Childhood Matters acts as an update to the Association’s 2017 policy paper, A country that works for all children. It seeks to capture the issues and challenges facing children, young people and families, such as poverty and poor mental health, as well as the public services they rely on. This paper has been developed in consultation with leaders of local authority children’s services across the country. They expressed a shared concern about the lack of prominence and prioritisation of children within government policy and spending priorities as well as the difficulties in navigating the diffuse accountability arrangements across the multiple different departments and agencies each with responsibility for aspects of child and family policy.

As the next general election approaches, the paper identifies the most pressing priorities for each of the key nine departments, and agencies, with a role in child and family policy.

View Childhood Matters - Final Report (pdf)

View Childhood Matters - Executive Summary (pdf)