Addressing MPs and peers in the House of Lords today (17 July), Charles said: “A Bill will be introduced to raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing.”
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Children’s charities on issues the next government must prioritise
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The hits and misses of a ‘patchy’ parliament for children’s services
Children’s Wellbeing Bill
The Children’s Wellbeing Bill “will put children and their wellbeing at the centre of the education and children’s social care systems, and make changes so they are safe, healthy, happy and treated fairly”, according to briefing notes published to accompany the speech.
It is planned to strengthen multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangements for vulnerable children as well as place a duty on all local authorities to keep a register of children not in school.
It will also give greater powers to local authorities around school admissions underpinned by a duty placed on all schools to “cooperate” with councils on “SEND inclusion and place planning”.
Elsewhere in the bill, all primary schools will be required to provide free breakfasts for all children while a limit is proposed on the number of branded items required to be purchased for children as part of school uniform.
Mental Health Bill
The monarch also told the House of Lords that “my government will improve the National Health Service as a service for all, providing care on the basis of need regardless of the ability to pay.
“It will seek to reduce the waiting times, focus on prevention and improve mental health provision for young people”.
A new Mental Health Bill, designed to “modernise the Mental Health Act so it is fit for the twenty first century”, proposes to “ensure that detention and treatment under the Mental Health Act takes place only when necessary” and end the use of police stations and prisons as places where people, including young people, can be detained for welfare reasons.
The draft Bill gives little details on plans to reduce waiting times and increase access to services for children.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
The King’s Speech also saw the reinstatement of the plans introduced under the previous Conservative government to create a smoke-free generation for children and young people.
The Tabacco and Vapes Bill proposes to introduce a gradual smoking ban which would mean “children born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes”.
It also includes plans to stop vapes and other nicotine products from being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children and impose stricter penalties on anyone selling vapes or tobacco products to young people.
Junk food advertising ban
King Charles announced plans “to restrict advertising of junk food to children along with the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children”, however, no further details of the plan have been published.
A similar proposal was put forward by the previous government but was delayed in 2022 amid political uncertainty, leading to criticism from child health experts.
Crime and Policing Bill
In briefing notes to accompany the speech, details of a new Crime and Policing Bill mentions the government’s £95mn manifesto proposal for a new Young Futures programme which would see hubs set up across the country to support children at risk of involvement in crime.
Under the bill’s pledge to tackle knife crime, it states plans to “prevent young people being drawn into crime and criminal gangs by strengthening the law to tackle those who exploit children for criminal purposes, and create arrangements for local Young Futures prevention partnerships to bring together services to support at-risk teenagers.”
What was missed?
The King’s Speech saw no mention of the government’s manifesto commitment to increasing access to early years education by opening 3,300 new nurseries in schools.
It also failed to make further mention of plans to lower the voting age to 16.
