England

Although England is the worlds 4th largest economy, child poverty is extremely high. One in four children in England live in poverty (3.6 Million) and one in ten live in severe poverty. The standards of education that is found in England is high, however there are still children which are not attending school or getting the education that they need. 9, 000 children are permanently excluded from school each year and 10,000 are missing from the education system, including travellers, refugees and asylum seekers.

Save the Children has campaign within England for over 80 years, focusing on the communities that are in need, London, the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East and the North West. Save the Children aim for long term change for children, those in poverty, missing out in education and those who have come to England for refuge and asylum. There are currently 6, 000 asylum and refugee children who have arrived in England alone, without any family often through separation.

Children play a huge role in the successes of Save the Children, speaking about their experiences and their ideas for tackling problems they provide the voice for all children who need help throughout England. Save the Children use their ideas, develop them and put them into practice, they also give children the opportunity to present their views to powerful people and be confident in their abilities to make a change in their community and make successful, lasting changes.

In England, as well as working alongside children, Save the Children work with many organisations, such as European, Central and Local Governments and a wide range of community groups. This gives them a powerful position to speak on behalf of children throughout England and raise the issues that affect them and the way they live.

Punishment and Violence
Save the Children believe that children should be given the same legal protection as adults are given with regards to assault in the home. Any type of corporate punishment of a child is illegal and breaches the human rights principles. Research into this area has shown that a huge 90% of children have been hit and 75% of women admit to smacking their children before the age of one! These figures are alarming, however the 2004 Children Act introduced a partial change in the law, but hitting children is still recognised as ‘reasonable punishment’. Save the Children are campaigning for further legislation to be passed for the protection of children.
Smacking is seen as a form of discipline, many parents do not know any other effective ways of disciplining their children, however Save the Children have out together parent packs, and information to support parents and careers in using other forms of discipline.


Poverty
Immediately we associate poverty with lack of money, clothes, or any material goods that money can buy. However as demonstrated in the report on ‘Britain’s Poorest Children’ conducted by Save the Children, poverty also includes social exclusion, denied access to leisure and social activities and being excluded from taking an active part in the community. Save the Children aim to ‘highlight the negative and discriminatory effects of poverty on children and young people; and to support children and young people in developing their own ideas and strategies and putting them into action in their local areas’.

Save the Children have a large number of local and community based regeneration and anti poverty schemes throughout England, these are funded and managed in conjunction with the local authorities including Housing Associations, and the Children’s Fund. Young Voices work with Groundwork UK in six areas of England; it involves children and young people working together alongside adults putting their own ideas into action, making the community where they live a safe and better place to live.

British Gas have also teamed up with Save the Children with the ‘Here to Help’ scheme, which encourages community based organisations to tackle child poverty, and working alongside children to identify and address important issued that affect them, whilst also providing training for government staff.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Many of the children seeking asylum come to the UK to get away from conflict and abuse and are seeking protection. Currently only 3% of them are given permanent status, the other 97% remain uncertain of their future and if they will be sent back to the country that they have fled. Save the Children believe that these children should have the same rights and protection as any other child in England, however legislation is seeking to remove these rights. Save the Children lobby for the rights of refugees and asylum seeking children, and over the past five years have worked alongside these children to influence both nationally and internationally.

Education
‘Every child has a right to a good education and one that develops their personality and encourages them to understand their rights and respect other peoples rights and values’ The UN Convention on the Rights of Children.

Save the Children aim to ensure that every child gets the right education that they need and deserve, focusing on children who are risk of getting excluded and others who’s education is being interrupted. The education programme works across England, in the North East, the North West, Yorkshire and London.

Save the Children have set up a programme to encourage education to students and to support them whilst in education. They have also been instrumental in changing legislation that puts a duty on local education authorities to consult with pupils in assessment and inspection of schools.