowincome households (Ghosh et al., 2020) . By mid-April 2020, 192 countries (including Spain) had closed schools, affecting more than 90% of students worldwide (almost 1.6 billion in total) (UNESCO, 2020). In Barcelona, schools were closed for a total of 4 months, from March to June 2020. The lockdown negatively affected children including reduced teaching time and possible disengagement and distance from school and the interruption of sociocultural and sports activities with the compounded decrease in socialization opportunities (Save the Children, 2020). Almost 90% of Spanish parents reported emotional and behavioural changes in their children during the lockdown phase of the epidemic, including difficulty concentrating, anxiety, irritability, decreased physical activity and sleep disturbances (Orgilés et al., 2020) . Additionally, the negative economic impact of the pandemic and lockdown measures created extra stressors for underserved families. Food insecurity and other financial burdens negatively affected daily family functioning (Leddy et al., 2020) , which was associated with an increase in incidents of child abuse and domestic violence (Bright et al., 2020; Xue et al., 2020) . While the long-term psychosocial and educational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have yet to be understood, they would likely help increase inequalities for underserved children and their families (Albalá & Guido, 2020; Cáceres-Muñoz et al., 2020). 1.3 | The role of ASPs in responding to the needs of underserved children during the COVID-19 pandemic The literature on how ASPs addressed the needs of vulnerable children during the pandemic is nascent, although there is evidence that a large proportion of after-school activities in Catalonia (70%) were interrupted during the lockdown phase of the pandemic and that lowincome families were disproportionally affected by the disruption (Bonal & González, 2020) . In the United States, a study including 914 providers representing more than 6000 after-school programmes in 47 states and the District of Columbia (Afterschool Alliance, 2020) found that most programmes serving low-income children were extremely concerned that their students were missing opportunities to socially connect with peers and caring adults and that they were at high risk of learning loss and food insecurity. As a result, most programmes strived to provide services in some capacity during the lockdown by switching to remote services (70%), serving meals and distributing other basic resources (55%) and by connecting families with community resources (53%) (Afterschool Alliance, 2020). Evidence on the impact of these changes in underserved children and youth is nascent, although a few reports show promise in a variety of outcomes. For instance, a recent evaluation of the remote services of After School Matters, a non-profit organization that provides programmes in STEM, the arts, sports and leadership to nearly 10,000 youth in Chicago Public schools, shows that teens identified the ASP as a safe space to process difficult emotions and feel supported by instructors and peers. Teens also reported low levels of stress, food insecurity and appreciation for skill development opportunities, which increased their sense of belonging and satisfaction with the programme (Young et al., 2020) . In California, Expanded Learning Programmes (ELPs) are publicly funded afterschool programmes that serve the state's most vulnerable children. Over 80% of children who participate in ELPs are racially diverse children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, and 25% are homeless students. During the lockdown phase of the epidemic, ELPs were vital to keeping children engaged by providing wraparound services such as access to meals, remote homework support and enrichment activities. ELPs also ensured internet access by deploying hotspot-equipped buses through communities, coordinated home deliveries of school supplies and made sure that students remained connected with mentors and peers who provided essential social and emotional support (Williams, 2020) . Given the exploratory nature of the study, we opted for a mixedmethods research design. The rationale is that combining quantitative and qualitative research components allowed for a deeper understanding of how the ASPs responded to underserved families during the lockdown phase of the pandemic (Creswell & Plano, 2017; Schoonenboom & Johnson, 2017) . The IRB of our institution approved this research. The research team invited the directors of the 50 ASPs managed by the Pere Tarrés Foundation to participate in the study. The invitation was delivered via e-mail followed by individualized phone calls to further discuss the project and address questions. Thirty-one directors agreed to participate. We approached the directors as study participants because of two reasons. First, as providers of services, the directors had first-hand information about the challenges faced by children and families during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. Second, as coordinators of services in the ASPs, they had a good understanding about the organizational responses to such challenges. As social workers, ASP directors provide direct services to children and families while coordinating the centre's daily functioning. Given the lack of prior measures concerning our research question, the research team developed a mixed-methods survey consisting of both closed-and open-ended questions in collaboration with the participating ASP directors and their professional teams. The rationale behind opting for a mixed-method instrument was to reduce participant burden in the context of the pandemic by collecting both sets of data simultaneously (Vitale et al., 2008) . The instrument was developed in July and August 2020 and was piloted with five directors in September 2020. The final survey was sent via e-mail to all participating directors in October 2020. (4) networking strategies among ASPs, schools, social services and health services; (5) difficulties in delivering services remotely; and (6) actions addressing the needs identified. We used the themes to elaborate the mixed-methods survey, which included three blocks of questions: (1) descriptive data on the organization and its programmes, particularly in response to (2) needs stemming from the emergency; and (3) actions taken by the ASPs to address those needs. The first block consisted of seven items that provided information about the organization and its educational team (centre ownership, the municipality in which it is located, the ages of the children served and the number of families served). The second block was composed of a series of items listing the