Letter to the Times newspaper on policies to support children and young people

Published: 28 January 2014

Today (28 January 2014) the Times newspaper published a letter signed by representatives from 23 leading children’s charities and campaign groups which work with children and young people. Brook's Chief Executive Simon Blake OBE was a signatory, along with Dr Hilary Cass, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Ingrid Wolfe, Co-Chair of the British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health, Pamela Barnes MBE Hon. FRCPCH, Chief Executive of Action for Sick Children, and many others (see below).

The letter can be found on the Times website. It is reproduced in full below.

Sir,

For the last 20 years, the main focus of health and social care policy from successive Governments has been on meeting the needs of an ageing population. From free TV licenses, bus passes and winter fuel allowances to the most recent guaranteed pension increase; these big ticket policies have made a welcome difference to many people towards the end of their lives.

In comparison, policies to support children and young people have been relatively piecemeal. The recent Chief Medical Officer’s report, focusing on child health, together with the ongoing governmental support of the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum are welcome, as is the focus to support young people not in education or training and the attention given to early years. But still the UK has one of the worst child mortality rates in Western Europe with up to 2,000 excess deaths a year; the number of children who are obese or who have mental health problems is growing; and the economic challenges faced by the country are particularly impacting younger people. For the first period since the Victorian age it is predicted that living standards for children will be worse than for their parents.

This is not about children and young people versus the elderly and no one disputes that people deserve to grow old in dignity. We want to see equal focus given to the younger generation.

Today we are calling on political parties to show the ambition needed and to develop and present a more coherent view to the electorate on what they would do to make the whole of the UK the best country in the world to begin life, as well as to end it. Because when you get it right for children and young people you’re also getting it right for tomorrow’s adults.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Hilary Cass
President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Dr Ingrid Wolfe,
Co-Chair, British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health

Pamela Barnes MBE Hon. FRCPCH
Chief Executive, Action for Sick Children

Simon Blake OBE
Chief Executive, Brook

Puja Dubari
Director of Strategy, Barnardo’s

Lily Caprani
Director of Strategy and Policy, Children’s Society

Srabani Sen
Chief Executive, British Association for Adoption and Fostering

Melian Mansfield
Chair, Early Childhood Forum

Dr Cheryll Adams
Director, Institute of Health Visiting

Francine Bates
Chief Executive, The Lullaby Trust

Christopher Head
Chief Executive, Meningitis Research Foundation

Marie Peacock
Chair, Mothers At Home Matter

Hilary Emery
Chief Executive, National Children’s Bureau

Sally Russell
Director and Co-Founder, Netmums

Belinda Phipps
National Childbirth Trust

Jane Sharp
Chief Executive, Rays of Sunshine

Richard Piper
Chief Executive, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Charity

Siobhan Dunn
Chief Executive, Teenage Cancer Trust

Barbara Gelb
Chief Executive, Together for Short Lives

Neal Long
Chief Executive, Sands

Rosalind Godson
Unite/Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association

Dave Munday
Unite/Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association

George Hosking
Chief Executive, WAVE Trust

Sarah Brennan
Chief Executive, Young Minds

For media enquiries please contact Brook's press office on 07789 682831 or email press@brook.org.uk

Notes to editors

Brook believes that young people should have access to great sexual health services and wellbeing support.

Brook provides free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and education programmes, reaching nearly 235,000 young people nationwide every year.
 
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