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  • • Nearly half of children in care have a mental health disorder
  • • 4.2 million children in the UK are living in poverty
  • • Nearly half of children in care have a mental health disorder
  • • 1.4 million children & young people have a probable mental health disorder
  • • 1 in 5 babies aren’t receiving their entitled health visiting check at one year old
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About Children at the Table

Children deserve safer, happier and healthier childhoods.

Children deserve champions. Unfortunately, successive Governments have failed to prioritise the needs of children. This is why we need to make sure the next Prime Minister and Chancellor are up for the challenge.

Our joint report is a roadmap to make that concept a reality. To find this, we set out to explore the most effective way to drive change. We partnered with the Institute for Government. Brought together great thinkers, policy leaders and organisations.

Then, we asked, “what needs to change for the Government to coordinate better children’s policy?”..

And we found a way forward.

Happy child sitting at breakfast table

The way forward

We found that childhoods in the UK can transform for the better. If the next Prime Minister and Chancellor commit to an ambitious cross-Government strategy.

To take this forward the next Prime Minister must:

  • Make a personal pledge to be a champion for children and put them at the heart of the next Government. With the Chancellor on board too.
  • Lead in working with all departments to deliver on that strategy.
  • Introduce a system that makes it easier to identify and share what works for children. And, what doesn’t.
  • Coordinate leadership across the four UK nations. Making sure investment is a priority of every nation of the UK.
Happy child sitting at breakfast table

We know what needs to happen – but we need you to tell them that it matters and that implementing this route forward must be a national priority.

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Concerned looking child, sitting with handheld device / phone

“It’s not so bad for children in the UK...”

We hear this all the time, but unfortunately it’s just not that true. Right now in the UK the situation facing many childhoods is worrying.

  • Less than 4 in 10 children in the UK feel positive about the future of the country and the future of the world
  • 4.2 million children in the UK are living in poverty
  • In 2022, more than 80,000 children in England were looked after by local authorities – an increase of 22% over the last 10 years
  • One million children are living in extreme poverty
  • More than 1 in 4 children live in poverty
  • Nearly half of children in care have a mental health disorder
  • 1.4 million children & young people have a probable mental health disorder
  • 1 in 5 babies aren’t receiving their entitled health visiting check at one year old

We can do better for children and we can do even better with Children at the Table.

Add your support
Concerned looking child, sitting with handheld device / phone

Across all of our partners petitions, you’re joining together to take action and put children at the heart of the next Government. Thank you for signing.

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Child sitting on wall with phone; we can't see their face.

There are many young people filled with knowledge, fresh ideas and experiences which should be included in decisions which affect us all. If we are not, the decisions are made for us not with us.

Young person

Child sitting on wall with phone; we can't see their face.