On 23 April, NCB convened a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children to discuss the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill before it enters the House of Lords for its second reading on 1 May.
Laura Anderson, Policy and Public Affairs Officer at NCB, at the APPGC meeting alongside our two co-chairs, Jess Asato MP and Munira Wilson MP.
This meeting constituted a key moment for the children’s sector to present to APPGC members our priorities for babies, children and young people at a crucial point in time.
Family Rights Group spoke about Family Group Decision Making, and NCB presented on our single unique identifier and data and information sharing proposals. Children’s Charities Coalition partner, Action for Children, covered early intervention and another partner, NSPCC, discussed both children’s voice and children’s rights, and equal protection.
This was followed by a cross-party discussion with APPGC members on all topics and proposed amendments, which explored how Peers can help continue to clarify and strengthen emerging legislation.
Taking children and young people’s voices to the heart of government is central to the work of NCB, and this APPGC meeting provided another opportunity for us to do so.
We heard from Lawrence and Kieran, two members of our Social Care Advisory Board, on the importance of involving children and young people in decision-making. They reminded the room that:
‘Our lived experiences offer insights that can’t be replicated through theory alone, and when those insights shape strategy and policy, real change happens.’
NCB has been working closely with our wider coalition partners, including the Children’s Charities Coalition, and the Children and Young People’s Health Policy Influencing Group (HPIG), as well as NCB family members the Schools Wellbeing Partnership and the Anti-Bullying Alliance, to scrutinise legislation and advocate for the robust systematic changes that are needed.
In our role as secretariat for the APPGC, we have worked with members of the group to interrogate proposed reforms. Children’s rights and wellbeing should not be a party-political issue, and as members are represented from across the political spectrum, we are in a unique position to work across parties to make substantial changes for children.
Previous work on this includes an APPGC meeting in January, when we brought members together along with the Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby MP, to unpack how the Bill can be further strengthened as it moves through the Commons.
As the Bill progresses, we will continue to collaborate with our chairs, officers and members, and to work across government to scrutinise and strengthen the Bill, ensuring the development of policies that bring about the best for babies, children and young people.
Lawrence and Kieran speaking at the APPGC meeting