Over the coming weeks I will be sharing a series of guest blogs asking contributors what it would take for England to be the best place to be a child in 2025. Today’s guest blog comes from Jamie Masraff, Chief Executive, OnSide
When I think about what it would take for England to be the best place to be a child in 2025, I think about the kind of childhood I want for my own children – and a clear picture comes to mind.
I imagine a world where children feel confident to be themselves, dream big, and pursue their passions. A world where they are supported to succeed, but also to fail, learn, and grow. A world with opportunities to build life-affirming friendships with peers from all backgrounds, develop a wide range of skills, and gain the confidence that comes with learning new things. A world where fun isn’t scarce. Where they have the tools to maintain good mental and physical health, the support they need during tough times, and the best chance to step into adulthood happy and confident.
Few would argue against this vision, yet today’s reality is far from this. As we see from the almost daily sobering headlines, it is a difficult time to be a child. Mental health challenges among young people are at an all-time high, child poverty is rising, and we are seeing the grip of the smartphone doing more to isolate young people than connect them. OnSide’s Generation Isolation research with YouGov brought this to life, showing young people battling smartphone addiction, anxiety, and loneliness in growing numbers.
Yet while the headlines are bleak, they don’t have to define our children’s future. In fact I’m optimistic that with purposeful focus, we can create the change needed to make England the best place to grow up.
So, what would it take?
First, we must think beyond formal education as the single solution. While a quality education is essential, children spend 85% of their time outside of school. To create positive childhoods, we must focus on this time – and place youth provision at the heart of the solution.
Quality youth work transforms lives by providing safe spaces, enriching activities, and trusted youth workers who empower young people. Young people like Andrew, who is one of 50,000 young people benefiting from OnSide Youth Zones nationwide. Andrew came to Inspire Youth Zone, Chorley, as a shy teenager struggling with social anxiety and bereavement. With consistent support from youth workers, he is now a confident 18-year-old with a bright future. There are many hundreds of thousands of young people receiving transformative support like this every day across OnSide and the wider youth sector.
Yet despite proven benefits, youth provision has suffered more than a decade of underinvestment and is treated as an afterthought – over 85% of young people do not attend a youth centre. To create positive childhoods for all, we must flip this on its head and ensure every young person has access to quality youth work as a right.
Secondly, we must support parents and carers to be the best they can be because this is critical to creating great childhoods. Parenting is tough, often particularly so for those facing economic disadvantage. That’s why I’m proud of OnSide’s partnership with BabyZone – a charity providing free early-years parenting support within Youth Zones. The programme supports over 500 families, with plans to expand across our network.
Finally, we must do more to listen to young people – because they are the experts in their own lives. It was encouraging to hear young people in the Children’s Commissioner’s Big Ambition survey talk about how vitally important youth workers are. This mirrors our research, where young people identified affordable activities, places to socialise, and opportunities to learn new skills as key to improving their lives outside school. Their voices are clear, and we owe it to them to deliver.
To make England the best place to be a child in 2025, we need bold investment in youth work, robust support for parents, and a commitment to listening to young people. If we get this right, we can build a nation where every child can thrive.
