At Barnardo’s, we work closely with decision makers to achieve our purpose: Changing childhoods. Changing lives. Through our influencing work, we drive long-term change for children and young people, creating opportunities for their voices to be heard by decision makers. We also use evidence from Barnardo’s services to influence government policy.
To change lives, we need to change laws
We campaign to raise public awareness of the issues affecting children and young people and we influence government using our own evidence-based research to make change happen.
Our campaigns and influencing are currently focused on:
Our recent influencing work in Westminster
In autumn 2024, we published our joint report ‘A Recipe for Success’ with Co-op, who we have been working in partnership with since May 2023, to bring local communities together in supporting positive futures for young people across the UK. We found that many young people cannot access healthy and nutritious food: 42,000 young people at secondary school and college shared their views with us for the report which revealed that 23% cannot access healthy food in their community.
We also published ‘Empty Plates and Cold Homes’ which focused on how poverty affects families’ ability to afford food and fuel. Through our research we found that 1 in 4 parents (25%) struggled to provide sufficient food for their child in the last 12 months, with many families frequently having to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children, a decision no parent should ever have to make.
Two Secretaries of State Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education, visited our Family Wellbeing Centre in Brent. During the visit they spoke with children, families and Barnardo’s colleagues about a range of issues – from difficulties with housing, to the cost of a bus ticket to take their children to school, to not being able to afford a repair or replacement when essentials like the fridge or washing machine break down. As co-chairs of the UK’s Child Poverty Taskforce, they launched the Government’s child poverty taskforce framework at our family support centre.
Our key achievements in 2023-24
- With 4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK, we have been calling for Government to take action to lift children out of poverty. The government has listened and introduced a cross-government Child Poverty Taskforce which aims to build a child poverty strategy to break down barriers and give all children the best start in life.
- As part of our case for change, we published ‘No Crib for a Bed’ and ‘A closer look at bed poverty’ we highlighted the importance of the Household Support Fund as a lifeline for families living in poverty and struggling to afford the essentials. The fund has since been extended by the government until March 2025.
- Our campaign, Transport for Freedom, launched in 2022 which calls for free bus travel for care-experienced young people, continues to be adopted in local authorities across the UK. Since the campaign launched, the following local and regional authorities have taken up the scheme including:
- During Refugee Week 2024 we published ‘Fostering Hope’, which sets out the importance of placing children seeking sanctuary in the UK in a warm and loving household, and what needs to be done to ensure this can be done as quickly as possible following their arrival in the UK.
- As part of the Children At The Table campaign – led by Barnardo’s together with Action for Children, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC and The Children’s Society - we have been calling for the new government to put children and young people at the heart of policy by committing to an ambitious cross-Government strategy for children. As a result of this, in the government’s first King’s Speech, the Children’s Wellbeing Bill was announced, which aims to put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems.
Championing children in Parliament
We know young people want to be heard. As a Parliamentarian, you can champion their voices by:
- asking questions
- holding debates
- hosting events (virtually or in-person)
You can also get involved in your local community by:
- visiting a Barnardo’s service
- volunteering in a shop
- attending a local event
Contact us
To organise a meeting, speak to someone about our work, or to arrange a visit, contact the Policy Team at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter @barnardosnews for all of our most recent policy and media updates.