ADCS response: King’s Speech 2023

Responding to the King’s speech announced today, John Pearce, ADCS President, said:

“Unfortunately the speech missed an opportunity to focus on a significant long term challenge affecting children, their health, wellbeing and their ability to learn in school today – poverty. Poverty damages childhoods and children’s life chances, despite a mountain of evidence showing the impact of poverty on children’s lives we have not yet seen sufficient action from government on this. We urgently need national strategies that reduce and ultimately end child poverty. Children may not vote but they are our now as well as our future. Children need to be at the heart of all government policies with long term investment in them and the public services that support them.

“We do welcome the government’s ambition to create a ‘smoke free generation’ which, if achieved, will be positive for children. Local authorities are also committed to working with our partners to keep children safe from abuse in all its forms. England has one of the safest child protection systems in the world and this is made possible by a dedicated and committed social work, and wider children’s workforce. ADCS will be responding to the new government consultation on mandatory reporting in due course.”

ENDS

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