Today, on World Children’s Day, we’re pleased to publish the England Country Profile that the Children’s Rights Alliance for England prepared for the Eurochild 2025 report: Unequal Childhoods: Rights on paper should be rights in practice.
Unequal Childhoods is an important annual spotlight on the state of children’s rights across Europe, and this year’s profile for England sets out a stark reality.
Our submission presents a snapshot of the challenges children across the country continue to face:
- Rising poverty, with 31% of children now living below the poverty line.
- Weakened early help, with over £2bn cuts to early intervention services since 2010-11 and more than 1,000 children’s centres closed.
- Record numbers of children in care, reflecting a system stretched beyond capacity.
Unmet mental health needs, long waits for CAMHS, and less than half of schools able to access Mental Health Support Teams. - Discriminatory and harmful practices, from punitive school behaviour policies to the continued strip-searching of children, disproportionately affecting Black children.
Serious rights gaps for migrant and asylum-seeking children, from unsafe age assessments to prolonged poverty and barriers accessing education.
The use of PAVA spray in youth custody, despite its known physical and psychological risks.
While the profile highlights many areas urgently in need of change, it also recognises positive steps — from steps to increase knowledge and awareness of children’s rights amongst civil servants to commitments on mental health support in schools. These are important foundations to build on, but they must be matched with long-term investment and accountability.
On a day dedicated to advancing children’s rights, this report is a crucial reminder that children in England are entitled to much more: stronger protections, earlier support, and decision-making that consistently centres their rights and lived experiences.
A huge thank you to the organisations who contributed their expertise and evidence:
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Howard League for Penal Reform
NSPCC
Refugee Council