Rachel Reeves MP at a visit with young people supported by Barnardo's

Our policy work

We bring about change to make children and young people's lives better

We push to improve practice, policies, and systems so that they really work for all children and young people.

Nobody knows better than children and young people what their lives are really like. That’s why we're committed to supporting young people to share their experiences and insights about the laws, policies, practices, and systems that affect them. We amplify their voices in our research and influencing work with decision-makers across the UK to help change children’s lives and the systems around them for the better.  

Find out about our recent policy work across the UK

This year, we supported young people to call on the new Prime Minister to be a champion for babies, children, and young people, and to put them at the heart of Government as part of the Children at the Table campaign alongside Action for Children, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society. 
 
We have also called on the new Government to tackle child poverty by ending the two-child limit and welcome the new Ministerial Taskforce to address the child poverty emergency.  

In Scotland, ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election 2026 we published our manifesto which sets out practical asks on a range of issues from family support, to tackling child poverty and improving health and wellbeing that are designed to improve access to support for families who need it most.

We also engaged with MSPs on the Children’s Care and Justice Bill which passed and is now an Act. This legislation will make important improvements to the care and involvement of children in the criminal justice system, alongside ending the imprisonment of 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland.

In Northern Ireland, we convened the ‘Reimagine’ coalition of nine children’s charities who came together to collectively respond to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services.

Their report was launched at an event held at Stormont which attracted strong cross-party support by MLAs.  

In Cymru, we published our manifesto for the 2026 Senedd elections which outlines a set of commitments we are urging all political parties to adopt. Highlights include a call for the introduction of a Welsh Child Payment, which research shows would have a significant impact on child poverty in Wales, alongside making a firm commitment to families by investing in the services that they need.

Read our latest reports

  • Making sure “sickness to prevention” works for all young people

    The NHS Young Researchers are a group of young people aged 16-25 who, since April 2025, have come together to explore the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, and design research that aims to address what they feel is missing from the plan. The authors of this report have focused on the “Sickness to Prevention” part of the plan by considering this core research question: "Do young people feel listened to when engaging with NHS services about their physical and emotional needs, and if not, how do we improve this?".

    Research report
    Mental health and emotional wellbeing Physical health Policy, advocacy and participation
  • Shifting Care to the Community: What does this mean for young people?

    The NHS Young Researchers are a group of 25 young people aged between 16 to 24, part of the wider NHS Youth Forum, who work alongside Barnardo's and NHS England to advocate for valuable participation and provide a voice for young people within healthcare services. This report focuses on how community care can be set up to more effectively ensure young people's health and wellbeing is a priority.

    Research report
    Mental health and emotional wellbeing Physical health Policy, advocacy and participation

View more reports

Contact our Policy team

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Our latest news

Read our latest updates on how we’re supporting children, young people and families across the UK.  

Get involved with our campaigns

Learn about our campaigns and how you can get involved in helping change laws, policies, and practices that don’t work for children and young people. 

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We’re building a movement to change childhoods and change lives in the UK – are you with us? Sign up to hear how you can change a child's life and keep up with our latest work. 

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