Very proud of all NCB staff and trustees who have kept going and kept me going through a tough year. Great to look back at some of the milestones. And look forward to another year of better outcomes for children, young people and the adults they become. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
📣Apply to be a Senior Change Designer for our Area Leaders Programme.
Are you passionate about helping children keep safe from violence, brilliant at design, and comfortable with communicating complex information? Then apply before 10/10/25, 12:00 pm: youthendowmentfund.org.uk/careers/
This #AntiBullyingWeek the theme is #PowerForGood 💙
Buzz Education have written a guest blog exploring their belief that businesses can create safe, supportive workplaces where teams thrive.
Here are 6 ways to inspire positive change 👇
🔗 anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/aba-our-work...
You'll get to work with our brilliant trustees and finance team, learn about our charity and contribute to the vital work we do improving the systems that support children to develop and thrive
Mental health support • Mind runs a support line on 0300 102 1234 as a safe and confidential place to talk openly. It also has an information line, on 0300 123 3393, for details of where to get help near you. And its welfare benefits line – 0300 222 5782 – supports anyone with mental health problems who is navigating the benefits system. • Samaritans is there to talk to you for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call them on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. • The disability charity Scope has a forum where you can chat in a supportive atmosphere to people going through the same experiences. • NHS England has an online mental health triage service.
Benefits support • The Trussell Trust's Help through Hardship helpline, on 0808 208 2138, is a free and confidential phone service offered alongside Citizens Advice that provides advice to people experiencing hardship. You can also find your local Trussell Trust food bank here. • Benefits and Work provides guides, forums and newsletters to help people navigate the benefits system and get the support they are entitled to. This includes benefit applications and appeals. • Turn2Us provides a free benefits calculator to help you find out what benefits you can claim, as well as a grants search service and a Pip Helper to assist you in applying for the benefit. • The Law Centres website helps people find their local service for benefits support and more, while Advicelocal provides a search directory tool to find your local advice provider.
I know coverage of disability benefits can be very distressing. So, I’ve worked with colleagues to make a range of support visible on The Guardian’s site.
If you click on a relevant news story, you’ll see a “drop box” of signposted mental health help as well as benefits advice.
Before the government embarks on this major reorganisation, it is essential they have a clear vision of the future operating model for the NHS.
Our statement on the abolition of NHS England: www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/med...
This is an excellent series, it challenged a lot of the things I thought I was certain about. Sensitively, intelligently, and compassionately handled. Thank you @sonia-sodha.bsky.social
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a major step forward for children, and we will be working with MPs across Parliament over the next few months to see where it can be strengthened even further. The Children's Charities Coalition
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, discussed in Parliament today, contains welcome child protection and safeguarding measures. We'll keep working to strengthen the Bill even further. Read the Children's Charities Coalition's statement:
We’re happy to welcome two Trustees! Tayo Leigh and Onder Beter both joined the NCB Board of Trustees on 1 January. Their wisdom and knowledge will help us continue to improve the lives of children, young people and their families.
Learn more about them: https://buff.ly/4aawnVC
👏Congratulations to our amazing Dez Holmes, who was awarded an MBE in the King's New Year Honours List. Read how she feels pride on behalf of her team's brilliant work, but mixed emotions in receiving an award with painful and pernicious connections to Empire. #ExcellenceNotEmpire buff.ly/3W41qwm
Congratulations to my wonderful @ncb.org.uk colleague @dezholmes1.bsky.social for receiving an MBE for services to improving social care. Very proud
Really important evidence on the injustices of prepayment energy meters - and the disproportionate impact on poor families.
❗️Alarmed by harms suffered by children, & scale of LA non-compliance with law, this year we published two new resources, and updated a third.
For teenagers: rights4children.org.uk/aged-16-or-1...
For social workers: article39.org.uk/advice-and-r...
For advocates: article39.org.uk/wp-content/u...
Councils failing to take homeless young people into care www.theguardian.com/society/2024... young people denied their rights are exploited by a broken system where saving money trumps caring for children
We are so happy that @researchip.bsky.social joined the NCB family in February this year. Their work in 2024 has helped thousands of professionals develop their skills and improve their practice. Have a look at their most popular campaigns 👇
What a lovely photo Chanukah samayach Cathy x
It's encouraging to hear how the Children’s Wellbeing Bill plans to tackle many of the issues the Children's Charities Coalition has campaigned hard for, like the unique identifier number for children and for reversing years of underfunding in early help services. Yet the money announced today falls far short of what's needed. Children and families desperately need - and deserve - sustained investment in early help services, mental health support and children’s social care. This needs to be underpinned by an ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty.
This promising Children’s Wellbeing Bill has the potential to transform how we help our most vulnerable children and families.
Read the full #ChildrensCharitiesCoalition statement: https://buff.ly/3ZYZoje
Our collaborative #ChildrenAtTheTable campaign comes to an end this month. The Children's Charities Coalition will continue working together to ensure good childhoods are a national priority
Read the highlights of the campaign ⬇️
CYP Now - Children at the table www.cypnow.co.uk/content/blog...
"I'm asking the Prime Minister for change. Change for a better future for every child." Chan, 14, young person
The #ChildrenAtTheTable campaign comes to an end this month. But the Children’s Charities Coalition will continue working together to ensure good childhoods are a national priority. Read our story: https://buff.ly/4ivvryI (4/4)
Part of the statement by Amanda Allard, Director of CDC, found on the link
We welcome plans by the Department for Education today to increase provision for disabled pupils & pupils with SEN in mainstream schools, to focus on the needs of neurodivergent children and to pause the Safety Valve programme. Read our response in full here: buff.ly/4ggeSou
In less controversial statements: Snooker Loopy is great and Terry Griffiths was a great player in a great time for snooker.
youtu.be/NXcbyxFNCSc?...
Cracking interview by @shantidas.bsky.social with my friend @peterwanless.bsky.social in today’s Observer. He’s right we need radical change to improve the lives of Britain’s most disadvantaged children. We will miss you SirP but we keep fighting for children!
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
If you're interested in #childpoverty #childrights #policy & #advocacy in the UK, I'd strongly recommend the event video here feat. insights from @annafeuchtwang.bsky.social & @ncb.org.uk young members, @cpaguk.bsky.social Alison Garnham @nickhobbs.bsky.social Jamie Burton & ors
youtu.be/ukMGoW1KXK0
Fantastic night in New Orleans with Down to the River Allstars for #LondonJazzFestival at the Barbican
Read what Sam and Amir had to say about their experiences and their advocacy on behalf of children and young people. Lawyers at the event observed that many of the challenges they talked about are actually entitlements enshrined in law. www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/med...
Sam and Amir speaking about their perspective on the care system and disability in relation to poverty and children's rights at Doughty Street Chambers. @ncbnews.bsky.social proud to support them
Saying goodbye and thank you to @peterwanless.bsky.social who spoke powerfully of how far we've come and how much farther there is to go to keep babies, children and young people safe. And of the importance of the collective voice. Now he's retiring, I'm the veteran of #ChildrenAtTheTable. Gulp!
I'm looking forward to speaking at this event tomorrow at Doughty Street Chambers to mark international children's day and the UN Convention on the Rights of Children in support of two remarkable young people who have overcome obstacles throughout their lives, including poverty and homelessness
I'm very proud of the work we do that involves young people who serve on our board of trustees, advise us on policy, lead research projects and speak on behalf of other young people. From the playground to parliament children deserve to be heard.
Really good to see the government beginning to tackle children's social care. We want to see changes happen as soon as possible, to provide children with the support that will help them thrive, but we know it won't be a quick fix. @ncbnews.bsky.social statement here www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/med...