Let's invest in our children and young people

Later this month, the Chancellor will present his Autumn Budget setting out government spending for not one but three years. The government has the opportunity to invest, to enable public services to plan and deliver for the coming years, as we continue to focus on recovery from the pandemic.

The impact of the last 18 months and successive lockdowns on society cannot be underestimated. The government has committed to ‘build back better’ but the needs of children and young people must not be overlooked. They have given up so much for the benefit of us all and there is now a risk that missed education, employment and/or training, together with life experiences lost, will negatively affect the life chances of a generation. You are only a child once and every year is a year of major development. Now is surely the time for the government to properly fund the services that support children and young people to prevent a decade of further disadvantage and rising child poverty. Covid has of course exacerbated existing issues, but this only highlights the need for a strong national commitment to allow children to thrive and benefit from a country that works for all children.