Party Conferences

At the Conservative Party Conference, Barnardo’s came together with the UK’s largest children's charities (Action for Children, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society) as part of the Children’s Charities Coalition to host a reception on 'Investing where it matters: Putting children and young people at the heart of the next government.'

The reception featured speeches from journalist and child therapist Kate Silverton, the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza and Tim Loughton MP, Chair of the APPG for Children. We heard directly from young people about the obstacles they face in life and why investment is critical for future generations.

The Children’s Charities Coalition also hosted a fringe event on the need to place babies, children and young people at the heart of the next Government where we heard directly from young people, who also had something to say to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.  

Barnardo’s hosted a private roundtable on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children, young people and families. Chaired by Barnardo’s CEO Lynn Perry MBE, we were joined by Tim Loughton MP and the Executive Chair of the thinktank Bright Blue to discuss the findings and recommendations from our report on bed poverty. We heard powerful stories from young people in the room who brought the statistics in our report to life. 

'Making every child matter again: Putting children and young people at the heart of the next government' was the focus of our reception at Labour Party Conference, as part of the Children’s Charities Coalition.

During the reception, which was chaired by journalist and broadcaster Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, we heard speeches from the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years Helen Hayes MP, the Shadow Charities Minister Lilian Greenwood MP and the former Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Josh MacAlister.

The Children’s Charities Coalition also hosted a fringe event chaired by Barnardo’s CEO Lynn Perry MBE on the need to place babies, children, and young people at the heart of the next Government.

At Barnardo’s private roundtable on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children, young people and families, we were joined by the Shadow Minister for Social Security Chris Evans MP, the Shadow Minister for Democracy Florence Eshalomi MP and the General Secretary of the Fabian Society Andrew Harrop. The discussion centred around our report on bed poverty where we also heard the human story behind the statistics from young people in the room.

At the Conservative Party Conference, Barnardo's CEO Lynn Perry MBE hosted a reception on Levelling Up for Children and Young People featuring speeches by Kelly Tolhurst MP (then Minister for Schools and Childhood), the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza, the Leader of Plymouth City Council Cllr Richard Bingley, and Lord Bethell.  

We also hosted a fringe event on the Online Safety Bill chaired by The Telegraph's Home Affairs Editor Charles Hymas in partnership with NSPCC. We were joined by Damian Collins MP (then Minister for Digital for Tech and the Digital Economy), the Founder and CEO of Glitch Seyi Akiwowo, the UK Director of Reset Poppy Wood, Barnardo's CEO Lynn Perry MBE, and NSPCC's CEO Sir Peter Wanless.

Tackling Inequalities for Children and Young People was the focus of our reception at Labour Party Conference with speeches from the Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health Rosena Allin-Khan MP, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years Helen Hayes MP, the Co-Chair of the APPG on Child Criminal Exploitation and Knife Crime Florence Eshalomi MP, the Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Josh MacAlister, and the Leader of Brent Council Cllr Muhammed Butt. 

Our fringe event, chaired by Carnegie UK Trust's Will Perrin and held in partnership with NSPCC on the importance of the Online Safety Bill in protecting children, brought together the Shadow DCMS Minister Alex Davies-Jones MP, the Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition Andrea Simon, Barnardo's CEO Lynn Perry MBE, and NSPCC's Head of Child Online Safety Policy Andy Burrows.

At our fringe event at Conservative Party Conference, we heard from the Rt. Hon. Andrea Leadsom MP, the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza, and the Vice-Chair of LGA Children and Young People’s Board Cllr Teresa Heritage. 

At our fringe event at Labour Party Conference, we heard from the Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty Wes Streeting, the Chair of LGA's Children and Young People’s Board Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, and the Deputy Mayor of Hackney Council.

At our Annual Barnardo’s Reception at Conservative Party Conference, we heard from the Secretary of State for Education the Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson MP, the Former Secretary of State for Education the Rt. Hon. Damian Hinds MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Government Whip Nusrat Ghani MP, and Cllr Deborah Taylor from Leicestershire County Council. Watch the highlights below.

At Labour Party Conference in Brighton, we went to a whole range of meetings and private roundtables, and spoke on panels. At our Annual Reception, we heard from the Shadow Secretary of State for Health Jonathan Ashworth MP. Watch the highlights below.

At the Liberal Democrats Conference in Bournemouth, we spoke to MPs and Peers about our work on issues like serious youth violence and the Domestic Abuse Bill, and how they can use their voice and influence in Parliament to help us achieve better outcomes for children and young people.