Put kids and families at heart of Whitehall policies, next PM is urged by tsar

Youngsters and families should be at the heart of the new Prime Minister’s policies, the Children’s Commissioner demanded today.

Dame Rachel de Souza called on Boris Johnson’s successor to put kids at the centre of Whitehall decision-making.

Publishing her latest report hours before a major speech to a Conservative-linked think tank, Dame Rachel said: “The last few years have been challenging for everyone, and the pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of family.

“We know that if children have supportive families, they are more likely to succeed later on in life, they are more likely to have healthy relationships and happy lives.”

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Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be unveiled as the winner of the Tory leadership race on Monday before becoming the next day.

The victor will inherit an economy heading for recession, the highest inflation for 40 years and the legacy of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dame Rachel’s report calls for the next PM to back “a harnessing of the most powerful foundation for the future – a strong, positive family dynamic that offers those within it universal values and provable protections”.

Unveiling Part 1 of her Government-commissioned Independent Family Review, she added: “The Government needs to prioritise how they can put families at the heart of all policy decisions.

“This is the moment to make a difference in every family’s life.”

The study also outlines the latest figures on the make-up of households, revealing 23% of England’s families are headed by a single parent, compared with an EU average of 13%.

Nine in 10 single parents are women.

Some 63% of families are married couples with children while 14% are cohabiting couples.

The report says family has a “protective effect”, protecting households “from challenging times” while offering “an emotional connection, shared experience, practical support and strong relationships”.

Dame Rachel, who addresses the Policy Exchange think tank this morning(THU), said her study “shows for the first time that family provides a shield from life’s challenges – a protective effect against adversity”.

She added: “This groundbreaking research has also provided us with a deep understanding of what families look like.

“Their experience of family influences and impacts every part of their lives and for children, it shapes their future.”