Reflections from Labour Party Conference 2025
AllChild recently attended the 2025 Labour Party Conference, where we listened to politicians, policy experts, local leaders, and young people speak about some of the most pressing issues facing children and families today. Across a range of fringe events and panel discussions, one message came through loud and clear: child poverty is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and addressing it will require long-term, joined-up approaches rooted in community and supported by sustainable funding.
The urgent call to act on child poverty
The urgency around tackling child poverty and its impact on children and families was a consistent theme throughout the conference. At an event hosted by The Children’s Society, two young speakers, Brogan and Rose, shared powerful reflections on their lived experience. Brogan captured the reality simply: “when you’re in poverty, everything in life becomes harder.” Rose added: “too often we’re talking about children’s potential - but they already have value right now.”
In another session, Georgia Gould MP, Schools Minister, highlighted that “we can't ignore how fundamental poverty is to driving the issues children are coming to school with.”
It was welcomed to hear Natasha Irons MP emphasise the role of the voluntary sector in addressing these issues, highlighting the need for “security and sustainable support to work for the long term.” This focus on lasting commitment, rather than short-term or externally imposed programmes, came up regularly across the panels, particularly from those working in local authorities, who shared concerns about initiatives that are brought into communities without their involvement, only to disappear again, damaging trust and relationships.
The need for community connections
Several discussions, including with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, focused on the pressure schools are under, and the importance of connecting them to wider networks of support. At a session on support inside and outside the school gates, Minister Georgia Gould spoke about the “decimation of infrastructure” around schools and stressed that they “need to be rooted in and connected to the community.” This need for greater connection was echoed by Opportunities Mission Champion Sarah Smith MP, as she outlined concerns about the postcode lottery in children’s support and opportunities, even within the same local areas.
Another panel on Building Social Capital for Neighbourhoods further highlighted the importance of trust and collaboration with communities for wider services, interventions, and programmes. Cllr Jane Ashworth OBE, a former youth and community worker, stressed the value of working at the pace of the community, together and with long-term investment. Debbie Stephens, CEO of L30 Community Centre, echoed this, saying work should ''focus on what is strong, not what is wrong'', with community ownership at its heart. Dr Henry Kippin from the North East Combined Authority stated that cash injections alone are not enough - they must be scaffolded by collaboration between local authorities and communities.
These insights strongly align with AllChild’s model, which is co-designed with each local community and built on trusted relationships between schools, families, and community services. Central to our approach is the role of our trusted adults, AllChild Link Workers, who play a vital role in helping children and families access the support and opportunities they want and need. It was positive to hear Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society, also emphasise the importance of trusted adults in a discussion about children's wellbeing.
Prevention and early intervention: a recurring priority
Early intervention and prevention came up repeatedly across multiple events, including those hosted by Foundations and IPPR. Josh MacAlister MP, Minister for Children, reflected on the long-term decline in early intervention funding and the need to shift back toward approaches that support families before challenges escalate.
At a panel on funding public service innovation, Lord Bird, James Westhead from Better Society Capital, and others shared reflections on how to make that possible. James spoke about the potential of social investment to “build the prevention muscle for government,” and the importance of working in partnership, with purpose, to drive long-term change.
Noticeably absent: Better Futures Fund
Given the growing appetite for support programmes that are cross-sector, locally rooted and preventative, it was notable that the government’s recently announced £500 million Better Futures Fund was largely absent from the discussions we attended.
This fund could provide a significant opportunity - within the government’s wider child poverty agenda and Opportunities Mission - to drive integrated, long-term work that puts communities in the lead and children’s outcomes at the heart. As conversations continue around the funding of children’s services, the impact of poverty, and the future of place-based delivery models, we at AllChild will do our best to help shine a light on the potential of this investment for organisations like ours, and the children and communities who are affected by poverty.