potential needs of children and families; 11 children's needs and 26 family needs were listed for a total of 37 items. Participants used a Likert scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always/nearly always) to note the frequency of each need. The final block included six questions that measure the frequency of different actions (between 6 to 17 per action) deployed by the centres to respond to the lockdown. Respondents used a Likert scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always/nearly always). To complement the quantitative data, each block was followed by an open-ended question that allowed participants to explain their responses. An additional two general open-ended questions enabled respondents to include additional needs and actions not included in the close-ended questions of blocks 2 and 3, respectively. We conducted separate analyses for the quantitative and qualitative data. For the closed-ended survey questions, we ran basic frequencies and descriptive statistics. To identify themes in the qualitative data from the open-ended questions, we used thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) . Used extensively in organizational research because it facilitates the integration of qualitative and quantitative data (King & Brooks, 2019) , thematic analysis is often understood as a flexible method to identify and analyse patterns from aggregated, open-ended data (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018) . We started with a thorough and repeated reading of the aggregated qualitative data. To create the index codes, we coded the a priori themes included in the survey. The codes were then collapsed into themes by periodic discussions among the coauthors, in which disagreements around codes and themes were discussed until agreement was reached and themes refined to ensure internal coherence and meaningful distinction among them. Finally, the research team selected data extracts that exemplified each theme (Deterding & Waters, 2018) . We present the quantitative and qualitative results jointly. The results were structured around the themes and subthemes identified in the qualitative analysis. The descriptive statistics from the quantitative data were integrated into the most relevant themes to provide additional information, along with illustrative data extracts from the open-ended responses. 3 | FINDINGS 3.1 | The ASPs identified significant needs among children and families Table 1 shows the main problems experienced by children and families, by theme and need indicators, during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. During the months of strict lockdown, educational, social, healthrelated and other social services were provided remotely. The participants mentioned that many families lacked the resources (i.e., electronic devices and Internet connection) to access services. Even those with resources experienced difficulties accessing remote services because they lacked the technical skills to navigate the platforms used to provide such services. The respondents highlighted the magnitude of the digital divide and how governmental efforts to address this issue were not always successful: It was very challenging to connect online to do homework. Why? Because the electronic devices that should have arrived in March did not arrive until June, and even then, children did not know how to use them because they had very little digital literacy. This digital divide exacerbated other inequities. For example, schools conducted needs assessments remotely using online surveys. The families with the greatest needs were the least likely to respond, which further compounded the problem. Situations requiring the intervention of specialized services increased during the lockdown. Families experienced acute financial concerns, including food insecurity, unemployment, the inability to make ends meet or pay for rent or utilities and lack of childcare. These financial stressors increased behavioural health problems and incidents of domestic violence, which unfortunately increased the number of children who were removed from their families. The participants shared how these compounding stressors required nimble responses that involved a coordinated response from different services. Take, for instance, the case of a family that faced eviction because they could not make rent: A family received an eviction order to vacate their home but did not have alternative housing to go to, and no financial or family support. Situations like these required quick, direct intervention, at least to guarantee a home to go to, as well as the provision of financial aid for food and technological devices to maintain children's stability and not further distort the socio-educational situation. The lockdown exposed inequities concerning caretakers' ability to support school activities at home. It was common to find large families sharing small living spaces, intergenerational families living in the same household or large families living in single rented rooms. These circumstances hampered students' ability to focus on learning: We found situations like those of a family of seven people, two adults, and five children, living together in 25 square meters [269 feet], without an Internet connection. We loaned them one laptop, but this was insufficient since all five children were attending remote schooling. They could not keep up with the academic pace. These problems were compounded by the lack of designated spaces and resources (i.e., desks and chairs) to attend school remotely and do homework. The public schools did not distribute educational materials during the lockdown, and families could not afford them. As a result, children lacked the required supplies for schoolwork. The situation was particularly concerning for children with special needs. The provision of suitable materials and specialized support for children with dyslexia, developmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other needs was extremely challenging. The lockdown also triggered or worsened behavioural challenges. These included difficulties in coping with emotional tension, expressing affection and dealing with the uncertainty stemming from T A B L E 1 Needs identified as a percentage of the responses "quite a lot, always or nearly always" (scores of 4 and 5 on the Likert scales) (N = 31) the pandemic. The respondents also reported difficulties in maintaining children's motivation to learn and remain engaged in activities. The lack of established routines and other structures during the lockdown led to feelings of isolation and sleep problems, including some children whose sleep schedules had been fully reversed. These concerns were compounded