Tulip Siddiq – 2020 Comments on Children’s Sector Joint Statement

Below is the text of the comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 30 June 2020.

Children seem to have been an afterthought in the Government’s response to this pandemic. We knew that young people would be among the most vulnerable in lockdown, so their wellbeing should have been one of the top priorities from the start.

Labour and the children’s sector have warned for months about the need to prepare for an increase in demand for children’s social care and mental health services. Despite these warnings, it’s not clear that Ministers have a plan to protect those children who need it most.

The Government must start prioritising the wellbeing of children and make sure the services that support them are properly funded.