I am heartened by the level of discussion, and optimistic about the commitment to get it right for children, following the recent introduction of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It describes an ambition for a system built on love, supporting families to thrive, and challenging systems and structures that do not work well enough for children. As Directors of Children and Family Services, this is the space we occupy day in and day out for the children living in our local areas.

Positively, recognition of the impact of poverty on children is embedded in the Department for Education’s policy paper, Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive and includes the ambition that children must have the best start in life, irrespective of their family’s financial situation. The establishment of a new cross government Child Poverty Taskforce is a welcome start to tackling this issue that has long affected far too many children.

The policy paper makes reference to tackling the inequalities that children encounter, and this is an area for us to step into whole heartedly in the development and subsequent delivery of the reforms at a local and national level. Our children experience a multitude of inequalities, and we need to ensure that we see the whole child and understand their lived experiences. This is particularly true for our children who are living through, and facing, an intersectionality of issues that impact their everyday lives and influences their thoughts, views, experiences. It is imperative that we keep this at the heart of the reforms and ask ourselves how are we going to commit to ensuring we really value diversity and are accountable for striving for change for children?

We know that many children and young people who come from global majority communities experience racism, bias, stereotyping or cultural misunderstanding as they grow up. We also know this happens at an individual, institutional and societal level and this can result in some children being more likely to come to the attention of statutory services or to receive less effective support. Layered on top of this is poverty. If we fail to address the policies, practice, stereotypes, views and behaviours that enforce barriers and contribute to rising inequalities in the implementation of these reforms, we risk amplifying the discrimination that too many of our children continue to experience.  We need to ensure that we are applying an intersectional lens to address the multiple forms of discrimination experienced to move the dial here.

Of course we need to further develop our methods of identification, assessment and family engagement, but at the heart of quality intervention will be our skill to listen and truly hear the voice of our children and families.  We need to be open to the reality of systemic inequality and intersectionality whilst keeping equality, kindness and care at the centre of practice. In this way we will be able to develop loving and trusting relationships that enable families to keep their children safe and in environments that allow them to flourish.