This report sheds light on the myriad challenges facing children and families, particularly those with multiple disadvantages. It also sets out how NCB is addressing these challenges, and the wider changes we want to see. We know that in 2017, poorer children have fallen behind before their first day at school; children with special educational needs and disabilities are missing out on the support they need; and many children experience crisis, including family bereavement.
Shockingly, new research suggests that at age 14, one in four girls suffers from symptoms of depression.
Childhood has never been easy, but some issues facing millennials are new to this generation. The internet has brought fantastic opportunities for children, but also significant challenges. Social media means that you can no longer leave the bully behind at the school gates, they follow children home on their smart phone and tablet.
Central to NCB’s role is speaking out on behalf of children whose rights and welfare are at risk. With profound economic and diplomatic questions dominating the political discourse, there’s a risk that the immediate needs of children and young people across the country are being overlooked. We must not allow children to slip off the radar.
We need urgent action to solve the crisis of rising demand and limited resources facing children’s social care and mental health services, so that children with additional needs get the right help at the right time, and to address the increase in teenage depression.