The Group’s Secretariat is led by long-standing members Helen Clark, Lisa Robillard Webb and Sarah Clothier, through The Voice for Children Partnership.
THE VOICE FOR CHILDREN works with like-minded colleagues to achieve beneficial change to the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families.
In just eleven years:
- A child obesity ‘issue’ has become an ‘epidemic’
- Soaring numbers of children and young people are besieged by poor mental health
- Inadequate funding shuts nursery doors day by day
- A deepening cost of living crisis has entrenched institutional inequalities, food deprivation and child poverty
- The largely unleashed internet can menace children and young people who are ‘safeguarded’ by a flimsy ‘paper tiger’ in the Online Safety Bill
- Deadly diseases like measles are on the march as life-saving immunisation is undermined by vaccine deniers and NHS dentistry is all too often, a poor service for the children of poor families
- The post-pandemic revolution in working practice and financial hardship have made loneliness and isolation a key component in young people’s lives
There are no quick fixes but unless we want to write off the future, a start must be made – and quickly.
In 2014, our Report ‘Healthy Patterns for Healthy Families’ called on the Government to appoint a Cabinet Minister for Children but we should start where we are by:
- Making every Department responsible
Policies affecting children and young people affect all of us and aren’t the prerogative of the Departments for Education and Health and Social Care. Every year, the Secretary of State for each Department has to make a case to the Chancellor for the amount of money that they will need to pursue their policies.
This as an ideal time for Secretaries of State to itemise the resources that they will need for their policies to include measures to benefit children and young people. The amounts allocated should be published by the Chancellor at the same time as the Annual Budget Statement and held to a similar process of scrutiny in the ensuing Budget debate.
IT MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED – BY ALL OF US!
- Strengthening the role of the Commissioner for Children
Each devolved UK nation has a Children’s Commissioner and the Children’s Commissioner for England has statutory powers to talk with children, gather data and obtain evidence in order to effect change and long-term improvements to their lives. Yet there is no requirement for the Commissioner’s Reports to be debated at Westminster.
The Voice for Children wants an allocated day within the Parliamentary Calendar for debate on the Commissioner’s Annual Report, introduced by the Government. In this way, the issues raised and the response to them would become a matter of public record.
- OUR PLEDGE
We will not stop until significant change is delivered because we believe that Government both nationally and locally must ensure that for EVERY newborn baby, tomorrow will be better than today
- OVER TO YOU
The Voice for Children needs YOU! If you would like to join as a member, register your support or sponsor a report, let us know by contacting officefhcappg@gmail.com
Join us on the journey of every child’s lifetime and help them to make it a good one!
Helen Clark, Lisa Robillard Webb, Sarah Clothier: The Voice for Children Partnership