our Response to the King’s Speech

Following the King’s Speech last week, Railway Children’s CEO Rob Capener responds to the news that children’s safety and wellbeing will be prioritised in the government’s new plans and policies.

Date: 24th July 2024

“With millions of children living in poverty and experiencing poor mental health – and the potential negative outcomes we know this can have in adult life – we are pleased to see that plans are being made to tackle these issues in the King’s Speech.

“The Children’s Wellbeing Bill is a particularly encouraging move, as it will help to strengthen multi-agency child protection approaches to ensure more children are “safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly”. Many of the vulnerable young people we work with are known to social services and need support navigating issues such as low self-esteem, disengagement from education and difficult family relationships. We hope that this new policy will help to make sure their needs are fully met and that they have the same opportunities as all other children.

“We also welcome the news that there will be a legal definition for child criminal exploitation included in the Crime and Policing Bill. The increased focus on criminal exploitation will help to make sure that young people at risk are identified and provided with better protection, without being criminalised.

“We hope the government will now work to address some of the secondary risks to vulnerable young people and their families, including poverty, violence and homelessness, to prevent them from reaching crisis and give them the best chance to succeed.”