In 2023, the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) celebrated its 60th anniversary. We were founded in 1963 by Mia Kellmer Pringle, whose vision was to bring people and organisations together to drive change in society and deliver a better childhood for the UK.
Working on the fundamental principle of radical co-operation, Mia gathered health services, education providers, children’s services – everyone with a stake in the care of neglected children – to share insights and make things work better. This simple, powerful approach still defines us today. We identify the most serious issues putting our children and young people at risk, and we bring people and organisations – from Parliament to the playground, grass roots organisations to national charities, academics and policymakers – together to drive change in society and deliver a better childhood.
We interrogate policy, uncover evidence and develop better ways of supporting children and families. We work in every local authority in England and across the sector in Northern Ireland. We are experts in place-based system change, where we work intensively in a defined geography to drive improvements in outcomes for children. These ways of working are part and parcel of NCB’s identity, and they are written large in both our achievements in 202-23 and our plans for taking our work forward in the coming years as we create a better childhood for all children.
This Annual Report details our achievements and aspirations, we hope you find reading about them inspiring for your own work and encourages you to engage with us in our shared mission to improve the lives of babies, children, young people and families.