Family and Community

Clark, H., Beswick, T., Royal, P., Wright, P., Raven, A., Sutcliffe, B., Bradshaw, B., Williams, C., Graham, C., Wilson, D., Murray, A., Norman, A., Heilmann, A., Mackay, E., Charman, H., Pearson, J., Peckham, K., Murray, Pamela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8009-6900, Sandford, R., Wooley, H., O'Sullivan, J., Cooke, K., Woods, K., Briggs, M., Lubrano, M., Calder, N., Bagnall, P., Godfrey, K., Blandford, S., Dean, S. and Brewis, T. (2022) Family and Community. Project Report. Children's Alliance, Exeter.

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Abstract

‘As CEO of a national children’s charity, my team and I have witnessed the changing dynamic of families and communities both in the support they need and the way people interact in many settings,’ - Trudi Beswick
This report considers the nature of ‘community’; the ways in which our many and diverse communities are evolving; the impact on family life and the subsequent outcomes for children and young people.

Communities in the UK have changed; they had changed before COVID-19 and they have changed as a result of the pandemic. ‘Family and Community’ discusses what this means for children and young people today and how strong families and healthy communities can lead the transition to a thriving
and productive society for present and future generations.
Our contributors have provided real world examples of individuals and families whose lives have been impacted, whilst also offering innovative and considered ways in which the positive influences of strong families and connected communities can be used to replenish society as a whole.
This can only be achieved if the needs of children and young people are at the heart of strategy and policy-making.
We explore examples of best practice and seek out what we can learn from different countries and Governments; moving from narrow investment-based solutions to evidence-based suggestions that can offer public savings and
efficiencies whilst delivering positive outcomes for generations to come.

Here we highlight the everyday reality for people living in communities across
England and examine opportunities to make things better.
‘Community’ is what made the UK prosper and, with Government support, can still bind us together, so that future generations will grow and live together with equity of choice, opportunity, dignity and understanding.

‘The goal is a connected society, with everybody contributing to the greater good. Rather than symbolising our collective failure and a nation’s inevitable
decline, family and community should be the touchstone of its strong and united future,’ – Helen Clark

This report begins a conversation that is open to everybody. We hope it will be the first of many to come.

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