by adults whom themselves experienced challenges coping with the situation generated by the pandemic and who had limited resources to provide their children with protection and security. The forced coexistence, complicated by the stress stemming from the challenges associated with the pandemic, led to a substantial increase in family conflicts. The rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic made compliance with health-related guidelines challenging for families, especially as they related to social services access. Their lack of digital literacy prevented them from understanding the ever-changing rules and regulations concerning the provision of services. Caretakers had difficulties understanding, for instance, how to apply for unemployment and financial aid; where to go for food, health care and other essential needs; or how to engage remotely with service providers. ASP workers also devoted a significant amount of time providing technical support for families over the phone, including guidance in setting up and using the tablets and cards. These actions helped T A B L E 2 Actions implemented as a percentage of the responses "quite a lot, always or nearly always" (scores of 4 and 5 on the Likert scales) (N = 31) The ASPs provided support for emotional self-regulation ( found that these circumstances led to high levels of demotivation, stress, behavioural problems and episodes of domestic violence (Ghosh et al., 2020; Orgilés et al., 2020) . The pandemic magnified the long-standing socio-economic inequalities in Spain, leading to an increased fragility for the most vulnerable families. We also found that ASPs played an important role in helping underserved families during times of rapid change and social upheaval. ASPs provided quick, effective responses to help address the digital divide for low-income families; monitored the psychosocial and financial needs of children; acted as brokers between children, their families, schools and social service agencies; provided psychosocial support for emotional health and family functioning; assisted with homework and tutoring to reinforce school-based instruction; and delivered information about the unfolding pandemic and how to avail the resources that were created to address it. These findings are consistent with those reported by Young et al. (2020) in Chicago and by Williams (2020) in California who found that, unlike schools that had to wait for the government to react, ASPs responded quickly to the emergency and liaison between families and services because of their flexibility, established trust with participants and robust networks of private donors and social services referrals. In terms of flexibility, the rapid switch from in-person small group activities to remote one-toone instruction was essential to keep children engaged with school work and to help them navigate the multitude of socioemotional stressors stemming from the lockdown. These findings are consistent with recent research that shows the essential role that mentors played during the early weeks of the pandemic. A study conducted with 36 youth mentors across the United States to explore their experiences during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic found that mentors were essential in supporting the academic and socioemotional needs of youth during a very confusing and stressful time (Kaufman et al., 2021) . Like in the Chicago (Young et al., 2020) and California (Williams, 2020) Our findings have implications for policy and practice. ASPs were a critical partner to help schools and other social services address the needs of underserved children during the lockdown by becoming a crucial gateway to health care, education, nutrition, and other essential services in a time of high need. As schools and other social services learn to adapt to a new post-pandemic reality, there is an increasing need to modify ASPs services to ensure that distance barriers do not hinder the provision of education and other essential services for vulnerable families in times of crisis. For that, it is crucial to provide ASPs with equitable and sustainable funding to ensure that they have the technological resources and expertise to provide support to children and families to overcome digital gaps. Providing technical assistance from administrative or paraprofessional staff may help address digital literacy issues for clients without overtaxing providers of services. Addressing the psychosocial toll of the pandemic on children and youth by supporting ASPs' individualized mentorship programmes should be another strategic priority. The switch from ingroup to individualized mentorship services in the ASPs proved to be particularly beneficial for children. Some ASPs have continued to provide individualized mentorship to children after the lockdown was lifted, but lack of resources, such as appropriate spaces in the ASPs, and of reliable electronic equipment and internet connections, make this task daunting. Finally, the challenges observed in the study suggest that there is a need for specialized training in psychotherapeutic techniques for social workers in Spain. We are likely to have to deal with the pandemic's mental health toll on children for years to come. Social workers have unique access to the families most affected by the worsening mental health crises stemming from the pandemic. It is important that these professionals receive the appropriate training to support the mental health of these families. ASPs' flexibility, assets and expertise were essential to address the immediate needs of underserved children and families during the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The great disruption created by the pandemic is likely to have a long-term impact on underserved children and families. As we learn to adapt to a post-pandemic reality, ASPs can be strategic partners to health care, education and other essential services to reimagine how to better serve vulnerable families in times of crisis. All authors have complied with the Principles of Ethical Research. 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Executive summary All authors have no conflicts of interests to declare. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8898-183XPaco L opez https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9808-5481Eva Palasí https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6289-763XJames C. Hodges https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4657-1979Rocío Calvo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6303-9215 ENDNOTE 1 The Pere Tarrés Foundation is a nonprofit educational and social service agency in Catalonia that has worked with underserved families for more than 60 years.