Why Protest? 

Here are the issues in more detail

On Sunday 18th May we are protesting in London. We are marching for children.

Our concerns are varied (and not all are shared by every group attending) but we are united by a common purpose: urging the government to prioritise what is truly in the best interest of children. Whether it is protecting children’s right to choose an education and educational goals suitable for them, protecting them from domestic violence and intrafamilial abuse, digital safety, religious freedom or the right to perform (to name but a few),  we are calling on the Government to stop and think about what is best for children and the long-term impact on their lives.

This is not about politics. This is not about ideology or a special interest. It is simply doing what is in the best interest of children.

Whatever your political leanings, race, religion, age. Whether you are a mum or dad or grandparent, a teacher or a school leader. It is time to hold our hands out to others across the various divides, stand together and speak up for the sake of our children, for the future of our country.

The Government need to reverse action they have taken which is not in the best interest of children and think again about action they are about to take. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently in the House of Lords, where the Government can amend the Bill to stand up for children and their best interests. If they don't we ask the Peers to do so for them.

We are on the brink of a wellbeing and educational disaster. We demand action now.

Here's some of the major problems:

Children and Families have the right to choose an education and educational goals which meet the needs of the child

Home education is an important aspect of this right to choose.

The government is presenting its Children Not in School Register as a small and pragmatic change but in reality its consequences will be profound and far reaching and will effectively remove this educational choice for many children.

Children have the right to privacy

The amount of data that would be required in a proposed register of home educated children would be impractical, disproportionate and invasive.

There would be many unintended consequences of this including very detailed information about a child, their associates and whereabouts, potentially being placed in the hands of abusive parents who should have no access to such data because they pose a threat to those children.

The Consistent Identifier needs rethinking as this will affect the privacy and data privacy of all children.

Children have the right to be protected from domestic abuse, child abuse, child sex abuse and sexual harassment

CAFCASS guidelines drawn up in response to the failings which led to the murder of Sara Sharif intended to protect victims of Domestic Violence should be extended to protect children from Child Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse.

Children who disclose abuse are rarely believed in the family court, and prosecution rates for CSA are less than 2% of instances. Yet statistics show that those disclosing abuse are almost never making it up.

Believing a child who has bravely disclosed abuse should be the default response. Currently it is the opposite. 

Children have a right to a family life

Local Authorities should not have the right (or the duty) to visit a child's home environment against their wishes, unless there is a genuine safeguarding concern.

Where there is a serious safeguarding concern relating to unlawful treatment this should be differentiated clearly from an 'educational concern'. 

Delineation should be made between any educational intervention and any safeguarding intervention. 

Professionals in both cases should have the appropriate specialist training, including training in SEND and other relevant specialisms, and response times should be proportionate.

Professionals working in safeguarding should be trained to identify abuse. Much better training is needed, as numerous reports have shown, to make sure that professionals don't, inadvertently, make it harder for a child to disclose abuse. Training for social workers, judges, lawyers and teachers should be redesigned and led by academics and survivors

Convicted sex offenders and those found to have committed sexual and/or violent offences should not have access to children

In April 2024 Harriet Harman proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to make sure convicted sex offenders lose their automatic rights to contact with their own children as they are likely to be a risk.

This amendment should be added to the CWS Bill and extended to include all those against which there is a finding of fact.

The Home Office Progress Update ‘Tackling Child Sexual Abuse’  is welcome but two thirds of child sex abuse is intrafamilial

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s ‘National Review into Child Sexual Abuse Within the Family Environment’ is sadly relegated to the back end of the report with recommendations dependant on ‘future funding decisions’ and therefore unlikely to happen, despite it accounting for the majority of abuse perpetrated. The majority of Child Sexual Abuse will only be tackled by significant training and reform in the family justice system.

Presumption of contact should be replaced by detailed, appropriately trained analysis of the early signs of abuse. Including the links between CSA and other forms of abuse. Professionals working in safeguarding should be trained to identify abuse. Much better training is needed, as numerous reports have shown, to make sure that professionals don't, inadvertently, make it harder for a child to disclose abuse. Training for social workers, judges, lawyers and teachers should be redesigned and led by academics and survivors

The stigmatising of home education, Islam and other religions in the wake of the murder of Sara Sharif is unforgivable

Not only has this caused significant suffering in these communities, it has, even worse, distracted attention from the urgent reforms needed in the systems that failed her.

There is a long list of children, dating back decades, who have been murdered after being placed in the care of known abusers by the Family Division and social services. Successive governments have had this information but have failed to act

Urgent review and education about abuse is necessary and this Bill represents a significant missed opportunity to keep children safe if such reforms are not made in this legislation.

The needs and wishes of children with SEND must be better understood

For those children who want to be educated at school there should be arrangements made to meet their needs in a school environment. They should never be off rolled or encouraged to leave.

For children who wish to be educated at home their wishes and needs should be respected.

The Voice of the Child is sadly missing from this supposed ‘Children’s’ Bill and needs to be included throughout.

Children who follow their talents in the performing arts should be supported.

Children taking educational opportunities in the performing arts should not be marked as 'unauthorised absence’' when schools are aware that they are taking artist opportunities.

The 2014 Child Performers Regulations should be reviewed to take care of children in a changing world.

This is not an exhaustive list, if you are coming to the march on Sunday 18th and you have concerns about the Bill, what is misses out, its practicability or unintended consequences that you would like added to this list please contact us via the form above.