Our policy work

This year, we supported young people to call on the new Prime Minister to be a champion for babies, children, and young people, and to put them at the heart of Government as part of the Children at the Table campaign alongside Action for Children, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society. 
 
We have also called on the new Government to tackle child poverty by ending the two-child limit and welcome the new Ministerial Taskforce to address the child poverty emergency.  

In Scotland, we engaged with MSPs on the Children’s Care and Justice Bill which passed and is now an Act. This legislation will make important improvements to the care and involvement of children in the criminal justice system, alongside ending the imprisonment of 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland.

We also responded to a consultation on the proposed introduction of a Care Leavers Payment which would help reduce some of the financial barriers which young people face whilst moving on from care into adulthood and more independent living. 

In Northern Ireland, we convened the ‘Reimagine’ coalition of nine children’s charities who came together to collectively respond to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services.

Their report was launched at an event held at Stormont which attracted strong cross-party support by MLAs.  

In Cymru, we've continued to support children, young people and families to have their voices heard in the Senedd. This included responding to Welsh Government’s Draft Mental Health Strategy, supporting young people and parents to visit the Senedd and meet the First Minister and hosting visits for Welsh Government Ministers at Barnardo’s Cymru services.

We've also highlighted the importance of early intervention and prevention services, such as our Baby and Me model, as well as the need for therapeutic mental health support for all care-experienced young people.