Citizens' Assembly
Have your say on the future
of early childhood
What should governments do to ensure every baby and young child gets a fair start in life?
We are developing a National Vision for early childhood that sets out our shared aspirations for babies and young children in the UK.
At Start Strong we believe lasting change happens when we create solutions that reflect the wisdom, experience and aspirations of families and communities, alongside insights from practitioners and the best evidence from research.
The Vision will be developed through input from a range of communities, practitioners and academicswith your insights, and through a Citizens' Assembly taking place this Autumn.
Our approach combines different insights and evidence to create a vision and priorities that reflect both what babies and children need to thrive and the kind of society people want to build. Crucially, this will help ensure that the solutions we champion have public support behind them – building the mandate needed to turn ambition into lasting change.
Ahead of the Citizen’s Assembly, we are asking people across the UK to feed in your ideas and insights about what governments can do to ensure every child in the UK has a fair start.
Take part in our survey
There are different ways to have your say.
Adults
Share your views on early childhood in our national survey. This is for all adults, including but limited to parents, practitoners and researchers.
Children & young people
Take the children and young people survey (for people aged 6-18). Some children will need an adult to help complete this.
Babies & children under 5:
Our youngest children should be part of the conversation too. Use our activity pack to help listen to and capture their ideas and experiences.
How your views will contribute
Responses to the public survey will be brought together and shared with members of the Citizens’ Assembly, helping them understand the ideas, experiences and priorities of people beyond the 100 participants in the room.
The Assembly's conclusions, alongside insights from the wider public conversation, will help shape the National Vision and recommendations for governments across the UK.
What is a Citizens' Assembly?
A Citizens’ Assembly brings together a diverse group of people, selected to broadly reflect the wider population, to learn about an issue, hear different perspectives and work together to make recommendations for change.
We’re using a Citizens’ Assembly because decisions about the future of early childhood should be informed by evidence and shaped by the experiences, perspectives and priorities of people and communities across the UK.
Our Citizen's Assembly
On 21–22 November in Birmingham, 100 people from across the UK will come together to consider one big question:
What should governments across the UK do to ensure every baby and young child is given a fair start in life?
Assembly members will hear evidence, share their experiences and perspectives, and consider what needs to change to give every child a fair start.
They will look at what governments can do through policies, investment and public services, as well as how they can help create the wider conditions that enable children and families to thrive.
Together, Assembly members will:
-
Develop a shared National Vision for what every baby and young child should be able to expect
-
Identify the outcomes and inequalities that should be priorities for action
-
Agree principles to guide long-term change
