Generating impact
These are just some of the campaigning successes that we've achieved recently
1. Safe and Sound - Following many years of campaigning, we came one step closer to achieving one of our long-term goals in October 2007 with the publication of the new government targets and indicators for Local Authorities. Broadly speaking, the indicators comprise a set of key areas that the government will expect Local Authorities to deliver on, and are therefore central to priority-setting for Local Authorities. For the first time ever, there is now an indicator specifically on “Children who have run away from home/care overnight”. While this alone does not guarantee immediate help for young runaways, this represents a landmark shift in government thinking, which we warmly welcome.
2. End Child Poverty Coalition rally - 300 people attended a rally in Whitehall on 7 November as part of the End Child Poverty campaign. The Children’s Society, together with a large number of children’s charities, are proud supporters of the campaign. At the rally, the request was a simple one – that the Government keep its child poverty promises. In response to the rally, the Chancellor re-committed himself to the child poverty targets and promised action on child poverty in the next two budgets. We will continue to keep the pressure on to make sure that this happens.
3. Safe and Sound: Pledge Day - On 15th October 2007, The Children’s Society hosted a Pledge Day For Young Runaways at the House of Commons, in partnership with Helen Southworth MP and the English Coalition for Runaways. Nearly 100 MPs demonstrated their support for runaways by signing our 7ft replica running shoe - a symbolic representation of the 100,000 children and young people who run away every year.
4. Safe and Sound: Parliamentary Hearings - On 16th and 17th October, experts working with children and young people who have run away from home or care gave evidence to a panel of MPs on what needs to be done for young runaways, with a focus on identifying practical solutions. It was the first time MPs have come together to hear evidence on this important issue. The findings from the hearings will be submitted to Government by Helen Southworth MP, who chaired the proceedings.
5. Refugee Week 2007 – In June, the Campaigns Team and young refugees from our ‘Refugees Aloud’ project attended Refugee Week. This year's theme was celebrating sanctuary. The team and young people distributed ‘branded’ postcards explaining that they don’t want to be seen as a statistic or an inconvenience but rather as children who want to make new, safe and productive lives in this country. We worked on a number of events and activities all with the aim of questioning lazy thinking on this issue and to ensure that young refugees' voices, so often ignored, have an opportunity to be heard.
6. When I Grow Up – In March 2007, The Children’s Society hosted an exhibition with a range of images of celebrities reflecting what, as children, they wanted when they grew up, as well as young people's own aspirations for their futures. Kemi Banjo, a young refugee from our Refugees Aloud project, arrived in this country after her parents died and the family had no money for medicine. Kemi wants to be a doctor or a nurse when she is older. In the UK, the one person she most admired was Cherie Booth. We were delighted to arrange a meeting.
7. Stand By Me – In January, we asked our local campaigners to support our Stand By Me campaign, which aims to help the 13,300 disabled children and young people living away from home to gain access to an independent advocate. We hoped to get 13,300 signatures, one for every disabled child living in residential and hospital settings. We reached a massive 17,000 signatures, which we presented to Beverley Hughes MP, the Government’s Minister for Children, along with three disabled young people and two independent advocates.
