King’s Speech 2024

Family Rights Group’s response to the first King’s Speech of the new Government

From restarting the Child Poverty Unit to bringing forward a Children’s Wellbeing Bill in the King’s Speech, the new Government has put opportunity for children at the heart of its mission-led government. Nowhere is that child-centred mission needed more than in the children’s social care system.

The system is in crisis, with a record number of children in the care system, many far away from family and friends. Kinship care is an option that works for children, families and the state yet is too often not explored. Meanwhile some private children’s homes providers are making huge profits and local authority budgets are under severe strain.

Since the independent review of children’s social care recommended a whole system reset in 2022, progress has not matched the scale of the challenge. Too many parents are struggling to get the advice and support they need early to prevent a crisis escalating. Kinship carers are struggling to access the practical, emotional and financial support they and the children need too.

This week we met the new Children’s Minister, Janet Daby MP. A social worker by background, her commitment to child-centred reforms was clear to see. It was fantastic to hear her support for utilising family group conferences to galvanise the strengths of a child’s family and friends to plan for their welfare. The approach was developed in New Zealand and enshrined in law as a right for families by a Labour Government there. We hope this Labour Government will take inspiration.

One of the new Minister’s first engagements was to meet with kinship carers. She pledged to give kinship care the support it deserves. The national kinship care strategy was a welcome start, but we must maintain the momentum to ensure kinship care is properly explored and supported. Family Rights Group looks forward to working with the Minister, and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care, to achieve this. Our Time To Define proposals for a statutory definition of kinship care and a local kinship care offer are oven-ready policies which could start making a difference quickly.

Bayley, a 19 year old care leaver from Coventry, has spoken to the media this week about how the realities of the care system mean many young people are disconnected from their support network. Family Rights Group’s Lifelong Links programme gave Bayley the opportunity to rebuild that support network. In her words: ‘They’re not my blood, but they’re the people that I class as my family.’ All children and young people in care should have that opportunity.

This new government is on a mission to rebuild the country. One of the fundamental building blocks is family. For 50 years, Family Rights Group has advocated for families to get the help they need so that children can live safely and thrive in their families. That mission is more urgent than ever. We will work with the new Government, and cross party, challenging where necessary, to secure the step change children and families need.

See also:

• Our 5 asks for children’s social care reform