2020s
UK feels impact of global pandemic
In response to a rapid rise in infections and deaths (4,426 people in the UK had died by the end of March within 28 days of testing positive), the government announced on March 23rd 2020 an unprecedented lockdown in England to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The lockdown saw the closure of non-essential high street businesses, schools, indoor sports venues and other activities. People were advised to work from home where possible and to avoid public transport. The NHS also advised anyone aged 70 and over to stay at home as much as possible and to practise social distancing.
The government announced a series of schemes intended to support people during the lockdown. This included a financial support package for businesses affected and a furlough scheme intended to help companies retain staff. The lockdown lasted until June 2020 with further national lockdowns introduced in November 2020 (one month) and again in January 2021 (three months).
Bringing the sector together for change
We mobilised over 150 children and young people’s organisations and published a shared vision for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, to make sure that young people were supported to: recover their mental health and wellbeing, make up for lost time in education, and prevent children in their early years from having their development held back. Read the vision for recovery here.
Securing mandatory sex education in all schools
From September 2020, relationships and health education became statutory in primary and special schools and relationships and sex education and health education became statutory in high and special schools, following decades of campaigning by NCB’s Sex Education Forum.
2022
Making the health needs of children a political imperative
After nearly a year of collective effort by the children's sector - led by the Children and Young People’s Health Policy Influencing Group (HPIG) - babies, children and young people become an integral part of the Health and Care Act. These commitments ensure that there will be a focus on babies, children and young people in the new Integrated Care Systems (ICS), as well as within DHSC and NHS England more widely. Find out more
This work followed the launch in 2013 of the Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum, co-chaired by NCB and CDC Director Dame Christine Lenehan and a seminal report we published in 2014 on child and adolescent health in collaboration with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health called Why Children Die. Read it here.
The biggest rethink of children's social care in a generation
The Independent Review of Children's Social Care was led by Josh MacAlister between July 2021 and May 2022 and was the most wide-ranging rethink of children's social care in more than a generation. In November 2022, we organised an event on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children focused on children's social care reform, with a panel of experts that included Josh MacAlister as well as the Chief Inspector of Ofsted, the Children's Commissioner for England, the Director General of the Department for Education and the shadow Children's Minister in addition to the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing giving her first public speech. Read about the event here.
2023
A major win for familes with bereaved children
The government agrees that cohabiting parents and carers will be able to claim the same bereavement benefits to help bring up their grieving children as married couples or those in civil partnerships, the culmination of a long campaign for justice for bereaved children led by the Childhood Bereavement Network. Read more here.
ABA extends reach into Northern Ireland
In May, the Anti-Bullying Alliance announced it would extend its policy and practice work to Northern Ireland, following the closure of the Department of Education-funded and NCB family member Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum earlier in the year. Read more here.
NCB is sixty years old, but forever young!
In 2023, NCB celebrated its sixtieth anniversary and we marked this milestone with a range of digital and live events and activities, including working with the University of Kent and Effusion to create this interactive timeline! You can read more about our 60th celebrations here.
Animating our anniversary
To mark the occasion of our 60th birthday, we commissioned the design and animation of a special graphic identity to use throughout our celebrations. Many thanks to brand and design agency Lantern for creating this for us.
2024
A new member joins the NCB family
Research in Practice becomes part of the NCB family, bringing 30 years of experience working with and for professionals in the social care, health, criminal justice and higher education sectors offering resources, learning opportunities and specialist expertise. Find out more about its work.
Making sure children have a seat at the table
Ahead of the general election in July 2024, the UK’s five leading children’s charities – NCB, Action for Children, Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society, and NSPCC – came together with the support of nearly 200 organisations from the voluntary and community sectors to make sure the next government had a plan to put Children at the Table. The campaign successfully influenced political party manifestos, securing commitments such as a cross-government child poverty strategy and a commitment to improve mental health support in schools. Find out more here.
2025
A deeper understanding of the lived experience of assessments
Living Assessments, a major five-year programme of research funded by the Wellcome Trust and co-led by NCB, the University of Cambridge and the University of Kent, came to an end having explored the decision-making process for providing health and social care support to children and families, the impact of offering (or not offering) particular support, and the lived experiences of the children and young people subjected to social care assessments. Read about our celebratory event to mark the end of the project here.
Fit for the Future
The government publishes Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England to which NCB responds: “We must now seize this opportunity to fundamentally reprioritise the way children are served by the NHS. The devil, of course, will be in the delivery.” Following the 10 Year Health Plan’s publication, the Children and Young People’s Health Policy Influencing Group, which brings together over 60 leading national charities and is co-convened by NCB and CDC, published its policy recommendations for implementing the Plan, which you can read here.
Government makes investment in early years a priority
Giving every child the Best Start in Life, the government’s strategy to refocus and revitalise family support in the early years and deliver a more inclusive early education and childcare offer, is published. Key elements in the strategy include the rollout of 1,000 Best Family Hubs and the expansion of the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme, which NCB has supported the Department for Education to deliver since 2022. Read our response to the strategy here and find out more about the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs here.
