National Children's Bureau

12/06/2026

Join us to discuss how to create buy-in for strategic participation and advocate for youth voice to be heard at senior levels.

As part of the Department for Education-funded Making Participation Work programme, the Council for Disabled Children’s next Participation Community of Practice is taking place on Wednesday 24th June 2026.

The event brings together professionals and practitioners who are designing and delivering participation and co-production at a strategic level across children and young people’s health, education, and social care.

This event will focus on how to create buy-in for strategic participation with senior stakeholders.

Find out more and book your place at: https://buff.ly/N7ByBaq

11/06/2026

📢 New Supreme Court ruling on deprivation of liberty

On 2 June 2026, the UK Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment that reshapes how deprivation of liberty is defined in law.

The ruling replaces the long-standing ‘acid test’ with a new approach more closely aligned with European human rights law, with important implications for children’s social care, health, and wider practice.

Key impacts include:
• A narrower definition of deprivation of liberty
• Potential reduction in system pressures over time
• Immediate implementation, with no transition period

A new article from our colleagues at Research in Practice unpacks what this means for policy and practice.

👉 Read more: https://buff.ly/SRhFS1S

On 2 June 2026, the UK Supreme Court handed down a landmark judgment in A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland [2026] UKSC 16. Melika Malone-Lee outlines the immediate and significant impact for practitioners across social care and health.

10/06/2026

A new report from PBE, commissioned by the Children’s Services Funding Alliance, reveals record spending of £14.7bn on children’s services in England (2024/25).

While increased investment presents a real opportunity, it’s clear services are entering this period under intense pressure. This report sets an important baseline for tracking whether new government funding can successfully rebalance the system towards early intervention over the next three years.

These findings are being discussed today at a special meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children, coordinated by NCB.

Find out more about the APPGC:
🔗 https://buff.ly/iToKxn5

10/06/2026

A new analysis published today by the Children’s Services Funding Alliance highlights how the cost of children’s social care is at record high after more than a decade of cuts to early intervention.

Leading children’s charities are calling for recent government investment to be used to fundamentally rebalance children’s services towards early support - as new analysis reveals the scale of financial pressure facing councils in England.

A new report by economic think tank PBE, commissioned by the Children’s Services Funding Alliance (including NCB, Action for Children, Barnardo’s, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society), shows local authorities spent a record £14.7 billion on children’s services in 2024/25.

While this increased investment presents a real opportunity, the analysis makes clear that the system is entering this period under significant strain.

Across the country, local services are grappling with rising demand, in part driven by factors like poverty and deprivation, housing and homelessness, and the unmet mental health needs of children, young people and parents.

At the same time, spending patterns have shifted dramatically. Investment in early help services has fallen by 40% between 2011 and 2025, with more than 80% of budgets now directed towards late intervention - including children entering care and other acute services.

This has created a system that is increasingly reactive rather than preventative.

Rebalancing the system towards early support is not just the right thing to do for children and families - it is essential for building a more sustainable and effective children’s services system.

https://www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/news-opinion/cost-childrens-social-care-record-high-after-more-decade-cuts

10/06/2026

“It bears the authority of scholarship, and is an excellent book for teachers, social workers, nurses, administrators, and all those who work with people; it is exceptional value for students in training.”
This was how The Needs of Children, written by NCB's first Director Dr Mia Kellmer Pringle and published on this day 52 years ago, was reviewed upon its release by the Times Educational Supplement.
It’s a seminal text, commissioned by the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Security Sir Keith Joseph, and it remains a cornerstone of early years education, shaping how we understand and support child development, with a framework built around four fundamental needs: love and security, new experiences, praise and recognition, and responsibility.
NCB continues to play a key role creating, supporting and delivering evidence-informed initiatives to improve outcomes for children aged 0 to 5, partnering with local organisations to bring about change for young children through developing and delivering grant-funded projects.
Our Early Childhood Unit (ECU) also offers a range of training options for local authorities, early years settings and individuals, including Making it REAL, NCB’s most delivered training programme, which develops practitioner knowledge and expertise to support children’s early literacy and development, and Your Baby and You, a programme that helps parents support their baby’s development through everyday opportunities and play.
Find out more about ECU’s early years training programmes: https://buff.ly/aHv01Km
And learn more about Dr Kellmer Pringle and her impact on the development of child-centred policy and practice in our interactive journey through more 60 years of building better childhoods and brighter futures: https://buff.ly/vSQOE3J

09/06/2026

Join us for our next monthly Making Participation Work coffee morning on 17 June 2026.

Hosted by the Council for Disabled Children, these informal get-togethers aim to support practitioners in developing their participation and engagement practice when working with disabled children and young people and children and young people with special educational needs. These monthly sessions are an opportunity for practitioners to share best practice, take part in group discussions, ask questions, problem-solve, and network. Each month, we look at a different topic suggested by attendees from previous meetings.

In June’s coffee morning, we will be looking at online participation with disabled children and young people and children and young people with special educational needs.

Join us for our next monthly Shared Support coffee morning on 17 June 2026

08/06/2026

This , we’re shining a light on why the earliest years matter more than ever.

Strong relationships, responsive care, and early support lay the foundations for lifelong wellbeing - yet too many babies and families still struggle to access the help they need.

Read why the theme of this year’s campaign – attunement - is so important in our blog:
🔗 https://buff.ly/gB8RqSe



https://buff.ly/gB8RqSe

08/06/2026

Joe Fautley, from the Public Health Team at NCB, is a well-known and speaker, writer and advocate. Here, he reflects on having a 'double rainbow' identity for . https://buff.ly/Vz5zbNf

08/06/2026

It's 2026, and we'd like to take a moment to recognise the young carers looking after loved ones, often missing out on many of the experiences that their peers enjoy.

This year, the campaign's theme is Building Carer Friendly Communities. From 8-14 June, let's celebrate carers, and highlight how to build communities that make a real and lasting difference to the lives of carers everywhere.

Find out more here 👉 www.carersweek.org

04/06/2026

What do we need to take into consideration when managing moves for children and young people in children's homes?

New research from Kingston University and NCB, funded by NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) highlights that children and young people’s needs are shaped by relationships, routines and environments, and these can change significantly during transitions. Changes in living arrangements may therefore affect how children cope emotionally and behaviourally, particularly where they involve loss of trusted relationships, schools, activities or local support networks. Planning transitions without attention to these issues may increase the risk of instability.

Read a blog from our Social Care Programme Lead, James Shutkever about the research, and key considerations that it points to for practitioners and decision-makers👇