Childhood really does matter in the year ahead

They say time flies when you’re having fun?! It’s certainly been a rollercoaster of a year with highs and lows across the children’s policy landscape. Firstly, I want to acknowledge the amazing job John Pearce has done as ADCS president. John has led the association from the front and, with his tenacious and compassionate leadership, has advocated for children and driven forward the priorities for the association. It’s a real privilege to now be ADCS president and over the course of the year I’m looking forward to working closely with Rachael Wardell as vice president of ADCS.

In forming priorities for the year ahead, presidents have a knack at building on, developing and taking further forward their immediate predecessors’ priorities, shaped by co-production with the ADCS Council of Reference, but informed by the values of the incoming president. This means that we see a careful and informed evolution of our ADCS priorities steeped in the political and policy context we see in the year ahead, always focused on improving outcomes for children and tackling inequalities. It’s going to be an interesting year!