CYP Now looks at key calls from across the sector for the next government.
Health
The three main political parties have pledged to increase mental health support for young people in schools, and charities are calling for the next government to go further. It should “tackle the root causes of the mental health emergency and properly fund mental health services by meeting the target of a four-week waiting time for a referral to child and adolescent mental health services by 2027”, states YoungMinds. The charity wants support hubs in every community and the full rollout of mental health support teams (MHST) by 2028.
In addition to more funding for mental health support in schools, particularly by expanding the use of MHSTs, Barnardo’s wants to see a national strategy for social prescribing for young people.
The charity has highlighted that current social prescribing strategies are aimed at adults and is urging the next government to create one for young people to improve personalised care. The charity’s research has highlighted that, in doing so, it could reduce the need for GP appointments by up to 3% annually, which equates to three million appointments.
To safeguard children and ensure their healthy development, the NSPCC says the next government should employ 5,000 additional health visitors in England over five years. The organisation wants health visiting to be done in person, with care continuing throughout early childhood.
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Early years Coram is calling for a scrapping of the two-child benefit limit in its Charter for Children, alongside “systematic reform that ensures we have a motivated and respected workforce nationwide, with no childcare ‘deserts’”. The Children’s Society and Barnardo’s echo this. Unicef UK is calling for a national baby and toddler guarantee that will tackle child poverty, provide financial and mental health support for parents, and offer affordable, quality early education& and childcare& in local areas. The National Day Nurseries Association has called for the government to improve funding, staffing and the support of children with additional needs, alongside ending Ofsted single-word judgments, and cutting taxes for childcare providers. The association is also calling for a national commission into early education and care, greater consultation with the sector on plans to change funding and for the next government to establish incentive schemes to grow the workforce. It echoes calls from other childcare organisations for a joined-up approach to the care of young children, alongside national data collection across education, health and social care to support a holistic approach to the first five years. The Early Years Alliance is asking for an emergency financial rescue package for early years providers. Its other asks include a recruitment and retention strategy, practical and financial support for baby and toddler groups, and exemption for early years providers from business rates and paying VAT on purchases. Adequate and timely support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and an increase in the early years pupil premium to match primary funding levels are also key Alliance asks. |
Education
Barnardo’s echoes the call by Coram for free meals for all children in school, particularly for primary school students and children in families in receipt of universal credit.
The NSPCC recommends the next government implements high quality and inclusive relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) for all children in England, alongside training for education staff to identify and respond to harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual abuse. Alongside this, the charity wants a national register of children not in school to prevent absenteeism.
Inclusive education has been called for by the National Children’s Bureau, which wants to see greater support in schools for children with SEND. This builds upon the ‘whole school approach’ to mental health and wellbeing that it has been campaigning for, which asks for schools to be resourced to adapt to the needs of all children and prevent absenteeism and exclusion.
Speech and Language UK is asking the next government to train all staff working with young people on how to support communication skills. It wants to adopt a free tool to spot children who are struggling in Key Stage 1 and 2, alongside guidance on evidence-based programmes.
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Youth work UK Youth urges the next government to commit long-term investment into the youth sector. Alongside this, it wants the elected party to embed youth voice into policymaking and prioritise youth workers as essential roles – alongside teachers, social workers, and therapists – for implementing effective policies for young people. The National Youth Agency calls for a long-term national youth strategy, a dedicated youth minister at cabinet level who works across departments, and long-term, joined-up funding to reverse the £1bn funding cuts over the past decade. The organisation also wants more innovative pathways into youth work and better training. Alongside this, it wants a new act of parliament to support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty based on 2023 guidance from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Strengthened data, impact and evidence on youth work interventions through establishing a “challenge fund” to pilot youth work interventions is also a key call in its manifesto. Scouts has nine key asks of the next government, including a dedicated minister for young people at the Department for Education, a pupil premium equivalent for young people to take part in extra-curricular activities, and access to outdoor learning for all young people, as part of a permanent National Youth Guarantee. It is also calling for a national volunteering platform accredited by the government and protection for youth spaces. |
Social care
Coram urges the next government to follow the “clear road map” set out in the independent review of children’s social care.
Action for Children says “major reform of the care system” is needed and calls for funding to alleviate the care placement crisis, a focus on supporting more children to successfully reunify with families, and greater support for young people leaving care. This is alongside calls for a strategy to end child poverty.
Barnardo’s wants the government to create a national statutory offer for all care leavers aged 18-25. It wants all government departments to be bound by corporate parenting responsibilities while introducing policies including free bus travel, accommodation, mental health support and access to education for care leavers.
The charity also advocates for the development of a plan for displaced children, to ensure all are taken into council care immediately. Similarly, Unicef UK is calling for the next government to “protect the rights of the most marginalised children” including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
The NSPCC’s manifesto recommends wholesale reform of children’s social care, with a focus on increasing the number of children who return home from care. The charity also wants investment in early help to support families before they reach crisis point.
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Youth work UK Youth urges the next government to commit long-term investment into the youth sector. Alongside this, it wants the elected party to embed youth voice into policymaking and prioritise youth workers as essential roles – alongside teachers, social workers, and therapists – for implementing effective policies for young people. The National Youth Agency calls for a long-term national youth strategy, a dedicated youth minister at cabinet level who works across departments, and long-term, joined-up funding to reverse the £1bn funding cuts over the past decade. The organisation also wants more innovative pathways into youth work and better training. Alongside this, it wants a new act of parliament to support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty based on 2023 guidance from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Strengthened data, impact and evidence on youth work interventions through establishing a “challenge fund” to pilot youth work interventions is also a key call in its manifesto. Scouts has nine key asks of the next government, including a dedicated minister for young people at the Department for Education, a pupil premium equivalent for young people to take part in extra-curricular activities, and access to outdoor learning for all young people, as part of a permanent National Youth Guarantee. It is also calling for a national volunteering platform accredited by the government and protection for youth spaces. |
Youth Justice
A “joined-up, cross-system government” is being called for by Oasis, which wants the government to connect youth justice to other departments and “develop a greater focus on childhood adversity”.
The charity wants the next government to “end the culture of exclusion” in schools and support vulnerable children, particularly through extending support available to young people with SEND.
Action for Children is calling for a new offence of criminal exploitation of children as part of a wider strategy to tackle child exploitation, including investment in specialist, evidence-based services for exploited children.
The Children’s Society wants spending on early intervention in child exploitation and to create new offences “aimed at combating the coercion and control of children for exploitative purposes”, alongside more support for child victims.
Redthread, which provides youth services in health settings, urges the next government to “prioritise the prevention of deprivation and violence affecting children and young people”. Including women and young girls in narratives of knife crime, implementing child-first policing and offering young victims accessible post-trauma aftercare are among the charity’s asks.
Catch22 wants to see a renewed focus on adolescents to reduce the “adultification” of child offenders and victims. It wants a national strategy to tackle child criminal exploitation, including County Lines, and greater use of technology in custody for education and rehabilitation.
