THERE was a buzz of expectation at the Children’s Society before the King’s Speech last week (News, 19 July). We had been working with Labour when they were in opposition, and were eager to see the new Government’s strategy for tackling important issues that affect children and young people.

After years of campaigning, we hoped that the focus would be on improving well-being and mental health, tackling the blight of child poverty, expanding educational opportunities, and plans for protecting young people from child criminal exploitation (CCE). These are vital issues that our staff and practitioners at the Children’s Society come across daily, and that affect the lives and futures of thousands of children across the country.

Imagine the life of Anna, a hypothetical and yet typical 11-year-old from Manchester. Her daily existence is overshadowed by poverty and risk. Every morning, she wakes in a cramped, damp room that she shares with her siblings. At school, while her peers focus on their homework and friendships, Anna faces darker worries: whether there will be dinner at home, and feeling the strain of knowing too much about her family’s financial struggles. These are mental and physical burdens that no child should have to carry.

Anna’s situation is not unique. We know this because the UK’s framework for identifying potential victims of modern slavery, trafficking, and exploitation — the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) — receives 44 per cent of its referrals about children. Children like Anna make up about 7000 at risk of exploitation and abuse; added to this, nearly 70,000 children are reported missing annually in the UK. These figures are not just statistics: they represent real lives at risk.

IT CAN be the grip of poverty which drives a child from their home, moving them from safety to susceptibility to exploitation. Currently, in our nation, 4.3 million children live in poverty. This equates to nine children in every classroom of 30. Poverty has a profound impact on children — with respect to their basic needs, such as the quality and quantity of their food, and the condition of their clothing and housing, but also to their mental health and social development. Constant worry can result in poor concentration in school. A lack of space at home, like limited access to technology, can also affect how well a child does academically.

Lack of money can stop children from being able to join in social activities that help them to develop lasting friendships and a supportive social network. This isolation can push them away from school and supportive environments, making them more susceptible to negative influences and exploitation.

Tragically, this vulnerability can lead to their being drawn into criminal activities for minimal rewards — sometimes as little as the cost of a fast-food meal. This highlights the stark reality that poverty is not just about lacking money, but also about lacking the opportunities and support that others take for granted.

THE King’s Speech’s proposal of stronger police measures to target criminals exploiting children, through the Crime and Policing Bill, is a step in the right direction We must shift the narrative so that we understand these children as victims, not criminals. The introduction of a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation is a critical start: the beginning of what must be a broader and more compassionate response to exploited children.

Prevention is crucial. We need the Government to act before children such as Anna reach a crisis point. Investing in early interventions, especially in mental health and in reducing school exclusions, is essential.

At the Children’s Society, our goal is to overturn the damaging decline in children’s well-being. To put it simply: we want British children to be happier by 2030. Achieving this means bringing together all the factors that influence young lives into a cohesive action plan.

I met the Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, last week, and I welcome the establishment of a new task force, the Child Poverty Unit. It is a good start, but it is clear that more decisive actions will be needed. There are simple ways forward, but they must be bold. Measures such as ending the two-child limit and the benefit cap could lift about 300,000 children out of poverty, dramatically changing the landscape of child poverty in the UK.

We are, I believe, at a pivotal moment with the opportunity to set a positive tone and direction for the future. The Children’s Society is standing together with our friends across the children’s sector, as the Children’s Charities Coalition, calling for children to be at the heart of this new Government. The proposed Child Poverty Act offers a framework for reducing poverty and confirming our commitment to the welfare of children. We must accompany this with ambitious strategies that tackle and prevent exploitation before it starts.

We at the Children’s Society cherish our roots, which are deep in the Church of England, and I thank all our supporters in the Church for standing with us, praying for us, and donating to support our work. Together, we have a responsibility to write a new chapter for our children — one in which they are nurtured and full of potential. This is a necessity if we are to shape a future in which every child like Anna in the UK can thrive.

Mark Russell is the chief executive of the Children’s Society.

childrenssociety.org.uk